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“Would you two like me to leave you to your meal in peace?” Lucy offered, a devious smile on her lips.
“No, no,” Mina said. “I just got you back. You can’t run away now.”
“If you say so,” Lucy chuckled.
Together they walked between the tents, and it wasn’t long before Erik started to notice the soldiers pausing in their work and patrols to watch them strolling past. Instinctively, he took a step closer to Mina. He dropped one hand from behind his back, ready to grab a dagger from his belt, but as he took a step his knuckles brushed Mina’s hand.
Instantly every inch of his body stood on high alert. Lightning coursed through his veins, and all it did was make him want more. His fingers itched to take her hand and bring it to his lips.
He could hear the soft intake of her breath as she realized what she’d done, bumping into him, and her immediate swallow as she repeated the gesture a second time.
“Here we are,” Lucy said, breaking him from his trance as they approached the humans’ meal tent.
“Your Majesty,” a familiar voice called out, as they started for the door. Turning, he saw Alaric marching towards him, dressed in his familiar black leathers. He had his muscular arms on display, showing off his scarred biceps as the wolves often did, and his black hair was cropped close to his head, making his bright green eyes all the more striking against his tan face.
“Alaric? Is something wrong?” The wolf rarely left his brother’s side without good reason.
“I thought it pertinent to discuss security with you after the attack yesterday. There were some incidents in the middle of the—” The werewolf’s eyes slid past him, and his mouth clamped closed, his tan face turning pale.
“Good morning, Alaric,” Lucy crooned.
He bowed his head as if the witch were royal and stood at attention. “Miss Lucy, Princess. Please forgive me. I did not see you there.”
“It’s okay.” Lucy laughed. “We were just getting some breakfast. Care to join us?”
“I…” The werewolf glanced at Erik and back to the women. It took everything he had not to laugh.
“Give me a moment, Captain. I will be with you shortly,” he said, taking pity on the man.
Alaric gave him a stiff nod and Erik turned to Mina. Lucy took that as a cue and stepped away to speak with the werewolf.
“Alaric is the captain of my guard,” he said. “After the wraiths we fought in the woods yesterday, he has some security concerns about our return. I need to see what he’s worried about. Will you be alright with Lucy?”
Mina bit her lip again and met his gaze. “I’ll be fine. See to whatever you need. It was wrong of me to keep you.”
His shoulders sank, and he leaned in close to her ear. He moved slow, half expecting her to flinch, but she didn’t. To his surprise, she actually leaned in as he whispered to her, “I’d rather spend the day with you, Starlight. You’re far more attractive than the captain.”
Mina snorted and brought her hand up to hide her smile. “I don’t know about that. He’s not half bad.”
“Oh, dear. Isheyour type?” Erik teased, following her gaze to where Lucy stood tormenting the werewolf.
“With muscles like those, I’m afraid he’s the right type for most women.” She chuckled, looking back up to him, shifting closer. “Why? Are you jealous?”
He grinned. “Maybe.”
“Good,” she whispered back.
Erik met her eyes and his hand rose, his fingers brushing over her cheek. “Have a good breakfast, Starlight. I’ll see you soon.”
Mina gave him a respectful nod and turned back to her cousin. “Lucy?”
The witch turned, smiling. “Ah, yes. Breakfast. Let’s eat. I find I am suddenly starving.”
Erik heard Alaric let out a low growl and pressed his lips together in a thin line to keep from laughing. The witch had tormented him for years, flirting, and teasing him. It was baffling that Alaric hadn’t claimed her for his own yet.
Once Lucy and Mina had disappeared into the tent, he turned to the captain. “Alright, tell me. How many incidents did we have last night?”
“Four separate incursions,” he said, folding his arms behind his back, standing at attention. “The wraiths hovered for a few hours testing our perimeter, then we had a pack of Worgs come through. We lost one soldier to their bite, but other than that we were able to run them off eventually.”
