Page 74 of Fang & Fury

Close. Not close enough.

“Good instinct,” he murmured, not letting go of her wrist. “But wrong angle. Here.” He guided her hand back, adjusting her grip, his chest brushing hers. “Like that.”

Ailsa’s breathing caught. She was aware of everything—from the low burn of the fire behind them, to the graze of his stubble as he leaned close to check her stance. And she couldn’t stop thinking about what they’d done the night before, or that kiss that still burned on her lips.

After supper, she’d asked Darach for another knife-fighting lesson, but part of her wondered if it was just an excuse to spend time with him, to touch him.

“You’re distracted,” he said, though his own voice had roughened.

She lifted her gaze, meeting his. “Aye … but so are you.”

His lips curved, and for a moment, neither of them moved, the dagger forgotten between them.

“Keep going, you two,” Fern called from where she added a branch to the fire. “Or put the blades down and admit you’re done for the night.”

Kayla snorted. “They’re not done … she hasn’t bested him yet.”

Darach stepped back, clearing his throat. “Again?”

Ailsa smiled back, her fingers flexing around her dagger. “Again.”

23: I WON’T HIDE WHAT I AM

PUSHING ASIDE THE fur, Ailsa rose silently to her feet.

It was time for her to take her turn on the watch.

Fern had drawn the first shift. Meanwhile, the three of them bedded down by the fire.

However, as Ailsa stepped back from the glowing hearth now, Darach rolled over, eyes opening.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Did I wake you?”

His lips tugged up into a sleepy half-smile, and her belly tightened. Their kiss earlier, followed by training together, had been a tease, a reminder and a promise. Their coupling on that riverbank had begun something that neither wished to stop.

“I don’t sleep well, anyway,” he murmured. “Not since the beast.”

Ailsa huffed. “Well, try to get some rest while you can. It’s not your turn yet to take the watch.”

Their gazes held for a moment longer, and her breathing quickened.

Gods. Did he realize just how much she wanted to drag him into the trees, push him onto his back, and ride him again?

She couldn’t though.

Events were moving swiftly now. In just a couple of days, they’d reach Duncrag, and decisions would have to be made. All the same, there was a part of her that wanted to slow things down, to take a few deep breaths and just focus on what she and Darach had discovered in each other.

Ailsa didn’t dislike Kayla and Fern’s company; indeed, she welcomed it, but tonight, how she wished she and Darach had some privacy. They’d earned it.

However, they couldn’t take what they wanted now.

And so, with a silent nod, she shifted away.

Moving softly, she crossed the space to the trees that fringed the northern edge of their camp, catching sight of a familiar tall figure standing there.

Fern had no weapons save for the small slingshot in her right hand. Yet she was ready, alert. And as Ailsa approached, she turned, her eyes glinting in the faint glow of the fire just a few yards away.

“All’s well?” Ailsa greeted her quietly.