“We’re going to figure this out,” he vows, and before we can say another word, the connection abruptly drops.
“Fucking cell service sucks,” I mutter, gathering the reins and kicking my mount into a trot to catch up with my guard.
PART 3: WINTER
February
Chapter 21, 22, 23
[Tovian and Raina spend time with the Ansi. Lots of steamy scenes. Tovian is delayed from returning to help Lorcan by a massive snowfall. Lorcan reports in from time to time. He’s still on a rampage; we see Raina trying to reach him, and failing, repeatedly. As the Ansi warm up to her, she starts seriously considering abdication. At the end of this section – 2-3 chapters – Tovian rejoins Lorcan, who has worked his way closer to this section of the country, and they attempt their most ambitious raid yet. Lorcan is injured. They take refuge with a farmer’s wife whose husband has gone to fight in Oceanside. During a call where Raina shows Tovian how to use modern medical supplies to suture a gash to Lorcan’s thigh, she makes a “sassy” comment about his butt in an attempt to defuse the tension. Tovian is hurt and calls her on it.]
March
Chapter 24
“I can’t believe you said that, Sunshine. In front of me.”
His disappointment is crushing.
“Tovi…” I can’t believe I said it either. Commenting on Lorcan’s butt was totally inappropriate of me. “I was trying to use humor to make a bad situation a little less bad. It was a nasty gash. I felt awkward staring at his rear end.”
“So did I. There was no way he could stitch the back of his leg by himself. I didn’t mind doing it, even if I’d never seen those strip things before. Convenient.” He hms thoughtfully.
“Lorcan was the one showing off.” He was never exactly ashamed of his body, but he didn’t flaunt it, either. He’s more aware of his looks now. I admit I was startled by that.
“Raina.”
Uh-oh. Using my proper name is serious.
“Tovian.”
“If you’re pining after Lorcan, I will step back. I’m not going to try and compete for your affections with your childhood friend. Especially since I’m ninety-percent sure I couldn’t take him down in a fair fight.”
I snort. At least he gave himself a ten-percent chance.
“There’s no such thing as a fair fight with Lorcan. He bends the rules to the breaking point. If you win a match, it’s because he let you.”
I’m starting to suspect Lorcan doesn’t let anyone win matches anymore. He’ll keep fighting until he drops dead. Somehow, that accident turned him into a killing machine that’s mad at the whole world.
I definitely don’t want Lorcan now.
Yet here I am, screwing up the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“He can be kind of a dick that way,” Tovian says ruefully.
“Lorcan is ridiculously competitive.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
“Tovian?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry I said that. It’s you I miss, not him.”
Not strictly true. I do miss my old friend, but only in a friend way. I hate the fact that didn’t tell Tovian about Lorcan’s half-hearted attempt to reignite the spark with me after he woke up. It feels like I’m lying to him.
What Tovian says next is a knife strike to my heart.
