Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Once finished, he slipped his cloak off Adira, then draped it over his shoulders and tucked her beneath it, close to his side. He hurried them along the wall of the cottage to the door.
Dravic shoved against the heavy wooden door. It resisted at first, then gave way with a groan.
A rush of stale, cold air greeted them.
He ushered Adira inside before pulling the door shut against the wind. Silence settled over the cottage. Though the bitter chill lingered, it was a welcome relief from the biting snow.
The single-room shelter was sparsely furnished. A sturdy table and two chairs stood near a cold stone hearth. A narrow bed rested against one wall, while shelves held a few clay bowls, an iron pot, and a battered kettle. Near the hearth, neatly stacked firewood waited beside a basket of kindling.
Dravic turned to Adira. Snow clung to her hair and lashes, and despite the shelter, she shivered beneath his cloak. He slipped his arm around her and guided her to the chair nearest the hearth. Before settling her there, he slipped off his cloak and arranged it over her shoulders. It was massive on her, leaving enough room to tuck it around her.
Cocooned in his cloak, he settled her in the chair.
She looked up at him and smiled softly.
Relief. He saw it in her gentle smile and something else in her eyes.
Safe.
She felt safe and he would make sure to keep her safe. But she also needed warmth, they both did. He left her side to get a fire going in the hearth.
The fire slowly gathered strength, its warmth pushing back the chill that had settled inside the cottage. Dravic remained kneeling before the hearth a moment longer, adding another log before the flames had a chance to falter. Satisfied it would burn steadily, he rose and turned.
Adira sat wrapped in his cloak, her hands tucked beneath its folds. The warmth had already brought a touch of color back to her cheeks, though a few damp strands of hair still clung to her face. Firelight danced softly across her features, drawing his attention in a way he found difficult to explain.
She was watching him.
Not because she waited for instructions or reassurance. She simply watched him, her gaze calm and steady, as though being alone together required nothing more than sharing the same quiet.
He found himself standing there longer than intended.
Outside, the wind battered the cottage walls and sent snow scraping across the roof, but within the small shelter the fire crackled gently between them. It was the first time since Adira had entered his life that no one demanded his attention. No council waited. No warriors stood ready for orders. No duties called him elsewhere.
There was only Adira… and the unexpected peace of her company.
Adira rose, leaving his cloak draped over the chair. She touched her fingertips to her lips, then mimed drinking.
Dravic watched, understanding her meaning without difficulty.
She turned toward the shelves lining the wall.
She reached for a small earthen crock on the upper shelf, her blouse growing taut at her waist.
Dravic’s attention settled on the narrow curve of her waist. A waist his arm had circled more than once that day and other days as well. A waist he had taken no notice of until now.
The thought came unbidden and he frowned.
Why should such a thing matter?
Adira lifted the lid from the crock and smiled faintly as the familiar scent of crushed herbs drifted into the room. She selected a small cauldron from the shelf, turned, and headed for the door, intending to step outside long enough to fill it with fresh snow.
She never reached the door. His hand closed over hers on the iron handle.
“Nay,” he said, shaking his head.
Adira’s gaze remained fixed on his hand, warm and firm over hers. He had held her hand many times before, yet this touch felt… different.
She raised her head, searching his face for an answer, but found none. The slight furrow in his brow told her he was as puzzled by the moment as she was.
Neither moved for several heartbeats before Dravic lifted his hand off hers, tapped his chest, then pointed to the door.
Adira understood he would go fill the cauldron with snow and she handed it to him. She waited at the door as he stepped outside, fearful he might get lost in the snow. He barely took a few steps before he scooped up snow in the cauldron.
She was relieved when he hurried back inside and set the cauldron over the fire.
Soon the snow began to melt.
Adira returned to the chair near the hearth and lifted her head to look at the king as he settled his cloak around her shoulders.
Dravic held her gaze for a moment, her gentle smile thanking him, while her eyes held a touch of confusion. It was not something he had never done before, though he had not done so in such an intimate setting.