Bonded to the Rakian Berserker (Rakian Warrior Mates #3) - Elin Wyn Page 0,64

experimentation on their own people, the Alliance feels like they can dictate terms,” Kennett clarified.

By terms, they meant how much acetanium they’d be able to mine, Gavin realized.

Nic turned his head quickly, as Adena came outside, his eyes softening as his mate smiled.

“At the moment we have more connections than anyone else does with the local populace, and they’ll need contacts with the Haleru before they send any surveyors into the mountains.”

Adena pulled a chair out from the table, but Nic tugged her into his lap where she relaxed into his chest.

“Things are unsettled enough without your Alliance sending a different ship full of strangers here,” she said, winding one arm around his neck and turned to face the others.

“Sasha and Nettie are resting for a while. If they have families to go back to, they’re not willing to face them.” Adena shook her head, face grave. “I can fix what’s wrong with them physically, but it will take time for them to overcome what that monster did to them.”

“They can have all the time they need here,” Nic said. “It’s not like we’re short on space.”

Rhela and Jormoi joined them, Larson walking slowly at Rhela’s side, the old man’s delighted laughter breaking the somber mood.

“You’ll like the valley, I think,” Rhela promised him, her arm tucked into his. “It’s very peaceful. Father had lots of time for his writing there.”

“I’m just glad to be outside that damned complex,” the old man beamed at her. Outside and with my friends’ daughter. Who would’ve thought it possible!”

Something pressed against Gavin’s ankle.

It hit him again and he reached down, scooping up a heavy bundle of something that was like a cat but not.

Not exactly.

Or not at all.

Maybe it depended on how you defined the essence of what it meant to be a cat.

“Why are you over here and not with Esme?” Coracle purred quietly in his ear.

“She’s got other things to do,” Gavin said too quietly for anyone at the table to hear.

Things that didn’t involve him.

Like leaving.

“Well, you might be a coward. But she’s not.”

Coracle head butted him twice to soften the words and then slithered out of his arms to walk across the table and sit demandingly in front of Adena.

Gavin resolutely looked away from the flame tree.

Fine, he was a coward.

But this, this he couldn’t face.

So lost in thought, he was startled at her small hand resting on his shoulder.

“Gavin,” Esme said, a pair of lines creasing her forehead between her brows.

“We need to talk.”

32

Esme forced her chin to stay high, her face to stay tranquil as she followed Gavin back inside the castle.

Funny, after facing her nightmares down in the Raccelton, being inside this building wasn’t frightening at all.

She followed Gavin as he walked silently before her, saying nothing until he stopped suddenly.

“Where do you want to go?” He asked, pausing in front of a door with an intricately metalwork panel.

She couldn’t read him at all. The bond felt heavy in her chest. Nothing but heartache.

“Let’s just go to your quarters,” she said sadly. “Anywhere we have privacy. This shouldn’t take long.”

He nodded and continued leading her through the maze corridors.

The door looked like all the others, but what it revealed when it slid open was anything but what she’d imagined.

She stepped inside, gasping in wonder as she turned around.

“What is this?” she whispered.

Gavin flushed, looked away.

“I set it to what I remembered of the forest, that night outside the walls of Kinallen. I just--”

He broke off. “I’ll change it.”

“Don’t you dare!” she said quickly, as hope began to unfurl in her chest, delicate tendrils of warmth breaking through the ice that had encased her all day.

Gavin’s eyes were wary, his hand frozen over the section of the wall.

Not finding a chair she perched at the edge of the bed, looking up into the night sky that hung impossibly over the room, the sounds of the night forest filling the air around them.

He sat down on the bed, next to her, but not too close.

Not nearly close enough, and the silence just grew heavier.

A million questions circled through her mind, but only one came to her lips.

“Why don’t you want me to stay?”

He sprang to his feet, whirled to face her. “What do you mean? Of course, I want you to stay!”

“Then why haven’t you said anything about it?” She tapped her chest. “This thing between us, whatever it is, doesn’t replace talking!”

He threw his hands in the air, pacing the room. “You’ve been talking with Layla and