Page 37 of Wrath Of Suns And Shadows (The Osparia #2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Emelyn

I thought my sleep would have been plagued by nightmares, but it wasn’t, and I was thankful for it.

Last night, or should I say early this morning, I had crawled into bed with nothing to say, and I had been glad Kade hadn’t want to talk about what had happened, either.

He had made a small palette on the floor amongst all the feathers that were still lying there and rolled over and away from me, and I had done the same to him.

I had lain there awake for what seemed like hours, debating to myself if I had done the right thing, made the right choice.

But every time I’d replayed the situation in my mind, I’d known I didn’t have anywhere to go.

It would be foolish to run, especially with Valla’s target on my back, and it would take me weeks to get back to Woodhaven without a running boat or a Sky Elf to fly me there.

Besides, I still didn’t know the exact location of the rebellion’s base camp without Shay.

Everything was a shot in the dark, and I knew I should be terrified about being trapped with the Prince of Ember, but he hadn’t harmed me, and his presence had become more of a comfort than I cared to admit aloud.

I shifted in the covers as I stirred awake, and the smell of something familiar made me sit up in bed.

I glanced over to see Kade at his desk, and he looked at me over the rim of his glass as he sipped his morning coffee, or at least that was what I assumed he was drinking, but the smell of cinnamon and cloves were wafting around the room.

Pojo? No, it couldn’t be . . . could it?

I crawled out of bed and made my way over to the desk, and Kade arched a brow at me as he set his cup down.

“Good morning,” he whispered as he eyed me, but I grabbed the kettle and poured the hot liquid into the mug sitting next to it.

The scent of spicy cloves and sweet cinnamon steamed from the cup, and I released a gasp before a sound of excitement escaped me as I took the first sip, just to be sure it was what I thought it was. What I knew it to be.

I glanced over at Kade, who had gotten to his feet and walked around his desk to stand in front of me, and his lips had parted and his eyes were watching me intently as I took in another sip of Pojo for the first time since last season.

I smiled, unrestrained, down at the cup before glancing up and meeting Kade’s honey eyes.

My smile faded as he lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of silver behind my ear.

“You’re breathtaking,” he breathed as his hand rested for a moment on my cheek. Neither of us moved. Our eyes never wavered as he stared into the depths of my very soul with those amber eyes. For a moment, he glanced down at my lips and I his and he completely entranced me.

The bedroom door opened, and Kade’s hand gently fell away as he cleared his throat.

“If I would have known Pojo would have brought you that much joy, I would have found some sooner,” he said as he walked back around to the other side of his desk.

I gave myself a mental shake. I didn’t need to be getting lost in him and his minor acts of kindness, especially not when I cared for another and knew he was out there and that we were both waiting to see each other again.

The thoughts running through my mind about Crow grounded me.

“Where did you get this?” I asked.

“I’ll keep my secrets,” he dismissed with that devilish smirk of his.

Evereht practically crawled through the door. He grabbed the chair I had speared and dragged it over by Kade’s desk before plopping down in it and holding his head.

“Are you alright, brother?” Kade asked with a chuckle.

“I’m pretty sure I’m dying,” he rasped as he grabbed Kade’s kettle and poured himself a cup of black coffee.

The fact that Evereht was a fae with a hangover let us know he had way too much to drink last night.

Our bodies normally burned off alcohol pretty quickly, so for him to be having side effects after was telling.

Kade chuckled, and I wagged my head as I took down the rest of my cup of Pojo.

The warmth of the tea coated me, and for the first time in a while, my mind felt at ease.

It brought me comfort, not in the way I felt comfortable around Kade and Rhet, but in a way that was rooted to my soul.

I poured myself another cup of Pojo. I didn’t need to look up from my cup to feel the burning gaze of Kade’s eyes across every inch of my skin.