Страница 134 из 162
“What, you don’t think I’m capable of protecting her?” Rapp said, a hint of challenge in his tone that contrasted his neutral posture.
“After what happened to her?” Rokath ground out. “The only one who can protect her is me.” His nails dug into his palms.
Rapp scoffed. “And yet, you weren’t the one who ripped Ollmund Varrir’s balls off.”
Rokath took a menacing step toward his Hadvezér. “Neither were you.”
Rapp’s eyes flashed, and his lips curled back from his teeth.
I darted between the two, placing my hand on my mate. “We’re all tired. Let’s talk about this later?” I tightened my grip to get his attention, and he tore it to me.
“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. Glaring up at him, I shoved him in the direction of the largest room, leaving Rapp standing in the middle of the hall. I hoped he’d go to a different room than the one Kiira had snuck into. Their being alone in the same room would only further my mate’s discontent.
I shut the door behind us and locked it as an added deterrent. Rokath’s jaw ticked, and his movements jerked as he stripped out of his armor. The moment his chest was bare, I shoved my finger into it. “You are an asshole. Kiira does not need to be coddled just because some spineless noble took from her what she did not want to give. You never treated me any differently because of it, so don’t do that to her.”
Rokath caught my wrist and tugged me into his embrace. With his other hand, he threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. Pi
“That includes Rapp,” I pointed out.
He looked away, nostrils flaring.
“He will protect her too. They spend all their time together. He wrote to her more frequently than you did while we were marching to Lutsk. I think you can trust him not to let anything happen to her.” The last words slipped out as little more than a whisper as I sensed him starting to calm.
“I know,” he said, blowing out a long breath. “I just feel so guilty. I’ve spent so much time away, fighting. I had no idea so much was crumbling between Xa
He walked us to the bed. The mattress sank beneath his bulk. I climbed into his lap, straddling his hips, and walked my fingers to his temples. A small groan escaped him as I massaged the tight muscles there.
“You have me to support you now. You’re not fighting alone.”
“Out of the three of us, only my magic serves a purpose on the battlefield,” he murmured. “So it was always my responsibility to fight.”
“You’ve given so much. To everyone. Whether they see it or not.” I moved lower, finding the tension in his jaw.
“What matters is that you see me, mate.” Our eyes locked, and all barriers between us fell, leaving only one raw emotion burning between us—love.
“I do. I see you, Rokath.” Cupping his face, I pressed my lips to his. “Now hold me while we sleep. Because I also know that is what helps you rest more than anything else.”
He offered me a rare smile. “My insomnia is no match for you, little imposter. Much like everything else, you fight it with fire and leave ashes in your wake.”
“Don’t forget that,” I teased as I wriggled off him and stripped out of my clothes. When we were both bare, he flung back the rough blankets. We curled together beneath them. I didn’t merely want to sleep beside him. I wanted to sear the shape of his body into my memory. Sink to darkness together, where we both belonged.
Where we both could drop our masks and just be.