“Morning, new mother,” he grinned.
I rolled my eyes and sat up. No nightmare.
Fen shifted, realized I had moved, and jumped to his feet, eyes wide.
“Careful, broody fae. I’m right here.”
His shoulders dropped, and he took a long breath in and out before he stretched. I wrapped his blanket around me as he crossed the clearing to the pond, pulled his shirt off, and dove right in.
“Mornings can be hard for us male fae,” Kai smirked.
“It’s too early for sexual innuendos, Kaitalen,” I said just to mess with him.
“It’s never too early for sexual innuendos.”
“He’s not afraid of the water wraiths?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” He lifted a shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Can I ask you a serious question?”
“Sure.” He straightened.
“How long have you been a rebel?”
His eyes narrowed on me, and I didn’t think he would answer. He looked around the group of sleeping fae. “We all support the rebellion, Ara. We don’t like to advertise it in the north but most in the southern kingdom do, though not all.” He lifted the sleeve of his shirt to show me the phoenix insignia I had seen the night before. “Wren’s is on her shoulder, mine is on my arm, Greeve has his entire back done and Fen’s is on his chest.”
“And Lichen?” I asked.
“Lichen is here when we travel because King Tolero requests it. When we are home, it’s usually just the four of us. Sometimes Wren’s sister Sabra tags along, but we had these done in a traditional inking ceremony with the dracs when it was just the four of us.”
“I see.”
“The better question is how doyouknow about the rebellion?”
“I helped a bunch of lesser fae escape some slavers, and they revealed themselves to me. Have you heard of the Weaver?”
He breathed in deep. “You know the Weaver?”
“Yes. She is one of the fae I helped and who, in turn, helped me.”
“She’s a legend in the south,” Kai said in awe. “She’s the one who killed an entire horde of her own kind to try to help her lover escape.”
“I knew she had a story. I just didn’t ask what it was.”
“You have to introduce me one day. I think I love her.” He clutched his chest.
“You really are a child, Kaitalen.”
“You wound me.” He fell over, faking his own death.
I let him flail around for a while and then asked, “Do you think we’ll get out of this forest today.”
“Yep.” He sat up. “We’re near the edge. If you listen closely to the birds, you can hear the faint echo of their calls. That sound is bouncing off the side of the mountains way in the distance. I’d wager we will be out of the forest before mid-afternoon. It might take us a couple of days to get to the base of the mountains, but then we can follow them west until we find the Western Gap.”
I heard a splash and watched Fen get out of the treacherous water. Fearless. I wished I could watch that sight over and over again. His trousers hung low on his hips, and I’d never envied beads of water until I watched them glide down his tanned body. I snapped my jaw shut and managed to swallow as he ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. He must have felt my gaze because he turned to look, and I wished I was strong enough to look away, but I didn’t have it in me. I could nearly feel his prideful satisfaction as he smiled knowingly at me.
They didn’t come in a prettier package, but the minute he smiled, I melted into the ground. He knew exactly what he was doing to me and was not even kind enough to catch me as I fell for him.
