Page 7 of Revealing Fate

Felíne studied the terrain. “Gods, it’s a forest.” A massive one, stretching what looked like forever in either direction.

“Yes. Stillwater Wood.”

“That’s where we’re going?”

Kal nodded. “Meress lies at its heart.”

“And you know the way?” she probed.

“I do, yes. Lucky for you. It’s a veritable labyrinth.”

A new bundle of nerves fired in Felíne’s belly. Stillwater Wood. If she entered there, the likelihood of her finding her way out on her own dwindled to near zero.

Her stomach rumbled at an embarrassing octave, and she cringed. Nervous gas.

“Everything alright in there?”

Gods. How mortifying. “Actually, no,” she said, setting her mind to something foolish. “I’m starving. Can we stop for the night?”

“Starving?” Kal asked, dubious. “You ate the last of our hard cheese and a biscuit less than an hour ago.”

Felíne twisted, eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say?”

“That you shouldn’t be hungry,” Kal replied, unbothered by her feminine ire. “It’s only a few more hours to the tree line. We can camp inside the forest boundary.”

“Kalevar Kaine, I am hungry now. We’ve been in the saddle for days. I am tired, uncomfortable, and sore.”

“Wow. We’re using full names even.”

She wriggled to further emphasize her point.

Felíne could hear the grin in Kal’s voice when he responded again. “I suppose you expect that I jump to accommodate your request?”

“Well, I don’t need you to actually jump, but if you insist…”

Kal laughed. Felíne’s gut produced another dangerous gurgle. She needed to get off this horse. Now.

“Kal, I am so serious. We’re stopping. Right here.”

Felíne didn’t wait for additional teasing. She practically toppled off Sig’s back and strode with as much dignity and haste as she could toward a blessedly dense cluster of shrubs some way off their path.

Tending to her personal needs while on the road was a humiliating experience. While Kal gave her privacy, there was only so much she could do to prevent every little noise from broadcasting her activities to anyone within earshot. Which Kal most certainly was. Curse this diet of meat and ruffage.

When Felíne was finished—and considerably less gurgly—she returned to find Kal had unsaddled Sig and arranged their bedrolls next to a meager stack of kindling.

She sat down next to him and massaged her aching thighs, eternally grateful that he didn’t feel the need to inquire about her digestive habits. She watched him organize the camp space.

“I guess your full name did the trick. Is that really all I have to do to earn your compliance?”

Kal smirked up at her. “Next time, try my middle name and see how eager I am to please.”

Why did he have to be so attractive? She clenched her thighs together involuntarily, then winced at the resulting twinge of soreness. “What’s your middle name?”

“Barringer.”

Felíne sputtered, but Kal didn’t comment further. She took a moment to regain her composure. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“It’s a family name.”