CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Selena presses to my side, her small arm clutching me so tightly I am completely undone. I should move, get away from this sweetest of tortures.

I do not.

I revel in her touch like the greedy man I am, pulling her warmth into my tattered soul.

She sleeps peacefully, undisturbed by nightmares, and I like to imagine it’s my presence keeping them away, my arms protecting her from all that wishes her harm.

For all her admonitions that I rest, I dare not sleep, unwilling to waste a single moment of holding her. If the gnomes speak true, we will find the crystals on the morrow. I am immensely grateful that Selena’s aid of them offers us a way to find the antidote we need to keep the sluagh from harming the other human witches. It is yet another thing I can thank her for.

That and pulling me away from the brink of despair. She was right, my clever girl, so very, very right. Giving up is the only true failure.

Yet a successful quest also means returning to Moon Blade Village, where I must deliver Selena unto her intended.

Conflicting desires tear at me, eating away at the scraps of nobility I cling to after decades of service to my people. At my most honest, I can admit that I did such service out of a need to atone for my past failure as much as a desire to serve. Until Selena, I was never able to admit that to myself. But is that… all right? Does it matter to the people I saved why I saved them? Doesn’t the good of the deed rest in their lives lived, happy and whole?

Bah! Life was simpler without the vexing questions that plague me now that Selena has me looking at myself and how I see the world. Simpler yet also emptier.

I pull Selena closer, burying my nose in her hair until her scent fills my very being.

For one long, glorious night, I allow myself to touch the sun, even if losing her later will burn my heart to ash.

Morning comes with the annoyingly cheerful chatter of far too many gnomes.

Selena murmurs a sleepy protest and shoves her face into my shoulder. I cup a hand over her exposed ear, buying her a few more moments of peace.

Across the room, Dash grumbles, “By the goddess, someone make it stop.” Not one for mornings, this unicorn.

“We brought everyone breakfast,” an overly cheerful voice announces.

“Cave fish!” Bellavesaria says. “My favorite.” She makes an eager gulping noise as she scoops up one of the fish and raises her head, tipping it back and bobbing it so her meal travels down her long neck.

When a gnome tries to offer the unicorn one of the fish, he says, “Get that away from me. Do I look like a kelpie?”

The dragon cocks her head. “You do have their general shape. You’re both equine fae, after all.”

“I do not,” he mutters. “And it was a rhetorical question. Ree-tor-ick-call. Look it up.”

A chuckle rumbles through my chest, and Selena stirs against me. I remove my hand from her ear to find her blinking up at me sleepily. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Don’t be. I love hearing you laugh.”

She offers me a small, sweet smile that pierces my heart and makes my breath hitch. By the goddess, Selena’s all that’s good in my world.

With a tumbling roll, the head gnome stands beside us, a pure-white fish stretched across his palms. “Breakfast? ”

“Um.” Selena shoves upright. “Is that raw? I’m not much for sue-she in the morning, thanks.”

I frown. What does litigation have to do with fish?

“We have mushrooms.” He gestures, and several more gnomes whirl over to us, each holding a different type of mushroom.

I eye them carefully. Even though I know all the flora of the forest, none of these look familiar. “Are any of these poisonous?”

“We wouldn’t dare!” He rears back, then his expression goes sly. “Although this one causes wild visions.” He points to a wide purple cap spotted with bright-green dots. “Very enjoyable.”

“We’ll pass on that one,” I say. “But we thank you for the rest.”

Selena sets her hand on my forearm, her tone concerned. “I still don’t like raw fish.”

“I have an idea.”

Getting up, I find a flat rock and wipe it with the cleaning cloth. Then I prepare two of the fish, offering the dragon the guts, which she slurps up with relish. I spread the fillets on the stone, ring them with the safe mushrooms, and gesture to it. “Bellavesaria, if you would do the honors.”

“If you have enough control, that is.” Dash looks up from where he’s eating a pile of safe mushrooms.

“I’ll show you control.” The dragon youngling brings her face close to the stone, and a small stream of fire pours out. She swings her head from side to side, searing the food evenly. “See?”

“Humph.” The unicorn goes back to eating .

“You have excellent control. Thank you.” I sprinkle everything with salt and herbs and bring the warm stone platter over to Selena.

“Breakfast in bed, cave-camping style.” She beams up at me. “I love it.”

We eat with our hands. The mushrooms are tender and meaty, and the top of the fish has a crackly crust that parts on tender white meat, mild and succulent.

Selena moans happily around a bite. “My god, how do you cook so well like this? I can’t wait to see what you do with a real kitchen.”

“Ah, there you have me.” My lips twitch. “I’m horrible in an actual kitchen. All those pots and pans? An oven that holds a consistent temperature?” I shudder in mock terror. “No, thank you.”

Her laughter is music to my soul, and I eat the rest of breakfast basking in the warmth of her happiness.

Goddess, I want this to never end.