And where was Quilla? I was supposed to wake up to her wrapped in my arms, the both of us tucked inside my bedroll together, where I could make love to her at least another dozen times before we even thought of getting up for the day.
Not getting kicked by her damn unstable relative.
Feeling out with my mark, I found her near. So I opened my eyes and peered around Melaina’s obstructive skirts to discover her at the fire, trying to coax it back to life.
Completely ignoring my abuse, she sat, outfitted in a dress as well, which told me she planned on entering Tyler today and going into public. She only wore her trousers when she didn’t plan on having many encounters with others, because women in the Outer Realms who didn’t don dresses tended to stick out, and she liked to blend in as much as possible, though I knew she preferred pants.
“Don’t even think about looking to her for help,” Melaina commanded, sidestepping to block Quilla from my view. “I don’t know what you did to influence my niece and sway her to your stupid side, but this is bullshit. I’m in charge of this expedition, you got that? Not you.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled, squinting up at her, because the sunlight was blaring down all around her, practically blinding me. “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I told her about your suggestion to visit your informant today before we headed into Tyler,” Quilla finally spoke up from the fire. I glanced at her again, but her attention remained fixed on the flames.
“Oh.” Clearing my throat, I returned my focus to Melaina. “Well, yeah,” I said. “I just thought it might help. And the loch’s practically on the way. Probably wouldn’t even take half an hour of our time to pop by first and see what they know.”
Melaina scowled at me a moment, then rolled her eyes, mumbling, “Okay, fine,” as she turned away and began to pack her bedding.
I blinked at her. Then cried, “Really? I had to be kicked awake for that? When you were just going to agree to my idea without a single argument anyway?”
“Yes,” she called regally over her shoulder. “And thank you for providing some body parts for me to kick. I feel extremely refreshed now. Though it would’ve been even more satisfying if I’d had something more sensitive, like genitals, to pummel. So keep that in mind for next time, will you, darling?”
Like hell.
I made a mental note to sleep with chain mail covering my junk from here on out.
Of course, that wouldn’t benefit my mate much if she had need of my cock again in the middle of the night. Like she had last night.
Speaking of which…
I sat up and turned my attention her way to watch her. She looked almost hostile as she stabbed ruthlessly at angry red coals and then plunked a log on top of them, bullying a flame to life. I would’ve guessed she was mad about something. Except there was no anger coming through my mark. I sensed plenty of uncertainty, awkwardness, and embarrassment, but no actual rage.
She had no idea how to act toward me today, and it was irritating her.
When she finally glanced my way, her eyes narrowed. I grinned and waved a few fingers in greeting. Then I blew her a kiss. A flush stained her cheek and she quickly returned her attention to the fire to set up a pot full of porridge to warm.
“We leave within the hour,” she announced.
Guess that meant our amazing night together was officially over.
With a groan, I flopped back on top of the bedding, mourning the dream I’d had of waking up and spending more time in her arms. But that would apparently have to wait.
“Aye aye,” I called back, lifting my thumb in the air.
Cat-form Holly jumped onto my chest, meowing. So I spent a minute petting her as she arched her back into my hand and turned in a circle before jumping off again, done with me, and dashed off to chase a leaf fluttering by.
Then I got my ass out of bed and helped the others prepare for the day.
Two hours later, I steered our group left, off the main roadway, and down an overgrown path. “Whoever we’re going to see sure doesn’t get out much, do they?” Melaina noted.
“Nope,” I answered.
She huffed, not appreciating my one-word answer.
“How much longer?” she asked.
“Maybe fifteen minutes,” I said. “It’s straight ahead on this trail.”
“Well then, why are we lollygagging? Let’s get there already.” She rode ahead as if disgusted with how slow we were going, when we weren’t going that slow at all.
Not that I minded. Glad for a moment alone with Quilla, I stalled Holly’s progress until my mate rode up beside me.
“Hey,” I murmured, studying her side profile. “You doing okay?”
She sent me an odd look, her brow wrinkling with confusion as she said, “Yes. Of course.”
“Good.” Finding it hard to read her contemplative mood, I added, “You’ve just been quiet this morning, that’s all.”
“Not much to say,” she answered, adding nothing to that.
“So…” Giving up polite discretion, I finally went blunt and asked, “No regrets, then?”
She blasted me with another confused frown as if the question completely baffled her. And I swear if she asked what I thought she might have regrets about, I might actually strangle her.
Metaphorically, of course. I’d never physically hurt her.
Then she answered, “No. Never.”
I hadn’t thought I’d been worried about her answer, but when I released a long breath, I realized I’d been scared shitless that she might be ashamed of what we’d done together.
“Good,” I repeated on a stiff nod, hoping to mask my self-conscious doubt. Then, because I had no idea what else to say, I added the obvious with a careless shrug. “Me neither.”
Except this wave of immense relief rolled off her, telling me—fuck—I hadn’t been the only one worrying about my mate’s stance on the night before. Jesus. She’d been worrying this whole time about me having regrets? Inconceivable.
“I woke up, wishing we could go back to last night and do it all over again,” I admitted.
An achingly hopeful expression lit up her brown eyes as she bobbed her head, silently agreeing. Shifting Holly closer to her horse, I reached for her face, and she leaned in to receive the touch.
But before I could make contact, Melaina startled me by saying, “Well, I’ll be damned. Would you look at that?”
“What?” Quilla asked, jerking away and turning toward her aunt.
Melaina stopped in her tracks and gazed up into the trees where she pointed. I followed the direction of her finger and heard chattering from a high branch before a brown furry blur darted past.
“You mean that squirrel?” I asked, confused.
She shook her head. “Not a squirrel.” With a wave of her fingers, she motioned again, and the tree branches rattled and cracked before a white unicorn came crashing to the ground in front of us.
As it pushed up onto wobbly legs and gave its head a dazed shake, Holly whinnied excitedly under me and turned into her white unicorn form as well. The other unicorn turned back into a squirrel, and Holly followed suit, shocking the shit out of me since I’d been sitting on her back when she did this.