Serpent's Touch (Serpent's Touch 1) - Page 65
He had to be frank with her. She had to live in this world now, and she had to do that practically blind. The least he could do was to arm her with knowledge.
“Well, you’ve been kind to me, too, not just Lero,” she pointed out.
“My kindness has been self-serving. Whatever I’ve done for you ultimately benefited me, too.”
She remained quiet for a few heartbeats, then got off his lap. “Thank you for the warning.”
“Amira.” He leaped to his feet, too.
He loved having her close. He liked the way her soft, pliable body fit into his arms, how neatly she could fold herself in his lap when sitting or curl against his chest when sleeping. And despite his own warnings, he loved how trusting she was with him.
He wanted her armed and guarded against the world. But he detested her distancing from him.
He caught her from behind, drawing her back into his chest. “If there’s someone you can trust here, it’s me.”
She pressed her mouth into an unimpressed frown. “You’ve just told me—”
“I know.” He nuzzled the side of her neck. She’d lost her scarf, and he loved having her delicate skin exposed like that for him. “But I’ve also given you a promise, remember?”
“Promises don’t always mean much.” She shrugged her shoulder, as if trying to shake off his caresses.
He wouldn’t let her, though, pressing his lips in the place where her neck and her shoulder met. Oh, how he loved that spot. The sweet scent of her mingled with the fresh smell of the river water.
“Not for fae,” he murmured against her skin. “If we break a promise, we lose our mind and shortly after our life. That’s why I never make promises in the first place.”
“You don’t?”
“No, my sweet little pea. The promise I gave you was my first one ever. I really hope it will be the last one I’ll ever make, too. Promises carry a huge obligation to keep them. And I find any obligation annoyingly restrictive.”
She didn’t make another attempt to push him away. Instead, she spread her arms in front of her, feeling the space. Her fingers brushed a branch of a nearby tree.
“Fuzzy willow,” he told her the name of the tree.
She caught one of the long leaves between her slim fingers. The leaf was dark-green and glossy on top and soft silvery-green on the underside.
“Its trunk is about fifteen paces to the right of us.” He tried to make up for the loss of her eyesight with his descriptions. “It would take both of us to hug it, that’s how thick it is. And the branches are long enough to trail in the water.”
She heaved a sigh. “Thank you. It helps to know where I am.”
“Come.” He kissed her cheek and released her from his arms, getting hold of her hand instead. “I believe we were lucky enough to land in my father’s domain. This is one of his hunting grounds right here. Now, we just need to figure out when we are.”
Source: readsnovelonline.net