Page 22 of All Her Feelings

“I did,” Synora said, “but my earth magic isn’t as strong as yours. Air was always my mastery.”

Holly hadn’t known that about her Elven mate. She tucked that piece of information away for later.

“Lead us to it, my little explorer,” Kieran said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“This way.” Holly pointed toward the mountain a bit. “We need to follow the tree line along the mountains.”

The cave was only a ten-minute walk away. A short clearing of about ten feet extended from the tree line to the side of the mountain. The cave’s opening was only six feet tall by four feet wide, but it opened to what approximated a large twenty-foot room. Kallan ducked inside the entrance, and when he came out, he smiled at Holly. “It’ll be perfect for the night.”

Holly warmed at the praise and ducked her chin to look at the floor.

“Why don’t you and Kallan set up the bedrolls and the fire, and Synora and I will go see if we can find any game in the woods?” Kieran offered.

Holly looked up to see Kallan nod. Kieran and Synora laid their packs down against a tree, and Synora unhooked a small bow from the side of her pack. Within a moment, they’d disappeared into the woods, and Holly was left awkwardly standing there with the mate she had the hardest time connecting to: Kallan.

CHAPTER13

“I’ll unpack the bedrolls,” Holly offered, to escape the awkward silence. Without waiting for a reply, she scooped up Kieran’s and Synora’s packs and hurried into the cave.

Inside the cave, the floor was packed dirt, and she let a bit of her earth magic out, drying the ground at the center before setting the packs down. She took her time, unrolling them side by side and smoothing out the edges. When the bedrolls looked perfect, she stacked the packs neatly by the entrance of the cave and hesitated at the door.

This was silly. Kallan was her mate. And yes, he was more standoffish, but he felt the pull just as much as the others did. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought. Why was it so hard to find common ground with him? With Synora and Kieran, the conversation seemed to flow easily. Kallan reminded her more of her papa, she realized. Standoffish, authoritative. But he was still her mate. She just needed to find a way to connect with him as she had with the others.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped her hands on her pants and stepped out of the cave. With anoomph, she ran right into Kallan’s chest.

“Sorry!” they said at the same time.

“It’s okay,” they said at the same time again.

Kallan cracked a smile, and Holly let out a soft giggle at the absurdity of the situation. She was off to a great start finding things in common with him, it seemed.

“I was going to see if you wanted to go looking for firewood with me.” Kallan rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes glancing at the woods. If she didn’t know better, he almost seemed uncertain. The man in front of her was very different from the man he showed to the rest of the world. Maybe he had a hard time expressing himself?

Holly nodded, not quite sure what else to say. Kallan led the way, and he and Holly picked up firewood in silence for a few minutes. Holly racked her brain for something to break the ice with, but Kallan did first, shocking Holly with his words.

“I’m sorry if I keep messing this up. If you want me to step back or stand aside in this mating, I will.”

Holly’s eyes widened. If she wanted him to what? “No, I…”

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable around me,” Kallan said, and Holly realized he might be struggling with their mating just as much as she was.

“That’s not what I want. For you to step aside, I mean,” Holly said, pausing in her search for firewood and turning to look at him. She wanted to see his face during this conversation. He was looking at the ground, but when Holly turned, he lifted his eyes to her. “I don’t want you to step back or step aside,” she repeated. “It’s just…” She let out a wry laugh. “I’ve spent my entire life using my magic to be able to read people, and with my mates—especially you—you all are impossible to read. I don’t know what you want from me, and it’s throwing me off,” she admitted, looking away. She felt raw and achy, like she had rubbed sandpaper over her skin. But she needed to voice these feelings, give him—give them—a solid chance.

“I want everything from you,” Kallan confessed. “It’s greedy, I know, but I want it all. I want to know what makes you tick, what you like and don’t like. All of it.”

It felt like the breath left Holly’s body at the force of his confession, but he continued.

“But I don’t know how to get there. I’m a warrior, a commander. I’m used to demanding things. I’m not very good at relationships, I’m afraid, and you deserve more.”

“I’m not good at them either,” Holly whispered. “I’ve never had one before.”

As if drawn by her confession, he crossed the distance between them and stood close to her but not touching. Holly took a deep breath, his wintery scent filling her nostrils and making her dizzy with want.

“What about a truce?” Kallan offered.

Holly arched an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware we were at war,” she teased.

He let out a husky laugh, and her knees almost buckled. Oh no. He could not be laughing like that. She wouldn’t survive it.

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