NEVERWYLDE
The Rim of the World, Book 2
by Linda Mooney
Coming October 2nd!
***
Ex-lieutenant Kelen
Chambliss jerked awake with a violent shake of her body. For a moment, she had
no recollection of where she was, or that she was even still alive. It wasn’t
until someone tossed a rock into the fire, causing the flames to throw sparks
upward in a brief blaze, that reality returned.
She opened her
eyes to see Kyber sitting on the opposite side of the fire. From the way he
sat, she could tell the Seneecian was alert and on guard. That knowledge gave
her a deeper sense of security than if it had been anyone else. He was watching
her, concern reflecting in his deep green eyes. Noticing she was awake, he made
a little motion with his head.
“Are you well?” he
softly inquired.
She signed and sat
up, running a hand through her hair. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“You were having a
bad dream. You were making little noises, like you were fearful of something.”
She glanced around
the room where the others appeared to be still asleep. Fullgrath and Mellori
were snoring. Dox lay curled around his collection of odds and ends like an
animal protecting its young. Dayall remained
bound, his chin was resting on his chest. The Seneecians
were huddled together on one side of the room. In the flickering light, they resembled a quilt of multi-colored fur.
“What’s not to be
fearful of?” Rubbing her hands over her face, she looked back at him. “You’re
exhausted. Let me take this shift.”
“I am not sleepy.”
“That’s eye worm
shit and you know it. You haven’t healed from the wound you sustained when
you crashed. And there’s whatever damage you sustained when you fought Isup
that you haven’t told me about. Go lie down and get some rest. I’ll take watch.
I can’t sleep anyway.” To prove her point, she got to her feet and stretched,
then walked over to where he sat and held out her hand. When he didn’t give her
their only functional weapon, she wiggled her fingers in silent request and
cocked an eyebrow at him. Kyber snorted and placed it in her palm.
“You are a
difficult female.”
“Yeah, and that’s
why you lo—”
She stopped
herself and bit her tongue. She’d almost told him he loved her, which she knew
he did. But the others…
Kelen checked the
room as panic surged in her breast. Fortunately, no one moved or appeared to
have heard her near slip-up. Still, she hastily finished her remark.
“That why you
allow me to do what I do. Because I’m a difficult female, and I’d kick your
butt if you tried to stop me.”
He rose from where
he’d taken watch and cast her one last look. With his back to the fire, it was
difficult to make out the expression on his face, but she could imagine what it
would contain.
Mild humor.
And hunger. Sexual
hunger.
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