Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (7 page)

His memory of her long locks of auburn hair from his first encounter with her in this Goddess-forsaken place didn’t do it justice. Strands of its silky length had come loose from her plait as they had made their escape, and she hadn’t bothered to fix it. He had to fight the urge to reach over and brush them away from her face, to test their softness between his fingers. She had haunted his dreams and his fantasies since that fateful day when they had almost lost Rhiannon. Having her so close, with her face relaxed and serene, it was all he could do to keep from pressing his lips to hers and claiming what should have rightfully been his.

Her brows furrowed. What was she up to? She had done all she could to help him, demanding nothing in return, yet she was in the Dark Lands. He had to figure it out before he could return to Avalore. If she was a traitor and working with the beasts to get to his sister, he would deal with the situation, no matter the cost to him personally.

Evan didn’t kid himself into thinking he was a great catch for any woman. He was too single minded and too dedicated to the Coalition. A mate would never be happy sitting at home alone, sometimes for months on end, waiting for his return. His mind had concluded it was best he hadn’t joined Brienne three years ago, but his phoenix—and if he were completely honest, his heart—would have wished for things to be different. Wishing for it didn’t make it so. He couldn’t forsake his responsibilities any more now than he could three years ago.

If she was a traitor, she would still be one when he woke, and he’d deal with it then. One thing was certain. Whatever the days to come had in store, he would need his strength and his wits about him. Shaking his head, Evan closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.

Brienne woke with a start. Her cheek rested on a hard, warm surface. It wasn’t until her long, lazy stretch met with a small groan that she realized where she was and whom she was using as a pillow. Evan’s chest rose and fell with each slow, steady breath he took. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle into his heat and go back to sleep, but she couldn’t. He required healing, and she needed to get away from him before her resolve fled. It was too dangerous to stay with him.

When she had left Avalore—and him—behind, she’d known it would be difficult, but the intensity of her grief had crippled her. She had thought of little else those lonely days in the cave other than ending her existence and her heartache, but she had been too much of a coward to allow herself to let go. She could not risk getting to know him better, to start caring for him. She had barely survived his first rejection, and she couldn’t go through it again.

Old hurt wound its way around her heart, tightening and squeezing until she couldn’t catch her breath. She had to put some distance between them. Clenching her teeth, she tried to push against him. The arm she hadn’t realized was around her tightened, keeping her where she was.

“Let me up. I don’t want to hurt you more than you already are.” The words “but I will” hovered between them unspoken.

“You won’t hurt me, Brienne. You might wish to do so, but you won’t.”

Ignoring how sexy his morning voice sounded, she shoved against him. She rolled away and stood with the fluid grace of a fighter. “You don’t know the first thing about me, don’t pretend otherwise.”

He took his time sitting, then standing, guarding against jarring his injuries. “I may not know you well, but your hands, as you so roughly pushed against my body to get away, found their way to areas where I had no injury. You removed yourself from my arms without inflicting the slightest pain. Why is that, do you think, Brienne?” His eyes glittered as he stalked toward her. The muscles of his chest and shoulders rippled with every gliding step.

She would not be intimidated. She had stood nose to nose with the Alpha Erritrols and come out the victor, so standing up to Evan should be no problem. Her dragon stretched and preened. The little hussy was enjoying the male display—
damn her
. “Lucky for you, I suppose.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it.” He didn’t stop until he was inches before her, his breath mingling with her own.

Shrugging, she tried for nonchalance, but she doubted he would notice. “It doesn’t matter.” She tilted her chin just a little higher. His gaze held her steady as he came closer still. The challenge in his eyes was clear. If she backed down, he won.

Heart pounding, she returned his glare. He wouldn’t do it. He was testing her. Smiling, she all but dared him to kiss her. He was so close, she could lift her head and take his lips herself if she so chose. One thing living with the pack had taught her was never to show weakness. The feeble had a way of disappearing and she was anything but weak. She had proven herself time and time again. She had gained their respect. She would gain Evan’s too.

Pressing her damp palms to her thighs, she waited for him to retreat. The inner battle he waged shone in his eyes. For a brief moment, she thought she had won—that he would back off, but then the corners of his lips quirked up and his pupils dilated. His movement was so swift she didn’t have time to avert her face. No time to take a breath before his lips pressed against hers and stole what little air she had left.

Too stunned to move, she stood motionless under his assault. His lips slid over hers, exerting just enough pressure to make her want more. He brought his hands up her back to take the tie from her braid, tugging to free her hair before sliding his fingers through the locks. Tightening his hold, he pressed her closer still.

His spicy fragrance surrounded her, enticing the dragon and pulling her in with his virile male scent. Somewhere in the far recesses of her mind, she knew she should put a stop to it, but she had dreamt of this man, yearned for him for so long she couldn’t tear herself away. When his tongue probed at the seam of her lips, she opened to him with a soft sigh. Need burned in the pit of her stomach, making her breasts ache and every inch of skin tingle, demanding his touch.

Not waiting for him to take things further, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him so that he was flush against her, his hard length pressing into her softer belly. Her energy mingled with his, pulsing all around them, creating a soft glow in the dim light of the cave.

She swayed against him, slow and steady. Sensation overrode logic, and she lost herself in it—in him. When he tore his lips from hers and trailed down her neck to her shoulder, she pressed more tightly against him, wedging her thigh between his, needing to be closer still.

His body stiffened as a pained groan ripped from between his clenched teeth.

How could she have forgotten his injuries? How could she have gotten so lost in the moment that everything else disappeared around her? An Erritrol could have waltzed into the cave and attacked and she wouldn’t have known until it was too late. Inattention got people killed in these lands. She had given up her rights to this man long ago, and it was high time she remembered that.

“I’m sorry. I should never have allowed that to happen. I… it won’t happen again.” She pulled away from his heat, careful not to jostle his leg as she extricated herself.

His expression hardened and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he brought his gaze up to hers again. Those she could have handled, but the pain reflected in his eyes shook her to her core.

He hadn’t wanted to be strapped down to a mate. He didn’t “have time” for a needy female. His duty was too important. The words he had spoken echoed in her mind as they often did. Was it possible he had changed his mind? Had she subjected him to the same soul-searing pain she had herself undergone?

She swallowed past the huge lump lodged in her throat. “Evan…”

He blinked heavily once, and by the time his eyes opened again, the pain was gone. All emotion dissipated as if it had never been. He showed no signs of distress, physical or otherwise, but the agony in his leg and spine had to be excruciating.

“Now that I’ve rested, I can heal the rest of your wounds.” Her soft voice was loud in the thick silence of the cave.

She thought he was going to say something, but then he nodded just once before hobbling back to the bedroll.

His scent lingered on her skin, her lips tingled from his kiss, but she couldn’t lose herself in him like that again. Nothing had changed. She still had her mission, and she couldn’t let anything stop her from accomplishing what she’d set out to do. Not even him.

Kneeling directly on the cold, hard stone, she ignored his spicy scent and the discomfort of the hard surface under her knees, centering herself and cleansing her energy. The charged power in the cave gathered and molded under her command. As much as she hated to admit it, the sexual tension in the air would benefit his healing. The soft pulsing ball of lavender energy sought his pain, sought to heal the hairline fractures in his spine. She took her time, soothing the sensitive nerves surrounding his spine, guiding the warmth and light, visualising it in her mind’s eye so that it reached the exact areas needing care and attention.

Had he so much as twitched or made a sound of discomfort, she would have stopped immediately, but he didn’t budge. He wasn’t sleeping, the tension in his body and his clenched teeth said as much, but he did not say a word.

That was fine with her. If he wanted to pretend nothing happened and ignore the situation altogether, then so be it. Who was he to kiss her like that, anyway? Heat crept up her neck and cheeks. Okay, he had initiated the kiss, but she had participated—wholeheartedly. If she had to be annoyed with anyone, it should be herself, but he was such a great target for her anger.

Shoving her irritation aside, she refocused her energy.
“I’m going to work on your leg now.”

“Thank you. I’m glad for your assistance.”
Nothing betrayed his cool demeanor except for the ticking of his jaw.

It was just as well that he be angry with her. By the end of the day tomorrow, he would be healed and well enough for travel. The Avalorian border was less than a day away, and they would part ways again as soon as he reached it. Getting more involved with him would only complicate the painful mess, and she had enough to deal with without adding to the long list.

Swollen tissue surrounding the broken bone made it more difficult for her to feel the break. Walking on it had done some damage, which could only mean that the clean break of yesterday had displaced itself at least a little. She had to be careful. One slip and she could do more damage than good.
Think, Brie. What do you need here
? How did that little tune go?
Blue breeze cools, red heat of fire, healing warmth in purple’s deep desire.

Manipulating the energy, she pulled more blue light into the vibrations in her palms. It would soothe the inflammation and allow her to work on the fracture.

“Are you humming the rainbow song?”

Her cheeks flamed, and her eyes popped open, ruining her concentration. Had she hummed it aloud?

“So what if I am?” She huffed out an exasperated breath. “If you want me to heal this leg of yours, you’re going to have to be quiet.” Her gaze met his, and she had the distinct impression he was struggling not to grin.

“Yes, of course.” Mischief shone in his eyes. “I would have been happy to give you the information you needed had you asked.”

He was deliberately pushing her buttons, but she refused to allow him to get under her skin. Huffing dramatically, she stood and looked down her nose at his grinning face. “If that’s how you want to be, you can heal your own leg.” Turning on her heels, she marched to the pile of supplies and grabbed the soap and shampoo she had spotted before.

His energy was stronger than it had been, and though it would take a lot out of him to heal the bone, he undoubtedly could. Besides, she would help him when she got back, but he didn’t have to know that. “I’m going to bathe and take care of my own needs.” She looked at him over her shoulder as she stepped out the cave, adding an extra little sway to her hip as she went.

His deep, male laughter followed her all the way to the hot pool, making her cheeks burn. What, in Goddess’s name, had she gotten herself into?

Brienne’s lack of skill hadn’t been questioned since childhood. Part of her wanted to be annoyed with him for pointing out her inadequacies, but he was right. She should have just asked. It was no secret that she was no master healer. She had been too spirited as a child to sit still during her lessons long enough to gain any real healing talent, but she had learned the basics. After Queen Angelique’s death, she had grown up and developed the necessary survival skills of their people. It would have been foolish not to.

If she were being truthful, her annoyance wasn’t with the fact that he’d joked about her lack of knowledge, but the fact that she’d allowed him to see it at all. He had already decided he didn’t want to be mated; he didn’t need to see all her shortcomings to solidify his decision.

All she wanted to do was help heal him and get him back to Avalore so they could part ways and she could go back to her mission, anything more than that would only make it harder when it came time for her to go.

Steam rose in fine wisps from the water’s surface, tempting Brienne to jump in, but she held herself back. She examined every depression and crevice in the small chamber for anything amiss. Evan said it was safe, but knowing what creatures dwelled in these caves, she wasn’t taking any chances. Anything could have crawled in since their arrival.