The Weaver's Source

Chapter 66

I swallowed thickly, fear lodged in my throat. "How can you be so sure?"

"We're in Rothberg, a mining city, not a fort." He said firmly. "That man isn't here. I know he isn't."

I felt soothed by his certainty. Nothing was going to happen to Grigore here.

"Is he to do with your final hunt?" I asked softly, my closeness with him lowering my guard. When I realised what I'd asked, I panicked softly, fretful I'd just make it shut down until I saw him only steel slightly.

"Yes." He replied sternly and then abruptly let me go, yanking the blanket upwards to cover my body. I felt oddly bereft the moment he let me go and clutched at the blanket tightly. "Dress and eat. Come find me once you're done."

I watched from the safety of my blankets as he gathered up the plate from the tiny table by the door and placed it at the end of my bed. I did notice the flicker of his eyes as he briefly observed at the curve of my naked back, slipping down the curve of my bottom before flicking his attention away.

"Don't be too long." Grigore said roughly as he pulled on his cloak. "I want to get this hunt started."

I nodded wordlessly and watched carefully as he left the tiny room. Once the door had shut, I relaxed my tense body before I began to pick at the large amount of cheese, fruit and warm slithers of meat absent-mindedly. My mind kept wandering back to Grigore and the dream and the small snippet of honesty I had received from him. The stranger, a man I found honestly terrifying, was involved in his final hunt somehow and he knew him to be a threat. I didn't know if he was what Grigore was hunting though. I recalled the tracing ward I'd touched and the fear I'd felt, finding it not matching up to the malice of the man in my dream. But my thoughts didn't linger for longer on my dream and the fear I felt when Grigore kept looming in my mind; how strong he felt, how he'd soothed away my fear, how he had rushed into the room with such rage when he felt my distress. I found my body heating up with pleasure at his protectiveness of me and the recollection of his fingers tracing my throat and jaw soothingly. I'd drift off so far into my hot thoughts of Grigore that I'd forget to eat and simply stare at nothing as my heart raced and skin burned for him to come hold me like that again.

Confused that Grigore's embrace had more of an impact than the new information of his final hunt, I finished off what I could and stepped out of bed, my skin prickling from the cold shiver running through me. I quickly dressed myself, thankful they were warm and dry compared to the cloak, and pulled on my worn boots. As I entered the narrow hall I could hear Milcent bellowing away in the food hall. I followed the sound slowly as I tried to untangle my hair with the thin wooden comb. I regretted not combing it while it was wet.

"I can make her some." She said. "It won't take me long."

"You don't really need to. I have the money."

"I don't need money and you'll only want to by some more if you go even further north. I'll make her some good warm clothes, just leave it to me." Milcent said then grinned when she saw me enter. "Good morning, girly."

I smiled weakly in welcome. It would've been brighter if it wasn't for the fact the comb was caught and tugging painfully at my hair. Grigore noticed my plight and instantly came to my side. He stood close to me as he worked on my hair and rescuing the comb it was trying to engulf. Much to my annoyance, I blushed and stared at the floor at his close presence. He just needed to be close for the butterflies to whirl in my stomach and my heart to beat faster. I felt stupid.

"Are you okay now?" Milcent asked softly. "Grigore suddenly took off then I heard you scream. You looked terribly upset when I checked on you."

The red on my face deepened further when I realised what she saw; me naked and being tightly embraced by Grigore. It made me all the more aware of him beside me, standing close, his fingers gently untangling my hair.