Page 46 of Warrior
"I love you too," I told him, his face melting into a smile.
Ewok picked up another piece of laundry and brought it to his nose, hissing in discomfort. “Kida, are you sure this is thewashedpile?”
I wasn’t. “Since when did you become the laundry inspector?” I teased.
Ewok rolled his eyes, clamoring to his feet. "I need to head to the mine." He stepped away before glancing over his shoulder at me with an abashed smile.
“I love you too, kida.”
The kiss I blew him held every bit of adoration I felt for the furry darling.
I lifted a shirt from the pile and brought it to my nose, inhaling deeply.
Crap.
This had to be thewashedpile. The clothes in what was supposed to be theunwashedpile smelled even worse.
Crap!
Did I even wash the clothes? My memory lingered on the hours spent in my bed with Daicon, fettering out anything else as non-essential.
George says it's very dangerous, and only Vaktaire can survive it."
Why was I so worried about this? It might have taken a toll on my sixty-year-old heart, but that organ was young again, like the rest of me. Was there pain or just indescribable pleasure so intense one died from it?
I could see that.
Mating certainly would explain the pull I felt toward him. A pull so strong it sometimes caused physical pain to resist. It might also explain how my body responded to him in ways I never imagined.
But if that’s the case and we are starting to mate, why did he leave this morning?
Maybe because of the same reason, I couldn’t think about seeing him again without blushing. Last night changed things between us… forever. There was no way—at least for me—to pretend it didn’t exist. The only thing to do now was figure outour new normal. How we moved forward and whether it would be together or—and I resisted this idea—separate.
The old Daisy would have hidden and ignored the awkwardness. The old Daisy would have pretended nothing happened. But I wasn’t the old Daisy anymore. I was a new Daisy. A Daisy who fought to protect those she loved. A Daisy who was bold and brave and went after what she wanted.
And what I wanted was Daicon.
I piled the laundry next to the pond—since I couldn’t remember what was clean and what wasn’t, it would all have to be rewashed. Oddly, though, the idea didn’t hamper my spirits. I didn't believe a chore existed that could dampen the excitement churning inside me as I walked from the cavern, taking the small incline that put me in the upper tunnels.
Awkwardness was a distant memory, pulverized by giddy excitement that practically had me skipping. Even so, I kept to the shadows, aware of increased guard patrols.
Daicon's back was to me as I turned the corner, his arm muscles straining as he hefted a massive rock. He was everything strong and masculine, yet the touch of his hands on my body held the utmost gentleness. I wanted to feel that gentleness again.
“Hi!”
The rock hit the sound with such force I felt the reverberations tremor along the ground.
“What are you doing here?” His deep voice was breathy from exertion, making my skin tingle.
“I just thought I’d….”
Whatever suggestion I planned died on my tongue as Daicon jerked around, glaring at me. “Daisy, I told you not to come back here. Go back to the common area… now,” he grated.
I’d imagined a hundred scenarios for this moment. None of them held Daicon with an angry set to his brow and hateful clip to his deep voice.
When tears prickled my eyes, I didn’t try to hide them. Gavin always used to say I wore my heart on my sleeve. Daicon effectively just slapped my heart to the ground and stomped it.
I turned and ran. Behind me came muffled curses along with the sound of my name, but I didn’t stop.
