Page 27 of God Touched

"Arawan!" Imogen charged back into the cave, determined to find him. She collided with him hard, coming around the first turn.

"Oh, fuck! Are you okay?" Imogen patted him down, trying to put out the embers that still stuck to him.

"I'm not hurt," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "Look at me." Imogen's panic slowed enough to stare up into his ash-smeared face.

"I'm okay, darling. The fire was of my making. The cave was full of ghouls, and it's the only way to kill them."

Imogen smacked him hard against the chest. And then again. "Don't you ever freak me out like that again!" she shouted at him.

"I didn't have time to explain myself to you, woman!" he shouted back, and then his anger seemed to vanish. "You were worried about me?"

"No!" she said too quickly. Imogen couldn't stop shaking. The whole of her front was soaked down, and her hands were grazed from her slide across the ice. And she had been scared for him; a true moment of blinding panic that he was caught in a fire trap. Imogen hit him again just for that.

Arawan caught her hand and pulled her close. Imogen wasn't a big hugger, especially with people outside her family. She struggled in the embrace for a few seconds, but when he refused to let her go, she melted into him.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I just needed you to get out before the ghouls could hurt you," he said softly.

"And you thought firebombing them was the only answer?" she mumbled against his chest.

"It's the only way to kill ghouls and ensure they stay dead."

Imogen pulled back a little. "You think they were left as a trap by Hafgan?"

"Yes, or one of his followers." The muscles in Arawan's jaw feathered. "They were to ensure if anyone found the summoning circle, they didn't live to tell anyone about it."

"Has Hafgan always been such a fucking ass hat?" Imogen groaned in annoyance.

Arawan's grim mouth ticked up into a smile. "Yes, actually, he has. Let's get you out of here and back to the castle."

Imogen allowed herself one more inhale of his smoke-tinged scent and stepped back. She wasn't shaking anymore, and the smile he unexpectedly gave her made her forget the cold.

"You really were worried about me. Not such a prickly flower after all," he teased.

Imogen cast her eyes to heaven. "You had to ruin the moment."

"We were having a moment?" he asked, head tilting.

"Nope, my mistake." Imogen went outside, hoping the chilly air would blast some sense into her thick head. Arawan was still wearing the same grin when he came into the light. It only slipped when he saw her wet clothes. The knees on her jeans were soaked and torn, and blood was seeping through them from her scrapes.

"I'm fine too. They are just grazes," she said, pulling her coat closer around her. "Let's get moving before this snow gets any worse."

Arawan pulled off his heavy coat and wrapped it around her. "No freezing to death either, Imogen."

"Spoilsport," she replied, snuggling into his coat. "We need to figure out a way to flush Hafgan's spies out of your court. You said they don't come to your castle here often?"

"They don't, but that doesn't mean they can't turn up when they like. I didn't want them all crowding about when you arrived. They would have had ample time to change my wards in the last couple of weeks," Arawan said as they walked back up the steep hill and away from the lake.

Imogen started to slip, but his hand shot out and caught her. "Thanks." She stared at their clasped hands and then smiled as an idea came to her. "We need to have a party."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Arawan said.

Imogen chewed on her lip thoughtfully as they continued walking. "It would be perfect. Summon the court for a ball or a dinner. I'm sure you can think of something. Get them all here, and I can flush out who the spy is."

"How?" he asked curiously.

Imogen realized she was still holding his hand but didn't let go. And neither did he. Her cheeks went warm, and she smiled up at him.

"I'm a hunter, remember? So I'll hunt."

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