Chapter 8 - Kalla
Kalla
VIII
What was I doing?
I had asked myself that question so many times, I was starting to suspect my mind had split in half and one side no longer communicated with the other. Trying to find ways to improve Jael’s meal, gently tiptoeing around difficult subjects, tending to what was left of his wound.
Jael had spoken so openly, I could have gotten every last scrap of information I wanted just now, and instead, at the first sign of his haunted expression, I’d pulled back.
If I’d wanted to prove to Thorn I could protect the fury in my own way, catering to my enemy was hardly the best strategy.
Despite knowing it, I grabbed a pair of Cliff’s extra clothes and helped Jael get dressed.
He leaned his weight on me as he struggled into the breeches that were slightly too short in the leg and wide around the waist, and sweat beaded on his brow by the time we got him into the black shirt that strained at his shoulders.
But the look of him dressed was almost as delicious as the look of him bare chested, and I bit the inside of my lip as my lower belly clenched.
Not good. Curiosity about the fae was one thing, but desire? Cliff would be laughing his well-toned ass off right now.
Jael’s warm hand brushed against the back of my neck, and I sucked in a breath, keeping my gaze anywhere but on him as we made our way out of the cave and into the cool night.
Carefully, I settled him in the grass just outside, where he could lean against the rock and relax. By the blood, I needed to put space between us before I did something incredibly foolish.
“Are you good here?” I asked.
He frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Hunting,” I lied, grateful I could.
The furrow between his brows deepened. “Didn’t you already hunt?”
“I—” At the moment, I regretted my earlier foresight. “I didn’t drink enough.”
Only then did I notice his fingers curling into the grass and the stiffness in his shoulders. He was nervous about me leaving. Interesting.
“I’ll be back soon.” It wasn’t a promise—I knew better—but hopefully it would reassure him that I wasn’t leaving him alone in the wilderness.
Then I fled. Not from him, I swore. Yet when the trees swallowed all sight of him, I couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
What was I doing?