Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Feeling her withdrawal, Bannin made a low regretful sound but didn’t make her struggle to get away when she stepped back. In the dark, there was only the faint shine of her blade, the gleam of his eyes, and their heaving breaths.
A single kiss, yet Sarya was panting as if she’d sprinted the full distance to the village. Never had a kiss done that to her before.
She’d left her brain behind somewhere—likely the moment his mouth had covered hers—but eventually the mush inside her skull began sparking up a sensible thought or two. “What are you doing in my barn?”
“I was kissing you.” There was still a ragged edge to Bannin’s voice, as if he’d been as affected as she. “And you were kissing me back.”
Truly, he was the most maddening man alive. “Before that.” Yet she knew, didn’t she? He’d have gone to warn his sister and the village about the demon…and then he would have returned to make certain she wasn’t alone. But that meant— “Did you come back here through the forest after dark? By yourself?”
Smug amusement filled his reply. “Worried about me?”
A frustrated growl escaped her. Because she had been worried. So much that she hadn’t been able to sleep. But his going to warn the village had been necessary. Coming back was just stupid. “You didn’t need to. I can take care of myself.”
“I realized that when you nearly beheaded me. But you’re wrong about the rest. I did need to come back. A weaker man might have stayed away while you were out here by yourself. But that’s not who I am.” His voice lowered, hardened, and his looming shadow moved closer. His big hand cupped her face; his thumb smoothed over her swollen lips. “Can you still taste me, Sarya? Because all I can taste now is you—but it won’t be enough. So when you want more, just tell me.”
Her breath trembled. She wanted more now. And hadn’t she just realized the need to move forward?
But at this moment, she would settle for moving out of the barn. She pushed open the large door.
“Come on, then. Now that I know you’re here, no need to sleep with the goats.”
His grin flashed. “Are you taking me to your bed?”
“I’ll let you use the floor.”
“I’ll take you anywhere.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to go. He followed, picking up his axe.
Because there was a demon hunting these woods. In the wake of his kiss, she’d nearly forgotten why she’d needed her sword. And as she led him into her cottage, Sarya realized two things.
That she was truly done licking her wounds.
And that Bannin posed more of a danger to her than a monster ever could.
“Tea or cider?” Sarya offered, lighting the lamp on the table. By all rights, she ought to just head upstairs to bed and leave Bannin to sort himself out for the night, but she wasn’t likely to sleep anyway.
Bannin’s gaze quickly swept the interior of the cottage, maybe looking for any changes she’d made since moving in. There weren’t many. The family who’d fled Galoth had taken few of their belongings, and Sarya had only added what she needed to live on. His green eyes settled on her again. “Is it a strong, dark cider or one of those weak, sweet ones?”
“It’s stronger than the ale at the tavern. I made it myself.”
“Then it’ll suit me.”
It suited Sarya, too. Her nerves had been rattled since the big warrior followed her into the cottage. Or maybe they’d been rattled since he’d snuck up behind her in the forest. Or maybe they’d been rattled since the day she’d met him.
Fortunately, if Bannin noticed how rattled she was, he would probably think the demon stalking the woods was the reason. But the demon was the one thing that didn’t rattle her. Sarya had dealt with monsters before.
What she hadn’t dealt with was a massive warrior who’d intended to sleep in her barn simply so that he could watch over her and make certain she was safe. A warrior who hadn’t bothered to bring anything with him into her cottage except for an axe, and who was only wearing a pair of loose breeches that hung low on his hips. A warrior whose powerful fingers were idly scratching through the crisp hair covering his barrel of a chest while his gaze followed her every move.
A warrior who still had hay from the barn stuck in his tousled red hair.
Biting her lip against a smile, Sarya poured the cider and turned toward the table with two mugs in her hands.
“Do you still love him?”
Bannin’s quietly voiced question caught Sarya by surprise. The mugs clattered against the tabletop as she set them down.
“What? Who?”
His piercing gaze was locked upon her face. Sarya wondered if she imagined the hint of dread in his voice and the flash of vulnerability in his eyes when he said, “The man you didn’t marry. Are you still in love with him?”