Lib Novel Page 48
“Not as pretty as verlorna lilies.”
“My favorite. My maids make sure I have a fresh vase of them every week in my room.”
Sten looked away and shifted. “That’s nice.”
She eyed him, and realization filtered through her. “You. You leave the lilies.”
He shrugged one broad shoulder. “They’re your favorite.”
“Sten, are you blushing?”
“I don’t blush,” he said gruffly.
Delight filled her. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. She could touch him. She could kiss him anytime she wanted. The realization made her dizzy.
She wished they weren’t in danger. She wished she had time to indulge. She’d give anything for them to be in her bedroom at the palace. Her big bed would easily fit his large frame.
She scanned his chest. She wanted to explore every part of his muscular body.
He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “We can’t linger any longer. Can you go on?”
She sighed and nodded. “Yes, of course.”
He helped her up, and they set off across the meadow.
He scowled. “There’s not much cover here.”
“But we’ll hear them coming.”
He still didn’t look happy. They crossed the meadow, and moved back into the rock-strewn hills.
“How long until we reach the ocean?” she asked.
“We’re still a long way off.”
She sighed. Nothing was ever easy.
Then she saw him slow. “Sten?”
He crouched, studying something on the ground. She peered over his shoulder. Footprints. Of something big. Her belly tightened. Something feline, perhaps.
She groaned. “I thought we’d left the monsters behind in the ravines.”
He rose, his shoulders tense. “Stay alert.”
They headed down a narrow path. They hadn’t gone far when a scent reached her. Something gamey, with a musky undertone.
She looked up and saw caves set in the side of the hill.
Then a high-pitched scream sliced through the air.
Carys’ heart lodged in her throat. “Is that a child?”
They both broke into a sprint and raced over the rise.
A huge, feline creature, with a muscled, powerful body, and long claws was advancing on a tall child with dark-red skin. The boy’s large black eyes contrasted with the white markings on his face.
He looked terrified.