Fear of Fire and Shadow (The Fade #1) - Samantha Young Page 0,91

don’t ye be lookin’ like that, Rogan. Things happen up in these here mountains. L’s goin’ to be all right.”

Jr. struggled with the pot of hot water so I hurried to take it from him before he splashed and burned himself. Sarah took it from me and set about cleaning L’s wound. She stirred a little at her mother’s touch. And then, as she had done with me, Sarah put her fingertips on the wound and released her energy into L. I watched in amazement as the wound began to close, the color returning to L’s face with surprising swiftness. L’s eyelashes fluttered and she groaned, looking at Sarah’s happy but now weary expression.

“Ma.” Her head rolled and she saw me standing over Sarah’s shoulder. She smiled. “Knew ye wasn’t completely useless.” She turned to Sarah now. “Here, Ma, Rogan saved my life.”

“Well, don’t that be somethin’.” We all turned at the sound of Jonas’s voice. He stood in the doorway to the house, his eyes bright on his daughter, a dead rabbit slung over his shoulder. He winked at me and then stepped farther into the house. A shadow moved behind him, and my heart faltered. There was a man with him, taller, broader. As he stepped inside beside Jonas, his familiar eyes bored were inscrutable and probing.

“Wolfe!” Jr. shouted happily and flew past me to hop at Wolfe’s feet. “This be my sister, L, Wolfe.” He pointed at L lying on the table. I glanced at L as she pulled herself into a sitting position. Her eyes flicked between Wolfe and me before she bestowed me a knowing smirk.

I exhaled and turned to Wolfe.

I couldn’t believe the fool had come after me. Where was the damn Guard?

When our gazes locked, despite the inscrutability of those pale eyes, a delicious relief—like coming home after months of miserable absence—swept over me.

It was strange sitting around the Mosses’ kitchen table with Wolfe.

I knew I’d only known the family a few short days, but I had a bond with L that made me feel closer to all of them, and it was strange to share them with Wolfe. We hadn’t spoken yet about my running off on him, but he wasn’t unpleasant to me.

However, I knew that was more for the Mosses’ sake than mine.

We’d been eating for five minutes and having already exhausted the story of mine and L’s rescue of one another from the mountain dogs, Jonas and Wolfe discussed hunting techniques while Jr. desperately tried to get in on the conversation. The young boy was obviously enamored with Wolfe.

As he did with everyone, Wolfe had enchanted the Moss family.

He took up a lot of room at their table. I forgot how large he was. The warm military jacket he’d been wearing when he appeared with Jonas was hanging up on the Mosses’ coat pegs, the fur around the cuffs and collar proclaiming Wolfe’s wealth. His shirt and waistcoat were finely made, as were his boots and trousers. The white-gold hilt of his sword gleamed propped against the wall.

He was from an entirely different world than the Mosses.

He was from my world.

And as much as I was grateful to the Mosses, their home had not felt like home until Wolfe sat within its walls.

Just being near him made me feel safe.

I thought of L’s words of wisdom in the woods and longed to reach out and brush his hair off his face, stroke his arm, anything to feel the heat and life of him under my fingertips. But he refused to look at me. I watched him talk animatedly with Jonas. From what I’d gathered, Wolfe was very familiar with the Mosses.

The question was, how?

L stared at me. Her eyes demanded me to question Wolfe about it, but I was frightened any conversation might spark an argument between us.

She kicked me under the table and I muffled a cry of pain. I glared at her and exhaled, turning to Wolfe.

“So, Captain, when did you arrive?”

The sound of my voice made Wolfe tense, and he glanced sharply at me. “Apparently a few hours after you and Miss Moss left for the Pool. Sarah and Jonas convinced me you were in safe hands and that it would better if I stayed with them to await your return.” That last word he emphasized with an edge, his eyes suddenly dark with pure, undiluted fury.

My heart lurched.

I had expected him to be mad, but this … he looked ready to explode. “Jonas told me