Page 93 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
I brought her hands to my lips, kissing them again. My eyelids slid shut while I committed all of this to memory. “How are you feeling?” I rasped, then swallowed hard.
“A lot better than I expected.” She sat up slowly, and the blankets slid down.
My breath hitched in my throat.
The simple, pale-blue nightgown Morlo and his attendant had dressed her in hinted at her figure and clung to her breasts, the scooped neckline offering a tantalizing peek of cleavage. My fingers itched to peel it off her and examine her for myself and verify her well-being, but respect stayed my hand.
“Good,” I said hoarsely. “Are you hungry or thirsty?” I gestured toward the ebony bedside table and the carved carafe filled to the brim with spring water. “There’s water there, and I can get you something more substantive.”
“Just thirsty right now.” She picked up the carafe and drank deeply, holding it with both hands. When she set it aside, her eyes met mine, and she ducked her head, blushing a little.
That sweet shyness made my heart clench. How could any one person be so perfect? I drew my hands back as well as my shadows, trying to give her as much space as she might need.
“What about the foal? And Veralt? Do you know anything about Elias?” She tilted her head, and her mass of loose copper curls slid over one half-bared, deliciously beautiful shoulder.
My mouth went dry. I wished to explore that skin with my lips and tongue. Trying to regain my composure, I cleared my throat. “Elias’s rescue is in progress. The foal is safe in the stables with one of the gentler mares. Veralt is with Rhielle.”
Her lips curled into a soft smile. “I bet they’re happy.”
A pang of jealousy lashed through me. Had she found Veralt attractive? He had certainly found her so, no matter how much he’d insisted that Rhielle was his cosmic force. I’d wanted to cut his eyes out and his hands off. But he’d gotten her out of the trial and bought me enough time to handle the councils during the final trial so that it didn’t look as if I was completely derelict in my duty. For that—and so long as he never touched Briar again—I would reward him handsomely.
“I’m sure they are.” I curled my shadows in tighter and fought the urge to touch her again. My wings itched and flexed, though I kept them drawn against my back. “I am so glad you’re all right, Briar. I couldn’t see you at all until Veralt split open that wall.” My throat thickened. As horrifying as it had been to see her get hurt in the last two trials, it had been a separate and, in some cases, worse horror to see and know nothing until the end.
I struggled to speak around the tightness in my chest. It built with each moment. “The sight of you like that…” My voice broke, and I ducked my head. Everything within me burned and seethed, raging that they had dared to treat her that way. “Veralt said that you killed all the assassins who came for you. Well done.”
She shook her head, her brow creasing as she fisted the sheets. “They weren’t the ones who made all this happen. They were just hired to kill me.”
“They deserved far worse,” I growled. Her killing them was a mercy compared to how I would have butchered them. “But what matters is that you’re safe. Physician Morlo said you would recover swiftly, but he did leave behind a jar of bath salts and dried herbs to help. He wants you to soak in a bath for at least half an hour. And then…you’re goinghome.”
I tried to hide the brokenness in my voice and forced a smile to my lips, though most likely it was little more than a grimace. I sought comfort in the knowledge that she would be with her sister and her pack again. All those whom she loved, and she would continue to be loved here in the Shadow Kingdom for so long as I lived and beyond that, if I had any will.
The bond of the vow pressed in upon me, warning me not to break it.
Her shoulders stiffened, and she straightened. “Home?”
“Yes. I’m sending you back to Earth to live with your sister.” I met her gaze, and it took every ounce of strength I had not to rip those words back.
“For a visit, or forever?” Her brow furrowed, and her eyes blazed with questions.
“Not a visit.” I couldn’t force out the wordforever. My lips refused.
That stubborn set of her mouth and the way a muscle ticked in her jaw would have made me smile if not for what we were talking about. I would miss that. I would miss everything about her.
Her nostrils flared. “Why?
I lifted one brow. I’d expected maybe some sadness, perhaps some grief or curiosity. But if I knew anything about her…that was rage.
She jerked her chin up. “Do you notwantme anymore?”
Scaffing void, no! My mouth dropped open, but thankfully, I caught myself before I could say that aloud.
Feck.
I should’ve known this wouldn’t be easy, but she’d wanted to go home during the entire time of the first and second trials. “I had to get you out as soon as possible. And one of the Aureline High Council Members said he could get you out within three hours. But the only way he would do it is if I made a binding vow to help him send you home.”
Her eyes glowed eerily as she stared at me and spat out, “So you made thechoicefor me?”
For once, I realized there was no right answer. I’d never experienced a situation where I loved someone so dearly, and yet every choice I made caused them more distress and pain. “I had to make a vow to free you. The vow required that you go home. You’ll get to be with your sister and the other wolves again.”
