Ailsa stirred in her sleep, and he stiffened as she brushed him. It didn’t take long until her head was propped against his shoulder, her body unconsciously searching for a better cushion than the hollow fallen tree. He swallowed an agonized moan and beat his skull against the callused trunk.
This waswrong. Despite how unpleasant she was in the beginning, she had shown herself to be witty, smart, even quite charming. She was arrogant to the point it was mildly attractive.
Worst of all, she was warming up to him, tugging at his mask of apathy and nudging the dormant spring of his self-conscious awake. For the first time in decades, he felt bare, flayed open like a fish by her devastating smiles and the compassion she showed him so openhanded. When she looked at him now, she was looking straight through him.
And the problem was that hedidn’tdespise it.
No.
His mind repeated the word until it was a mantra. Until it convinced his flesh to reject the sleeping woman curled against his side and focus on what she carried instead. The salvation of his people, the knowledge to raise gods from the dead and the power to start wars between them was stored within this fragile, mortal woman. And she slept peacefully, ignorant to the significance of what she carried.
He peered down at her, studying her profile and the way her lips fell naturally into a soft smile. Even disheveled and covered in mud, she was an exquisite little creature. She stirred again, her dreams realizing she was too comfortable. Her thick lashes fluttered awake.
“Vali?” she whispered.
He inhaled a steadying breath, losing a bit of his resolve each time she said his name. “Go back to sleep, Ailsa.”
“You’re shaking.” She sat up slowly and unwrapped the cloak from her shoulders, reaching a corner of the wool over his left arm. “Put this around you.”
“Ailsa, this is—”
“Warm? Comfortable?”
“I was going to say inappropriate.”
Her head turned up at him, and he became acutely aware how close their faces were. “Oh, sweet Vali. If this is what you fae consider scandalous, I’d hate to see how you’d react to my clan’s romantic advances.” She patted his leg. “Take the cloak, I’m going to find a flatter patch of ground—”
“Come here,” he snapped. She made a pleasing yelp as he reached his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, the cloak tightly wrapped around them both.
“See? Isn’t this better?” She rested her head beneath his chin.
No. No. No
“Yes,” he gritted out.
She laughed at his misery but was lulled by the steady motion of his chest and quickly fell back asleep.
Vali, despite the situation, slept better than he had in years.
“Look at them. Beside themselves with worry, these two.”
Ailsa’s eyes flew open. Ivor and Seela stood across from them on the other side of the lifeless fire, their arms crossed and wearing matching looks of disapproval.
Vali was dead to the world, his head cocked back against the log while an adorable snore snuck from his barely parted lips. She nudged his ribs gently and roused him awake. His head snapped to attention when he finally sensed their presence, not bothering to hide his grimace as he noticed his commander, and Ailsa took it upon herself to remove herself from his chest.
Seela’s brows rose impossibly higher when she saw his state of dress. “Is there something you both need to tell us?”
Vali rolled his eyes as he stretched. “Relax, Seela. It was cold and we had one cloak.”
“It wascold?” she clarified. “Ivor and I have been walking the wood for the better part of the morning while you two snuggle in the misty lands of the Tree, all while our dead kinsman water the forest with their blood only a half a day’s march away and your reason to ignore it all is because it wascold?”
“Seela,” Ivor spoke behind her. “Let us just be glad they are alive. Just a few minutes ago you were belligerent—”
“Yes, Ivor, I was terrified something happened to themboth.But clearly those sentiments were not returned.”
“Of course, we were worried about you and the… and Ivor.” Vali said. “But I wasimpaled, Seela. I could barely walk another step much less keep searching for you. I knew through our bond you were alive, and I know you are more than capable of handling yourself. Besides, I did not want to push Ailsa without her herbs.”
Ailsa smiled inwardly at this admission. Her lungs felt better than they should have, considering the activity of the previous day. The air and the water here were medicinal, so pure she felt recharged with every breath.