His lips were slightly parted, and if he didn’t watch it there’d be drool staining the pillow soon.
“And he said he wasn’t tired,” she whispered, smiling broadly.
The beauty of the shack was that it could redesign its interior to service whatever purpose the she-wolf inside needed it to be. Her magic couldn’t produce the bed; the magic itself was embedded into the very wood. But her desire could alter her surroundings.
Wishing for a nightstand to set their food upon and a larger bed, she stood back as the inner dimensions shifted yet again. A forest-green Victorian-style dresser now stood beside the bed that had stretched to accommodate not just one, but two.
Setting their food down, she tiptoed quietly over and sat beside him.
Picking up the hand that’d been dangling down, she winced as she noticed the raw and angry burns along his wrist.
Snorting with anger, she wanted to kill the wolf that’d done this to him.
Instead she ran her fingers lovingly along it, wishing she had enough magic within her to heal him.
“Why did you stay last night?” she whispered beneath her breath, knowing a reply wouldn’t be forthcoming.
He was gone to the world, lost in his dreams.
Honored, touched by his willingness to stay and defend her even though she’d told him he’d not needed to, she planted a tender kiss against his wrist.
Even as dark as her skin now was, he was so much darker. Just like ebony that’d been mined directly from rock. Wanting to touch him and knowing he could not object, she traced the contours of his face with her finger.
His jaw was bearded, his nose sharp and strong. When she ran her finger along his upper lip he moaned and shook his head.
Heart pounding in her throat, she snatched her hand back, not wishing to be caught. When his breathing returned to normal, she resumed her exploration, but refrained from touching any more sensitive areas. His forehead was broad, but smooth like polished glass.
Nibbling on the corner of her lip, she traced a lock of his hair. It was so soft, almost like touching velvet.
“Giles,” she whispered his name, and when he didn’t answer she leaned in close and whispered it again.
Her lips were no more than a feather’s width away from his as he mumbled back to her incoherently.
Smiling, she cocked her head. “Why did you stay?” she asked again.
There was no understanding his drunken murmurings, but her heart felt unbelievably full all the same.
“I’m so scared,” she whispered into his ear, telling him in his sleep what she wasn’t brave enough to say to his face while awake, “I think I’m falling in love with you, knight, and that love just might kill me.”
Her entire body trembled at the admission, needing to feel his warmth, his touch, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, then nuzzled hers to his just long enough to get his scent on her.
“Can I lay with you?”
This time when he mumbled, she took it as a yes and lay down beside him. Pressing her body into his, even going so far as to wrap a leg around him. Laying her head right above the spot of his heart, she listened to the rhythm of its strong beat.
Not only had her wolf decided Giles was a fit mate, but after last night Lilith felt the exact same way. The only problem was she wasn’t sure her knight shared the sentiment.
Rubbing a knuckle against her eyelid, she swiped at the single tear and planted a tender kiss on the center of his chest.
She’d never known that love could hurt so much.
Giles awoke to the sensation of heaviness pressing down on him. Blinking his eyes wide open, he stared at the top of Lilith’s head. She’d shifted yet again, but this time she was in true form.
The long length of her midnight-black hair spilled across his chest, and when he inhaled it was to drag her scent of pine and earth deep into his lungs. What was she doing in this bed?
And how long had he been asleep? He’d only meant to close his eyes and rest for a second.
“Lilith?” he asked quickly, sitting up. The cabin was absolutely pitch black, which meant they’d likely slept the entire day away.
She mumbled cutely, patting his chest. “Mmm?”
It tugged a quick smile to his lips, but he quickly brushed it off. It was imperative that they reach Fyre Mountain as quickly as possible. Giles felt the winding down of Erualis’s life force like a tangible mantle pressing down on his shoulders with each second that ticked by.
“Come on.” He shook her gently. “We need to wake. The day is gone. We need to go.”
Sitting up slowly, she yawned and tossed her arms high above her head. He couldn’t help but admit—even if only within the privacy of his own mind—that tousled as she was, she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld.
Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head. “Unless it is absolutely dire we travel in darkness, I would advise waiting till morning. Where we will find ourselves next is a dangerous place at night.”