Page 24 of Dawn to Dusk
Chapter 7:
Edur
I tracked down Esmerey as she skipped across the rocks of the river. I accidentally cut her off, and she ran smack into me. Her blades whistled through the air, and she held one up against my throat. When she realized it was me, her eyes went wide.
“Don’t sneak up on me, Edur. It’s bad for your health.” She tucked her blades in her pockets and smoothed the invisible wrinkles in her white shirt.
“Sorry, Sunshine.” I grabbed her hand to kiss her knuckles in apology. That was when I smelled something off in her scent.
I leaned down taking a big whiff. It was faint, but I caught the difference. “Is that Ziam?”
“I ate dinner with him last night.” She nodded. Witches made no effort to hide lovers, most beasts respected that about them. I usually felt the same way.
“Oh?” Irritation thrummed through my veins, but hell, he didn’t even touch her for the scent to be so weak. She needed friends.
Yet, my teeth still sawed together hard enough to snap a femur. Ziam always prowled around with his sweet charisma and gentle behavior. I felt bad for him. Keeping a paramour had been a challenge for him ever since the war started. Three hundred years was a long time to not have someone to abide your loneliness. Especially since he lucked out and couldn’t even masturbate without an interested female in close vicinity.
“How did your date go?”
“He’s sweet.”
“Good. I’m glad he was a gentleman.” False. I wanted him to act like a prick so she would have nothing to do with him.
Where was this coming from? Sunshine could have sex with anyone she pleased. I had no right to an opinion on the matter, so I shoved the feeling deep down where it wouldn’t get me in trouble.
She was perfect company for me. I intended to take Sunshine as a paramour, and she wouldn’t allow that if I behaved like a savage.
“Come with me.” I held my hand out to her.
Without hesitation, she grabbed my hand and let me lead her. No questions. Pride puffed my chest out. In a matter of days, we dissipated decades of distrust.
“Why did you panic the other morning?” I asked her.
She hummed. I recognized this as something she did when she didn’t want to answer something truthfully. Thinking of a lie to tell me.
“Be honest.”
“I’m defenseless when Mirneax sleeps. I felt vulnerable.” It came out as a whisper, not wanting to show me her fear.
I paused and stood in front of her. “Do you think I would hurt you?”
“No, but no evidence suggests I should trust you.”
“Life is about more than evidence, Sunshine.”
“It’s a witch thing to say. I agree.” She gave me another one of those smiles that sucked me in. Looking away from its radiant glory felt impossible until she took it back away from me to frown. “But it is what I am.”
Beasts operated on instinct. We followed how we felt. I guess mages didn’t do that. I led her forward again.
“I’ll forgive your rational thought process this time.” I teased her.
Her musical laughter drew me to her like a moth to the flame. I was so distracted, I stumbled on a root. She tried tocatch me, but all she accomplished was flying down the hill with me.
Instincts kicked in, and I applied the counterforce to keep from rolling, sliding down the hill with her on top of me. We oofed as we hit the bottom. We both laid there panting and recovering from our unexpected ride.
“Sorry about that.”
She laughed again, and it made it all worth it. She moved to sit up, straddling me. Her eyes fell hooded as they roved down my chest. She could have been looking for injuries, but her gaze seared my skin like I sat too close to a fire.
