Blood Mountain (BWWM)

Dinner

Halia groaned at the gentle prod to her shoulder and curled her arms tighter around the pillow clutched to her chest. She heard a masculine sigh and suddenly the bed dipped as Caedus sat by her side, his knee brushing the small of her back. He leaned over her and gently grasped her wrist before sliding on a plain leather bracelet.

Her eyes blinked open and without turning to him she rotated her wrist to inspect the adornment, light catching mutedly on the worn material. She ran a thumb across it and marveled at how soft it felt against her skin.

"What is this?" She murmured, still twisting her wrist back and forth.

Cade watched her in amusement and lightly teased. "It's called a bracelet."

Her gaze slid to his and she smiled back. "Really? I've never seen one before."

Lips curling upward, the corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed. "It's a charm to keep you safe. It's linked to me." He showed her his wrist where a matching bracelet encircled his skin. "As long as you're wearing it, I'll be able to protect you."

Halia rolled onto her side so that she faced him. While she was grateful that he went to such lengths for her, she wanted to make it clear that she was at least capable of protecting herself. At this point, she'd been in enough fights to know what she was doing. As long as she could keep a handle on her wolf, she would be fine. "Thank you, Cade, but I can take care of myself."

His smile faltered and he immediately backtracked. "That's—I don't doubt your capability but the others... they, uh, don't fight fair."

She could tell he was flustered and reached for his palm. Her fingers easily linked through his and he glanced down before meeting her eyes, confusion marring his brow. He didn't pull away but instead squeezed her hand tightly in his.

"I'm not worried about them. To hurt me, they'd have to touch me first. And no one wants to touch the mongrel."

"Halia..."

"It's fine. Really, it's okay." When he appeared unconvinced she brought their linked hands to her cheek and nuzzled his palm. "Sorry. I'll wear the charm. Thank you for giving it to me."

Her voice was like liquid honey when she spoke, and Cade had to jerk himself upright as he felt himself leaning closer with every word.

"You're welcome." His throat was slightly dry and he coughed. "Are you hungry? We can go find—"

The mention of food brought a painful gnawing sensation to her stomach and she hastily climbed out of bed, fingers still firmly closed around his. "Yes. Food sounds great."

She eagerly tugged at his hand and he chuckled as he stood and led her from the room. He asked her how the burn on her thigh was and she replied that it was almost healed. An invisible weight that he hadn't realized he was carrying fell from his shoulders and he ruffled the loose curls floating around her face.

"I can check it later, if you'd like." He still felt guilty about the whole thing and would hate if it left a permanent scar.

Halia stopped short and he shot her a curious look. Her eyes narrowed before a sly grin overtook her features. "If you want me to spread my legs, all you have to do is ask."

Cade's cheeks flamed and he released a garbled, choked sound, completely mortified. He dropped her hand like it was on fire and quickly brought his palms up in defense as he tried to explain himself.

He sputtered, "N-no, no that's—no. I would never—"

"Never?" A finely arched brow rose as she cocked a hip.