Page 29 of Cold Hearted
“I’ll keep your opinions in mind the next time your life is at stake,Commander,” I said mockingly as I shoved to my feet. “And where are the rest of your men?” I asked to change the subject, but Zander wasn’t having it.
He stood as well, reaching me in two long strides and stopping directly in front of me.“I’m sorry,” he said on a sigh, surprising me. “That came out too harsh. I don’t mean to say I’m not appreciative of what you did for me, because I am. If it wasn’t for you, my troops might not have found me before it was too late.” As I watched, a visible shudder went through Zander, and I remembered that he’d been tortured for hours before he was rescued. I only got a taste of what he went through, and it was horrific. My heart ached for him at that moment.
“And it was amazing how you took down that voidspawn,” he went on, cutting the already diminished space between us in half. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Despite myself, I felt my cheeks heat under his regard. Reaching for my hand, he took it in his own and flipped it over. He brushed his thumb over my palm, causing a shiver that had nothing to do with the chilly air to run the length of my spine. I should have pulled away, but I was frozen, as enthralled as if he’d put a spell on me.
He leaned close enough that the warmth coming off his body brushed up against me, but not so close that we were touching anywhere but our hands. His voice deepened, and at the same time softened, his words becoming a velvet caress. “But I need to know that if something like that happens again, you won’t put yourself in danger by depleting yourself. It would take a lot to put me down for good. I’m tougher than I look.”
Says the guy who keeps getting hit with runes.
“So am I,” I said. I meant for the words to come out teasingly, but they emerged breathless instead.
Zander’s thumb, which had been making lazy circles on my palm, inched up toward my wrist, and goose bumps broke out on my arms.
How does one small touch feel almost criminally good?
I had to clench my free hand against the urge to reach up and trace Zander’s full lower lip. Feeling like I wasn’t getting enough air, I pulled in a deep breath and Zander’s sandalwood scent invaded my nostrils, making me think things I shouldn’t and feel things I had no right feeling.
To escape the intensity of his ocean blue gaze, I glanced down at our joined hands, and caught a flash of metal.
The cuffs!
The warmth that had permeated my body instantly cooled. “What? Why are these blasted things still on?” I wondered, pulling away from Zander. I held my wrists up in front of my face. I literally just saved the fae’s life. Why hadn’t they fallen off yet? “These things are defective,” I grumbled, and then looked to Zander for an explanation.
Sadness lurked in Zander’s bright blue eyes. “The cuffs aren’t defective,” was all he said by way of explanation before he turned and walked toward the tree line.
I watched him retreat for a moment before following, feeling like I was missing something but not knowing what.
“Come on,” he called over his shoulder.
“Where are we going?” I asked, but he ignored me.
Jogging to catch up to him, I noticed two horses grazing just inside the tree line, Omen and a white mare with a pearlescent coat and a braided tale. She was a beautiful contrast to Omen and almost as large. She was a magnificent horse, but I’d gotten somewhat attached to the proud stallion in the last couple of days.
Omen lifted his head when we approached, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air,and then bypassing Zander he crossed directly to me, dipping his head to ask for rubs.
Zander’s face showed so much surprise that I couldn’t help a laugh from escaping me, which broke a little of the strange tension that hung in the air between us.
Zander shook his head as he snagged the mare’s reins and led her over to me. “This is Luna,” he said. “Yourhorse.”
Luna. As inmoon. That name was fitting because she shone like the moonlight.
Zander tried to grab Omen’s reins to swing atop him, but the stallion whined and side-stepped him. Zander attempted to mount Omen two more times without success before giving up.
“What’s going on here?” he growled at me.
I held out my hand and Omen came to me, nuzzling my palm.
I shrugged. “We bonded while you were gone.”
“Traitor,” he muttered to his horse before handing me Omen’s reins.
I tried to hide my smile as Omen easily let me swing up into the saddle. I expected Zander to look sour when I turned toward him, but instead I saw respect shining in his eyes.
“I’d be more upset, but I don’t blame Omen. If I were a horse, I’d want you to ride me as well.”
My jaw dropped. “Zander!” I gasped, utterly scandalized.
