Page 68 of In Her Own Rite

“That’s so cool!” Em says. “I wish she’d told me. I would have gone.”

I laugh. “Five hours a day of training isn’t enough?”

Em smiles and leans down to help Gabe up. “No, it’s not that. I’d just love to support her.”

Gabe gets to his feet slowly, the full leg cast coming off of the couch with some difficulty. I watch the way Em helps him up, knowing intuitively where to put her hands. I’m surprised she can handle the weight of his body. She really is changing.

I swallow and walk to the kitchen without them.

After dinner,Em cleans up the kitchen while I help Gabe back to the couch.

“Things are going well between you two, huh?” he asks.

“Shut up.”

“Come on, dude. Just apologize.”

“I can’t,” I say, setting him down on the couch. “I can’t apologize if I don’t think I’m wrong. And I’mnotwrong. She may be doing better in training, but she’s just not ready and she’s going to hurt herself.”

Gabe gives me a long look.

“What?”

“Nothing, man. You’re not ready to hear it.”

“Fine. If you can spare me touchy-feely shit today, I’ll take it. I’m gonna go help her with recovery.”

“You do that,” he says, and I ignore the goading edge in his voice. But as I walk for the door, he stops me.

“Hey. How much longer do you think we’ll be here?”

I turn and lean against the door frame. “Until they catch the rebels. It can’t be long now, they started on the woods this week. Why?”

“I don’t know, man. I’m going stir-crazy. At least you guys have things to do. I’m just house bound. I’d love to go back to Saroe, where I have my own stuff.”

“You’re part of her training pack. None of you guys can leave without each other.”

“Yeah, but how about you? I heard you on the phone with Caspar this morning. You could bring some stuff back for me.”

I sigh. I wasn’t planning on being out on Halluk at all, and definitely not for longer than a few days. Our orders are piling up, and I need to finish the wedding arch in the next two weeks. That’s work Caspar can’t take over for me.

“I’m probably gonna head back for a week or so, then come back up here,” I say.

“I’ll make a list of some things you could bring. And as soon as something changes. If they find them—”

“Your mom would tell you,” I say. “But if I found out first, you’d be the first to know.”

“Alright.Takka.”

“Yeah, no worries,” I say, and walk to the den.

I find Em in a state of half-undress, her shorts hiked up to expose more of the leg muscle, wearing just a blue sports bra. Maren’s oversized shifting top lies in a pile on the floor.

Agaayit. It’s been two weeks since we’ve slept together—in either sense of the word—and my wolf craves her. These nightly massages are the only nearness I get, and while I love it, it also hurts. It’s not just my inner animal that needs her.Imiss her. I miss when the rhythm of our days was wound up in each other; the soft sound of her laugh. The feeling of her body near mine, even when we’re just sitting on the couch.

“Heij,” she says softly as I walk into the den.

“Heij.” I grab the oil from the side table and put some in my hands. “On your stomach.”

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