Page 43 of Into Orbit
I licked my lips. ‘Because she didn’t want one.’
‘Exactly. She didn’twantone. But now she’s met Elswyth, and now she’s metyou, and she’s changing her mind. Even if it’s slow. Even if she hasn’t realised it yet.’
‘What do we do?’
He kissed my forehead. ‘We let her be angry. I’ve been watching her for weeks, love. The trick with Maeve is knowing when to push forward and when to retreat. She’ll be angry for a while, but while she’s angry, she’ll think aboutwhy. So we give her space to do that.’ He ran his hands over my shoulders. ‘I like you like this.’
I forced a laugh. ‘When I’m worried that I’ve ruined everything?’
‘Dishevelled and sated and covered in her scent,’ he murmured, his voice going deep. He took a handful of my hair and tugged my head back so he could press kisses to the lines of thorns on my cheekbones. ‘She told me an Earth story the other day. Something about a type of ancient Earth guard rescuing a royal female from a creature called a dragon.’
‘A dragon?’
‘It sounded like a cloud-lizard from Sector Three. All scales and claws and a long tail. The Earth ones breathe fire, apparently. Its name was George.’ Ashton thought for a moment. ‘Or maybe that was the guard. There were trees involved, with some kind of fruit. But the point is,’ he went on, ‘that at the end, Maeve saidif I was in the story, I wouldn’t kill the dragon. I’d probably kiss it, instead.’
I blinked. ‘She’d kiss the creature?’
Ashton laughed; my chest constricted at the sound. ‘Will, love, in this metaphor,weare the dragons. We’re not human, not like her in many ways. And we’re putting her in danger. Not her body – we’re a danger to her hearts.’ He blinked. ‘Well, herheart.I don’t understand how humans get by with just one.’
I licked my lips. ‘You don’t think it’s a disaster? You don’t think I’ve ruined everything?’
He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, grazing the thorns there as he did. ‘I have no doubt it feels like it. And I have no doubt that things will be rocky for the next little while. But no, Will. I don’t think this is a disaster.’ He brushed his lips over mine. ‘It’s the next chapter in the story.’
‘The Human and the Hamadryad,’ I murmured.
‘Exactly.’ He adjusted the blanket around my shoulders, his nostrils flaring slightly as he inhaled Maeve’s scent. ‘We were never going to do this the same way as every other Tirian. We were never going to settle for the first familythat came along. We knew we’d wait, wait for akariaperfect for both of us, wait for her to find us. And she has.’ He took another deep breath. ‘Green gods, thatscent. I can barely think straight with it on you.’ He shook his head. ‘She’s ours, Willow, and we’re hers. We just need to wait for her to realise it.’
‘I hope you’re ready for a fight, Ash,’ I answered. ‘Because I think that realisation might be most of the battle.’
Ashton grinned, the full, wicked grin that set my body alight and my hearts pounding. ‘I’m always ready for a fight, Will,’ he purred. ‘Ourkariawill lose the battle, but when she does, we’ll make sure she knows her loss isn’t a loss at all. We will all win this war, Will. You, me, Elswyth –andMaeve.’
Isettledagainsttheroots of my heartree, watching Maeve pace back and forth. The arcadia blossoms tracked her steps, turning their petals this way and that as Maeve moved. The first time it had happened, Maeve’s face had lost all colour and she’d gone uncharacteristically quiet, but that was weeks ago, and now she barely noticed the way the flowers followed her as if she was their own, personal sun.
‘I can’t believe him,’ she burst out, not for the first time. ‘He didn’t seem … I didn’t think … I mean, Itrustedhim. I’m usually not sowrong.’
‘Are you sure you’re wrong now?’ I asked mildly, also not for the first time.
‘What other explanation is there?’ She scowled at a nearby willow tree, which gave a sad, silent sigh, but bore her displeasure with understanding. She tugged on the ends of her lovely hair. ‘I just … Ah, fuck it, El. I have no idea why I’m so worked up about this.’
‘Don’t you?’
She turned her bright blue eyes to me and quirked an eyebrow.
I got to my feet. ‘Maeve,’ I said, keeping my voice gentle. ‘You like him. It hurts because youlikehim.’
‘I know I like him. I don’t think that’s –’
‘No, Maeve,’ I interrupted. ‘Youlikehim. He sings to something inside you. I canseeit. You’re scared of what that means, and you’re hurt because you were starting to let yourself be vulnerable. You think he betrayed the beginnings of your trust, and that’s made you angry.’
She stared at me, then ran her hands through her hair. ‘By all means, Elswyth, don’t hold back.’
I bit back a smile. ‘My bonded is strong enough to hear anything I have to say.’
She shook her head. ‘I just realised I haven’t even asked howyoufeel.’
I considered it. When she’d come back with Willow’s scent all over her skin, the hot jealousy had flared – then subsided. There was something about that mix of spice and musk that soothed me, made me feel safe. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t told me. I’d given her a list, for the green gods’ sake.
I was shocked, though, by Willow’s confession that he’d already bonded – and that it was toAshton. When I examined my feelings, I had to admit that some of the jealousy came from the notion that Ashton was somehowmine. He wasmyguard,myprotector. He’d been by my side for sixteen years. There was a large measure of comfort in the selfish notion that he lived and breathed and fought forme, and it was unsettling to realise he had a life – and a love – outside my existence.
