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“Tif was with you?”

“As I said, on the way,” he motioned toward the horse again. “Besides, I’m more worried about getting you something to eat than what you’re wearing.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a brown cloth wrap. “It’s not much but something.”

“You’re telling me you don’t have any clothes in your bag?” She continued, stubbornly and snatched whatever was inside the cloth. She unwrapped it and bit into the hardened piece of bread.

“None that will fit you. But you can still take yours off. I won’t mind.”

Tif’s eyes widened. “Should I plug my ears now? I think I should plug my ears.” With her ruddy cheeks brightening she ducked into the bag again, closing the flap over her head.

Layala chuckled at both of them, but it was Thane she spoke to. “Oh, you’d have me ride naked? With your Ravens to see no less. I didn’t think you were the sharing type.”

“I’m not.” He stepped forward and lightly ran his fingers over her cheek. The gesture made her flinch. It was the same thing the Black Mage did in her dreams.

His brows furrowed and he dropped his hand. “My father hit you.” The growl in his voice brought chills to her skin. He took her bandaged hand into his. “And this?”

“He hurt me. Just like you told me he would.” She didn’t dare reveal her dreams and the real reason she flinched. She was disgusted with herself that she had any connection to the Black Mage at all.

Suddenly, the forest darkened like a cloud blocked out the morning sun and the tang of Thane’s magic coated the air.

“I’m alright.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his middle.

He hugged her close. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“I know.”

They stood like that for what felt like a long time, basking in the heat and closeness. The embrace had its own kind of healing that no salves or magic could ever compare to. Her home.

He ran his hands down her sides and stopped on her hips and inhaled. “Youdosmell bad. No wonder you were worried.”

She jerked back and shoved him in the chest. “You had to ruin the moment.” She grabbed hold of Phantom’s saddle. “Just for that comment, you can smell me the whole way. I won’t even bathe or change when we get a chance. We’ll see if you’re turned on by my grimy look then.”

He smiled in that devastatingly handsome way that was difficult to be angry at, and dropped to one knee, holding open his palms. She stepped into his waiting hands, and he lifted her with ease. “You’re too easy to rile up, Laya,” he said. “But it worked.”

When she settled in, he climbed up and sat behind her. The corners of her mouth curled as she felt the pressure of his strong, firm body like a wall behind her. Maker, she loved him. “What worked?”

“To get you on the horse. I’ve successfully used your stubbornness against you. One mark for Thane.”

With her mouth agape, she looked over her shoulder. The nerve. “First of all, what sort of arrogant turd refers to himself in the third person, and this is the game you want to play? Alright then.”

“I’ve been besting you at this game since we met, my dear.” The timbre of his voice vibrated her skin.

She thrust her backside hard into his crotch and rubbed against him. There was nothing but cloth there, no armor to stop him from feeling her body. He sucked in a sharp breath and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist in reaction. “Mmm, don’t do that.”

She wiggled again with a growing smile. “What’s the matter, Thane?”

He chuckled. “I can’t very well hump you against those statues and have my father ride up and slit my throat then take you from me. Even though I thought about it a few times already. The humping part, obviously.”

Grinning, she twisted to look at the statues. The idea was intriguing.

Thane caged his arms around her to grab hold of the reins. “I think that might be what kept me alive. Picturing you naked. Or maybe it was the thought of your plump, soft breasts in my—” she elbowed him in the gut, and he laughed again. He nudged Phantom’s sides with his heels and the horse started on a slow walk. “Am I making you blush?”

Layala’s cheeks were indeed warmer. She shifted in the saddle, as a pleasant heat built in her. But as he said, it’s not as if they could get down and dirty when Tenebris and his minions could be nearby. “Hardly. A minute ago you were telling me I stink, and you expect me to let you carry on with your bedroom talk?”

“You’re blushing,” he whispered in her ear. She shivered as his lips grazed her ear. “So, are you going to tell me what Varlett said or was that a ruse to get me alone?”

Layala snickered and leaned her back into him, something she would have avoided before. “She said our mate bond can’t be restored. Do you think that’s true?”

His gentle breath brushed against her ear. The quiet hoot of an owl echoed from a tree branch nearby, but he didn’t speak. Layala’s mouth twisted, and she patted Phantom’s soft neck. After what felt like too long, she asked softly, “Did you hear me?”