Page 12 of Savage Crown
His gaze lifted. Our eyes met. Everything stopped.
“I forgot how beautiful you were,” he said softly.
My heart twisted. That wasn’t fair.
“I didn’t forget anything.”
He flinched and stepped back, as if distance could protect him.
“I called you here because I need to speak with my mother.”
There it was. The truth. He needed Valkaryn, not me.
‘He wants you, too,’Val whispered.‘He just feels rejected by me. He wants us both.’
‘Don’t defend him.’
“She is listening,” I said flatly as I crossed my arms.
I came all this way to be a mouthpiece.
Kaelric glanced at two wooden chairs and gestured.
“Will you sit? I need to explain everything so you understand what is happening.”
Why would he care what I understood?
I rolled my eyes and moved to the fur-covered chair, hoping it was his. I sat, annoyed.
He walked to the tent flap and accepted two plates from a wolfkin outside. The scent hit me instantly. My mouth watered.
Honey-glazed chicken.
Warm rosemary bread.
Mashed potatoes with herbs.
After two days of dried fruit and nuts, the sight was nearly holy.
Kaelric offered me a plate. I considered refusing, but after everything between us, there was nothing left to prove.
I took it quietly.
“Good food for a military camp.”
Kaelric chuckled. “I had it made specially for you and me.”
That was unexpectedly sweet, and only made everything more confusing.
“Food obsessed,” I murmured again.
He gave a small smile.
My heart stumbled.
I lifted the rosemary bread and paused deliberately. His eyes tracked every movement, gold flickering at their edges. He couldn’t eat until I did, and I loved the power I held over him. Something I hadn’t been able to do in the past three months.
“You are terrible,” he murmured.
