“Which would mean,” Tor went on quietly, “I would spend my days planting it there.”
My body trembled and then I swallowed.
Tor kept speaking.
“Are we understood, you and I?” he murmured.
“Yes, Tor,” I whispered, lifting a hand to place it lightly on his neck.
And we were. Or, at least, I hoped we were.
His lips went to my ear. “We have enough challenges ahead of us, my sweet. We do not need to be striking out and wounding each other.”
Boy, was he right.
“You’re right,” I agreed softly.
His arms gave me a squeeze then the one at my ribs loosened, his hand sliding down to rest on my belly briefly at the same time he kissed my neck. Then he lifted me off him, set me on my knees in the bed and fell to his side grabbing my hand as he did so. I went down and he rolled to his back and pulled me in his arms so I was pressed into his side, one of his hands coming up to play with the ends of my hair.
“Uh… Tor?” I called.
“I’m right here,” he answered and I snuggled closer, because he was.
Then I told him something I had to tell him but didn’t want to.
Still, I had to.
“Earlier tonight, uh… Noc came around.”
“I know.”
My head shot up and I looked at him through the shadows. “What?”
“I alighted the stairs when he was shouting through your door. I hid, watched, prepared, should he lose his temper, to intervene. He did not. He left and I followed him.”
My hand lying on his chest fisted. “You followed him?”
“I did. And Cora, I will say it’s very strange seeing another you,” he told me.
I was sure it was but I was also stuck on Tor following Noc.
“You followed him?” I repeated and he sighed.
“Yes.”
My fist opened and I slapped his chest. “Why would you do that?”
“The same reason I spent a day wandering your world when I first got here. You do not wage battle unless you know the lay of the land. And you never battle an opponent you do not know and understand even better than he understands himself.”
What he said was very wise and everything but I still glared at him through the dark. “But, he could have seen you! He could have freaked out! He could have lost it! He could be a bad guy and led you someplace you shouldn’t be.” A thought struck me and I asked, “Where did he lead you?”
“He led me to what you call a police station.”
I blinked. Then I breathed, “What?”
“He led me to what you call a police station,” Tor repeated.
What on earth?