Page 69 of Dragonbound

Her smile slowly slipped. Erann’s delighted expression turned to one of confusion as he drew close enough to truly look at her.

‘Sereh?’ he sounded uncertain of his reception now. She was desperate to embrace him, to feel him solid beneath her arms. She hungered to kiss his lips. And yet…

Now was not the time, she knew it. She needed answers. Erann couldn’t possibly have rescued her alone. She’d walked away from him for a full day and night before becoming trapped. How could he have covered that distance both ways and managed to bring her here? He couldn’t have carried her. And where was Emma? But those questions could wait, couldn’t they?

She pushed the thoughts away. She wanted to see the smile back on his face, she wanted to see how it lit up his entire being and brought an almost luminous sheen to his eyes.

She forced the smile to return to her face and stepped towards him.

‘Erann Ramonsson. Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you.’ No matter what, she was exuberantly pleased to see him.

‘Why, you’re welcome, Sereh Hagonsdottir.’ He grinned, his green eyes twinkling, and reached out his hand to take hers. She gently slipped her fingers between his and squeezed. Whatever had happened before, she was certain he felt the spark between them too. Her heart pounded in her chest. No one had ever looked at her like that, or been so pleased to see her.

‘Come within,’ he beckoned, ‘you need to eat. So do I.’ With Arrow in front, they walked inside. It was awkward with Erann’s crutches. Arrow slinked ahead of them into the cave. Erann leaned heavily on his sticks, and Sereh slipped an arm around him without thinking. He pulled her close and Sereh felt herself grin for real this time.

They lurched together over the uneven surface, clumsy and off balance. She stumbled and nearly fell entirely as they entered the cave, laughing under her breath as he caught her against his shoulder.

By the time they reached the cook pot, both of them breathless and tangled together, heat was already rolling through the room. Sereh closed her eyes for a moment and let it sink into her bones.

Her questions could wait. Erann deserved the opportunity to offer his own explanations, and she would give him the time to do so.

49

SEREH

Sereh woke the next sunrise, nestled once more in between Arrow’s warm flank and Erann’s solid form. Once more, she was warm, perhaps warmer than she’d ever been before. Between Arrow’s long body and the heat from Erann, nestled against her other side, she doubted waking had ever been so pleasant.

By the Gods, she was lucky to be alive, to feel like this.

The feeling didn’t last long. Pain lanced through her body. Her head throbbed. Her face stung. Every limb ached with a heaviness that made her want to curl back under the furs and sleep until the next Long Night. But worse than the pain was the memory of all the things Erann hadn’t said yesterday, when she’d given him the time to be honest with her. It gripped her heart with an agony she hadn’t thought possible.

The day before, Erann had done what he could to care for her, but the effort had only further revealed the extent of his own injuries. It was an effort for him to get about in the small cave. Even with his crutches, he couldn’t lift or carry much, and like her, he was obviously in pain from whatever he’d done when rescuing her.

If he had rescued her.

She kept looking at Arrow as though the wolf-dog would give her the answers she craved. Predictably, Arrow gave nothing away.

Eventually exhaustion overcame her. Sitting by the fire, her body against Erann’s, her eyes wouldn’t stay open, and her body wouldn’t do as it was told. It felt heavy. She’d felt Erann try to lift her, but he’d stumbled with a hiss of pain.

‘I can do it,’ she’d said sleepily, Arrow slipping beneath her hands, as Erann pushed her to her feet. Still, she’d struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

She hadn’t wanted to leave the warmth of the fire and steadiness of Erann’s support behind her, but once she’d sunk down into the furs, sleep had been only moments away. And she’d not even watched Erann’s attempts to join her, although she’d heard the tap of his walking sticks over the hard stone floor. She’d felt him settle beside her but hadn’t opened her eyes.

As she’d drifted into sleep, she’d felt Erann brush her hair from her painful face and run his hand along her forehead and under her eyes, tracing her face in much the same way she’d done to him when she’d first woken. His touch had left a hot trail along her face, banishing the ache of her exposure. She lay there, aware of a dangerous longing that would have erupted if she’d not been so utterly exhausted.

If she’d been more awake, she would have done exactly what she did in the dreams that followed.

She’d have kissed him.

Now she felt well rested and more prepared to demand answers from him. She needed to know how he’d rescued her. She needed to know how he’d even known where to find her.

Beside her, Arrow yawned widely, gave her a small lick and stole off out of the cave.

Sereh lay there for a bit longer, staring up at the black-grey ceiling of the cave. It shimmered, luminescent in a shaft of light, then dimmed again, as the sun went behind a cloud.

With a sigh for what must be done, she disentangled herself from Erann’s arms. She’d slept with his arm under her head. His other hand gently held hers. She struggled to name what it felt like. Safety toyed on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to be loved by him and wanted to let herself love him, as she now knew she did. She wanted it more than anything – well, except for some explanations.

She pushed herself to her feet. Her head felt light. She needed to drink and eat. There was a delicious smell coming from the cooking pot, and she staggered towards it. Every part of her body ached, and she leaned into the pain. By the Gods, she was lucky to be alive. She breathed in deeply, her ribs protesting. By rights, she should still be crumpled at the bottom of a crevasse, cold, dead and alone. Her mind might forget. Her body wouldn’t.