Forged by Magic (Falling for Fables, #1)(45)

Rivelin strode across the sandy beach, his tunic rippling in the wind. “You shouldn’t have to go back there.”

“No, I shouldn’t,” I said. “But unless you know how to remove this shard, then I’m bound to him for the rest of my fucking life.”

“Have you tried?”

“Removing it? Well over a dozen times. It’s impossible.”

He opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by the crack of thunder overhead. A harsh wind suddenly blew in from the waves, more insistent than the steady breeze from before. I tipped back my head to see dark, angry clouds crackling with lightning. I’d been so focused on Rivelin and our conversation that I hadn’t noticed the storm rolling in.

“No,” I mumbled, my stomach twisting. “For the love of fate, no more water. I haven’t even healed yet from the last time. I need to get that tent out quickly.”

“Come on. Let me carry you.” He held out a hand, and his eyes held far more meaning than his words. This was an olive branch. “Elves run fast. I can get you back to Wyndale before the rain starts.”

“You can’t be serious, Rivelin. I can’t let you carry me. I’ll just wait it out in the tent until the storm passes. I’ve done it dozens of times before.”

“I want to help you.” And from the intensity of his gaze, it felt like he was talking about more than just this storm.

But what could he do? What could anyone do?

“We won’t get back in time. It’s impossible,” was all I said.

Rivelin suddenly scooped me into his arms before I could protest. His eyes were bright when he said, “Where’d all that smiling optimism go, eh?”

“You made it very clear you know all that’s a lie.”

“Perhaps it doesn’t have to be.”

Before I could find a suitable retort, he took off into the woods. He dashed through the trees with elegant speed, unleashing his full elven capabilities. The vegetation was nothing but a blur of verdant leaves and rustic brown, and loose strands of my dark hair whorled around my face. As I clung to his neck, I risked a glance at the determined set of his jaw and his eyes narrowed on the path ahead. There was a steady strength and power about him that he had not let me see until now. Rivelin, the stoic blacksmith, was a force to be reckoned with.

I had to admit it wasn’t an entirely unattractive feature.

We reached the village and the steps of his home in no time at all. And as the clouds boomed, releasing their cascade of rain, Rivelin threw open the door and deposited me inside. The warmth of his home enveloped me as the steady patter drummed the roof. I didn’t have a single speck of water on me.

“See?” Rivelin kicked the door shut and folded his arms, not even the slightest bit winded from his run. He smiled smugly. “Told you.”

“You’re going to be insufferable about it now, aren’t you?”

The door rattled as the wind gusted through the village streets. Rivelin took a step closer, the shadows of the dark house curling around his jaw. My heart rattled, and for a moment, I forgot what I’d asked him.

“Well, I need to hold up my reputation as an insufferable bastard, now don’t I?” he murmured.

A bubble of laughter popped from my throat, and I smiled.

His body went preternaturally still. “Ah. So that’s what it looks like.”

“That’s what what looks like?” I asked him.

He smiled. “Nothing. We better get to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day prepping for the next trial.”

Flushing at the sudden change in conversation, I shifted on my feet, suddenly realizing I’d left the boots back on the beach. That was the second pair I’d lost in a week, and they weren’t even mine. “All right. Night then, I guess.”

“Goodnight.”

I watched him stride into the living room, toward the couch where his pillow and blanket sat waiting for him. For a moment, I hesitated, wondering if I should offer him the bed instead. But by the time I found the words, he’d started to undress. He tugged his tunic over his head, and the pale light of the moon slanting in from the window illuminated the hard, rugged panes of his chest.

My heart thundered.

I shook my head and dashed toward the bedroom at the end of the hall. I hoped he hadn’t noticed me standing there gaping at him like a fool. It was just…his physique was particularly impressive. Anyone would notice that.

Feeling far more flustered than I had any business being, I closed the door, stripped off my clothes, and climbed into bed. It wasn’t until I was drifting off to sleep that I realized Rivelin had been talking about my smile.





19




RIVELIN





I tossed and turned all night. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Daella had told me about her past—and her future. The bastard had bound her to him, and she saw no way out. It explained a lot. There had to be a way to get her out of this mess, but barring somehow removing the damn shard from her hip, I didn’t know what it was.

She couldn’t return to that life. That was all I knew for certain.

Skoll padded in from the back door I’d left cracked for him all night and nuzzled my hand. I sighed and sat up on the sofa, running my fingers through my hair. I’d hardly slept, and while elves didn’t need as much rest as most, I still felt like my head was stuffed with wool.