Aislinn realized she was famished. “That would be great.”
“Would you like dried meat along with them?”
“Even better.” Pushing heavily to her feet, she went over to Rune. The wolf drew away, and she knew how badly she’d hurt him. Settling next to him, she stroked his fur. After a time, he turned reproachful eyes on her.
“I do not care if it means my death,” he said with dignity. “I do not want you to ever order me away from your side again.”
“You left me earlier,” she pointed out. “While we’re on that topic, why couldn’t I sense you?”
He dropped his amber gaze. “Because I know how to shield myself.”
Aislinn glanced at Fionn, who was using magic to cook their meal. “Is that a common bond animal trait?” He shook his head. She refocused on Rune. “Yet you can do this.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you want me to know where you were?”
“So you wouldn’t stop me. I was trying to help Bella.”
Confusion rocked her. “Why would I have interfered?”
“Because his first loyalty must be to you,” Fionn answered, handing her a cracked earthenware plate.
“Thanks.” She sat on the floor next to Rune and shoveled food into her mouth. Now that it was in front of her, it was all she could think about. When she came up for air, she gazed at Rune, who’d laid his head next to her thigh, and at Fionn, who sat across from her. “I need a tutorial on Hunter bond mates. There’s a whole lot I don’t know about them. While we’re at it, there are things about myself I guess I don’t know, either. I got away from D’Chel by concentrating my magic. But I kept it inside, so it made the surface of my skin uber hot. Turns out, he couldn’t tolerate touching me when I did that. He shape-shifted, and I took the opportunity to jump.”
“Did he fuck you?” Fionn’s stark question startled her.
She shook her head. “No. The closer he got, the more I understood it would kill me—or turn me into some sort of mindless zombie—if he got his dick inside me. That’s when I came up with my idea to use fire. I was so damned cold from his touch, I had to do something.”
Deep worry lines etched into Fionn’s forehead relaxed. “Thank God,” he breathed. “I tried to tell you back there. Mortals who fuck the dark gods end up, well, not exactly human anymore. They turn you so they can pilfer your power. I don’t know about the zombie-thing, but sex with them makes you useless to our side.”
“Yes,” Rune seconded. “Do not ever do that again. You thought you could control a god. Ha! You got lucky.”
“I am lucky—” she grinned at them “—because I have both of you to care about me.” As soon as she said the words, she knew how true they were. After three years of being alone, she had a family again. Joy, a feeling so unfamiliar that she barely recognized it, warmed her heart.
“We need to leave as soon as Bella’s strong enough to travel,” Fionn said.
“Agreed.” Aislinn nodded. A daring thought took root. “Even though Metae called me off, I think we should head for the gateway.”
Fionn shot her an appraising glance. “Bold move. Especially without an invitation.”
“Well, she didn’t tell me I wasn’t welcome. Just that she wanted me to have a few more experiences in the real world, first.”
He chuckled. “You’re certainly racking those up.”
“So I am.” Her eyes felt suddenly heavy.
“Sleep. You’ve earned it. Plus, you’re exhausted.” Fionn reached across the space between them and laid a hand on her arm.
Aislinn sensed his spell, but didn’t fight it. Leaning against her wolf, she fell asleep before she could say another word.
Chapter Eight
The murmur of Bella’s and Fionn’s voices woke Aislinn. It was impossible to tell what time it was, since, unlike her cave, no daylight filtered into Fionn’s home. She pulled air into her chest and took stock of how she felt as she blew it back out. Hmph. Not too damned bad.
Rune padded over to her and licked her face. “Bella is much better today,” he told her.
Good. One less thing to worry about. Since she didn’t know all that much about the dark gods, she hadn’t been sure how sophisticated, or interested, D’Chel might be in terms of his ability to track them. Fionn kept wards about his place—they’d nearly been the death of her—and she’d taken care to cover her tracks, but she doubted if either strategy could stymie a god. “How late is it?” she asked Rune.