Page 188 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Her heart leapt a little as she flicked off the lantern, settled herself back down onto his cot, the blanket and jacket pulled up to her chin.
They’d been through a lot the last few months—the last year, really—and to think that they’d started out hating each other was a little crazy to think about. How had he gone from rude bookshop patron to the man she loved so much she would die just to give him the chance to be happy?
She tucked herself further into the cocoon of his scent, thinking of anything but the grim future ahead of them. If she could just freeze time here, she might be content forever.
Hallie must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she woke to the back of Kase’s head and the sound of pencil on parchment. He’d relit the lantern, its dim light gently illuminating his features.
Her eyes ached from her earlier crying. She rubbed them. It didn’t help. Probably only made them look more swollen.
“You snore a little, you know?” Kase said, not turning. He sat with his back leaning on the edge of the cot, one knee propped up as he bent close to the journal atop it. “I’ve never heard a hibernating baby bear, but I’d wager you could compete.”
Hallie slowly pushed herself up onto her elbow. It was more difficult than she cared to admit. All that crying and her nap had taken too much out of her; her body must’ve weighed a thousand pounds. She sniffled a little. “You know, I could hearyouall the way from our room on theEudora.”
Kase’s pencil froze over the parchment. He’d been sketching what Hallie figured was a hover, but it needed a better shape to the nose, and the wing was way off. He grunted, “Wasn’t me.”
“No?” Hallie asked, sitting up completely and arranging herself so she could look over his shoulder better. She reachedover and pointed to the lines that weren’t right. “Keep your wrist straight. Use your whole arm. It’ll help with the lines.”
“It was Skibs, actually,” he said, trying and failing to follow Hallie’s advice. His attempt at smoothing out the bottom of the hover made it look like it tapered to a point. He tried again. This time he went too wide. “Kept me up all hours. Probably why I wasn’t my usual perky self while we were on the mission.”
“You? Perky?”
Kase held out his sketch and rotated it to the right. “How much would I have to pay you to fix this one for me?”
“At least a dozen gold tenners,” Hallie said, pushing off his jacket and the blanket she’d slept under. She stretched until her back popped. Instant relief flooded through her.
He stuffed his pencil inside the book and pushed the whole thing into the pack under his bed. “Maybe later then. I’m out of gold.”
He reached up behind him and grabbed her arm, pulling it down to press a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. She couldn’t help the voluntary shiver. Kase kissed it again. “Want something to eat?”
He let go of her wrist and grabbed a wrapped cloth bundle she hadn’t noticed on the ground and handed it to her. “I was able to wrangle you a sandwich and was told explicitly by your mother that you were to be back at their tent before nightfall.”
“Course you were.”
He leaned on his elbow, his head resting on his fist. He laid his other hand on her closest knee and rubbed circles with his thumb. “That shirt looks nice on you, but I can’t tell if it’s the shirt itself or because it’s mine and you’re wearing it.”
Her mouth went dry, and she couldn’t think of a response. At all. Not even a sarcastic one.
Kase’s slow grin told her everything she needed to know. He was quite aware of the effect he had on her. Blasted pilot withhis perfect lips and jawline and sparkling blue eyes. He didn’t stop tracing patterns on her knee, and she found it horribly difficult to concentrate on the roasted chicken sandwich she’d unwrapped. She took a bite to distract herself.
As if ignoring him had ever worked.
After weeks of subpar food, the richness of the sandwich nearly made her sick. The chicken was shredded and lukewarm, the bread slightly stale, but some sort of soft cheese was smeared on the bread’s inside, and in that moment, it tasted like the best meal she’d ever had. She let out a soft moan. She couldn’t help it.
“Glad you like it. Had to sell my soul to get it, but only the best for you, of course.” He snagged a piece of chicken that had fallen out and popped it into his mouth. “Added a pinch of cinnamon. If I’d been able to toast the bread first, you would’ve thought this a gourmet meal, but just sneaking some cinnamon was a risk, and I value my head.”
Hallie swallowed her bite. “Cinnamon?”
Now that she thought about it, there was a hint of sweet woodiness. It was a nice touch.
Kase snuck another piece. “A surprisingly good way to finish off many a dish.”
Hallie took another few bites, savoring each one. Kase unscrewed the cap on his canteen and handed it to her. She washed down the food and set aside the rest of the sandwich. “Not sure I can finish it. Stomach’s not used to it.”
Kase scooped it up and took a bite. He nodded. “Delicious, but I’ll pass the tip about the cinnamon along to your mother. Can’t believe she didn’t think of it first.”
Hallie tilted her head slightly, the fingers twisting the cap back onto the canteen pausing for a moment. “You think it’s wise to give my mother cooking advice?”
“Probably not.” Kase let out a low laugh.
