Page 192 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“We shouldn’t have dressed for battle,” I complained, tugging at a belt around my waist. “That man is smart. Scared when he needs to be scared.”

He pulled me to him, undoing all the buckles holding up my leathers. His hands touched me where no other hands but mine had touched. Eliciting things no other man had elicited from me. “Don’t do that. He wants us to underestimate him and lower our guard.”

I lifted my hands forward, undoing his as he was undoing mine.

“What are you doing, little bird?”

“Helping.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Neither did I, but what are friends for?”

Thankfully, he didn’t correct that friends did indeed not help each other undress.

After all the heavy stuff was off, he grabbed a thick blanket from the bed and laid it on the floor.

“The bed is big,” I said.

“The floor is big, too. Any other observations you’d like to make?”

“Why are you being so mean to me?” I asked, crawling on the bed and jumping inside the warm covers that smelled of lavender.

“Go to sleep.”

I knew though, he didn’t need to tell me. He was angry I’d given Snow an ultimatum about coming here. It was my idea. Besides, Kilian would never let her return here without killing Golgotha first. Which would defeat the purpose.

I sighed, rolling back and forth in bed, struggling to find a comfortable spot. “Malik, for hells’ sake, get up here.” He’d never slept on the same bed as me no matter how many nights he’d spent in my room. But he’d never slept on the ground either, and there was no sofa around.

“Sleep, Thora, or I’ll straddle you with those sheets till you can’t move.”

I gathered the blanket and laid it on the ground, next to him, chucking a pillow to him, too.

“Thora, get up from the fucking floor.”

“No.”

“Hellion.” He blew out a heavy exhale and hoisted me up, throwing me on the bed and then himself beside me. “Better?”

I spat some hair from my mouth. “Yes.”

Yet, an hour had passed and I couldn’t get my eyes to shut at all. Carefully, I turned to look at him. “Malik?” I whispered.

Nothing. Not even a little twitch, his breath was even, his whole body relaxed.

I shuffled closer just a little to his side and he still didn’t move. “Malik?”

No answer. Was he really asleep?

I’d gotten so close that his face was only a few inches away. “Malik?”

“What?”

I jerked a little. “I’m cold.”

“That is such a shitty lie.”

It was. “Alright, I’m scared.” Not the slightest actually. This was quite thrilling. I’d always dreamt of going on quests and dark adventures, this was the closest to one and I was enjoying myself.