Emon’s father, Asher, sent me an approving look. “I will consider myself lucky that no cù-sìth was sent into my camps, General.”
“I was saving it for a later date.” I teased.
Asher winked. “I’ll be sure to save my dignity and not shit myself when that day comes.”
I snorted and noticed Penina and Tyr looking at me like I was a lunatic.
I spread my hands on the table. “Look, Xi is a great storyteller, but the truth is that I was terrified of having a cù-sìth owing me a debt for a couple decades. So I traded in my debt for aride back to camp.” I sobered. At the time, I didn’t want such a monstrous hound trailing behind me waiting for its debt to be paid but now I wished I had. Maybe then I would not have had to bury her and her cub in the Balsam Plains.
Emon's arm reached around me, sensing my distress. “I will help you keep your vow even in their deaths, little umbra.”
Sighing, I tentatively leaned more into him, allowing my burden to be shared just this once.
“I am starting to feel even more sympathetic for your mother.” Bane called out from his darkened corner. “I only had to deal with you for a couple decades. She had a couple thousand.”
Emon’s arm stiffened around me and instantly I reached to calm him. Gripping his leg under the table to cut his growl short.
Realizing my mistake, I attempted to remove my hand from the new tension I had created but he grabbed it, keeping it pressed firmly to his thigh and swung his eyes to me.
My breath caught at the blazing intensity there…the small moments where I could see everything he hadn’t said to me…everything I hadn’t asked for but now hopelessly wanted. Something had changed between us since coming here…the shifter was no longer holding back his feelings from me and mine were growing.
Xi tapped the table and I tore my eyes away, watching her white hair fall forward as she leaned in to capture our attention. “The cù-sìth was nothing…wait till you hear about the nightmares.”
Emon pulled me even closer to him and his voice rumbled with curiosity. “This is one I haven’t heard yet.” He turned to me. “One of these days, little umbra, I’d like to hear these stories whispered from your own delectable mouth.” He breathed. “You mentioned nightmares when we were fighting the wraiths. Right before your little elemental twin launched you like a fucking star into the sky.”
“My name is Riley.”
Emon snorted, ignoring him and I was captured by the way his hand stroked mine under the table. “What were you doing around nightmares, my vicious little umbra?”
It had been a long time since I last saw a nightmare…majestic black winged horses who fed on dreams. Flying in fae’s homes at night and feasting on all their wicked goodness and replacing it with fear.
“Doesn’t every girl dream of wanting a horse?” I said coyly.
My breath caught when a full grin crossed his face. His voice dropped low for only me to hear. “I knew you would want a pet beast for a courting gift over anything else.”
Riley interrupted with his own snort. “Only a delusional shadow fae would want a nightmare. Don’t let her fool you, she was trying to control the damn thing.”
Tyr frowned. “Why in the goddess’s tit would you want to control a nightmare?”
I barely saw Asher's hand smack the backside of the tiger shifter's head.
“Owe, what that fuck Asher?” Tyr complained.
Asher snarled softly. “Goddess I do believe I missed doing that…and you know exactly what the fuck Tyr.”
I pulled away from Emon. “Why don’t we save the stories about me for another time.”
Penina pouted, her bottom lip sticking out dramatically. “Awe, please tell us! I really, really, want to know why you wanted to catch a nightmare. It may be helpful…for future references.”
Xi laughed. “You don’t catch nightmares—no fae can, but you can control them for a short while. Remnant wanted one for her little gnome friends.”
I laughed with her. “Hey! That's not fair!” I turned to Penina to explain. “Gnomes are deathly afraid of nightmare hair and there was a gnome infestation in our camp. I was tired of listening to those two faelings over there complaining about them.”
Emon chuckled. “You love gnomes.” He said thoughtfully.
I jerked back. “I do not.”
“She does.” Both Xi and Riley said together.
