Female of my dreams who confessed to sharing the same yearnings that stir within me. Such a thing hardly seems possible, and yet I can still taste the sweetness of her honeysuckle skin on my lips.
Even my bones know that she is not meant for me. Not forever.
She will find herself a Seelie fae, one who laughs and smiles with her, who can provide all the luxuries she deserves. When that happens, I will sink back into the dark shadows where I belong.
Until then, I will take every smile and laugh that she gives to me. Every intimate touch. Every burning look. I will lock all of them away in my heart to keep me warm on the nights when the loneliness creeps in.
“Ever?” a husky voice calls.
My stomach sinks.Leah.
At least she waited until daylight to call instead of forcing me to turn her down once again. The upside to this hunting trip is that she will be staying here to protect the rest of our clan.
I roll out of the bed to drag on my trousers and fasten my belt. When I open the door, Leah is waiting on my staircase, a steaming pot in one hand and a smile on her lips.
“Good day, Ever.” She raises on her toes to press her lips to my cheek.
The overly familiar greeting stuns me silent. She and I have shared kisses, but never in the light of day where anyone walking past might see. What is she thinking?
She holds up the pot. “I brought you porridge oats.”
Not this again. “Leah…”
“Do not look so worried. This is not a proposal. I have cooked them for all the hunters leaving today. You will need a full belly for the long journey.”
I glance over to where Maddox sits on his own stairs, tucking into a pot like the one in Leah’s hand. When he catches me looking, he throws his hand up in salute.
After the long night, I am very hungry and the thought of eating more jerky when that is all we will have for the foreseeable future does not sound enticing.
“Thank you.” I accept the pot.
She kisses my cheek once more and then strolls away, her dark hair swaying in time with her steps.
What a strange morning.
* * *
The strangeness continues. While I pack my saddle bags with supplies, I can feel eyes on me. When I turn to look, I catch the females washing garments in the center of camp staring. Maddox teases me as we ride out of camp, claiming that the soap he made is the reason for all the unwanted attention.
I am not so sure but decide to stop using the soap for the duration of our hunt, just in case.
“Did your Seelie fae mention your scent?” he asks as his steed trots next to Nyx.
What is it with his infernal questions? He needs to find his own Seelie and ask her instead of bothering me. “She did not.”
The fool grins. “The ticking in your jaw tells me otherwise. Perhaps she will like my scent better.”
Perhaps I will make a new necklace with his bones. “You will not get close enough for her to smell you.”
“We will see.”
No, we most certainly will not. If he even thinks about walking within sniffing distance of my Seelie, I will make good on my threats to toss him into the canyon. Let him fall like those rocks he loves to throw.
Thinking of Kerris brings back the same emotions I felt when we parted last night. Longing. Desire. Sadness. Confusion.
So much confusion.
“She asked me to the Seelie festival,” I confess in a low whisper.