The Warrior King (Inferno Rising #3) - Abigail Owen Page 0,74
Instead, she only shook harder with laughter, picturing kraken sex and Samael’s face at the same time.
“I’m really kraken up here.” Then she smothered a hoot in his shoulder and just kept laughing.
“Gods, give me strength.”
Which only served to keep the laughter going.
“Maybe I should give you something more serious to think about,” he offered.
“I’m sure the kraken takes his love life seriously—”
“We need to contact your sisters.”
That had the desired effect, and all traces of laughter disappeared. Meira lifted her head on a gasp only to find Samael smiling softly at her. “I thought that might do it,” he said. Then he lifted a finger to trace her mouth. “Though I’m sad to see the smiles go.”
“No,” she whispered against his touch. “I was getting hysterical. I needed that.”
“I like the sound of your laugh.”
No one had ever told her that before. Though mostly only her sisters and mother had had a chance to hear it, probably. “Maybe someday I’ll get to hear yours.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Not if it’s about kraken sex.”
Meira buttoned her lips against another wave of laughter. He must’ve seen how close he was to sending her back over the edge. “Come on.”
He reached for her hands, but Meira pulled back, staring at his wrists. Samael had removed his leather gauntlets, and the skin underneath was…
Without thinking, she reached out and smoothed her fingers over the ridged, uneven skin that had been badly burned at some point in his life. So badly even shifter healing couldn’t remove the scars. The only part of him marked by trauma. “What happened?” she asked quietly, still touching.
“Remember that fire that took my family?”
“You tried to get to them?” The ache of his pain wrapped around her, seeping into her bones. She knew that kind of grief. “I’m sorry.”
What would he do if she kissed the scars?
“Me too.” He pulled away from her touch before she could give in to the urge. Then he got them both up and wrapped her in the blanket—keeping his gaze strictly on hers, she noticed this time. She hadn’t paid much attention earlier, too consumed by her physical condition.
Meira didn’t do the same when he turned away to grab another blanket for himself. The studious part of her mind appreciated the perfection of his form—lean and muscled and well balanced. No one part of him overpowering the other parts or underdeveloped. Delicious bronzed skin covered in rough black hair only shouted his masculinity.
“Ready?” he asked.
She jerked her gaze to his. “I should probably get dressed.”
“Your clothes are still soaked.”
She went to an old-fashioned armoire standing at the foot of the bed and started digging through it. “Kas left in a hurry, so I bet she left clothes behind.” She grimaced. “Nothing for you, though. You should probably put yours in front of the fire to dry faster.”
Then she frowned, because the armoire was empty. “Nothing.”
“No luck, huh?” he asked from behind her. “I’ll put your clothes with mine.”
She barely heard. The more she thawed, the more urgent what they needed to do next became. “Where are my pants?”
“What?”
“My pants. I saw a satellite setup as you ran me up to the house. I need my tablet.”
Samael grabbed them from where he’d placed them by the fire and tossed them to her. Quickly she fished the folded device out of the leg pocket where she kept it. Good thing she’d slept in her clothing.
Unfortunately, the thing had been through two soakings. It wouldn’t turn on. “Dang,” she muttered. Then moved into the kitchen, fishing through containers.
Found it.
A bag of rice. She dumped her tablet right into it and then set it by the fire, but not too close.
“Rice?” Samael asked dubiously.
“Don’t knock it. It’s a hack that works. Let’s hope it saves my tablet.” Holding her blanket tight around her, she stood and looked around the room. “We should look around the place. If Kasia had a satellite hookup, she probably had tech.”
Unfortunately, a search turned up nothing except a hidden wall panel that, when slid back, showed a bunch of exposed wires. Someone had been here.
What next?
Her sisters. They should touch base. No doubt Kasia and Skylar would both be awake. Skylar would be wigging out with the new arrivals, whom Meira had sent directly to her via the mirror in her bedroom. Which meant waiting for dry clothes was out. She’d have to do this wrapped in a blanket, unfortunately with Samael at her side, feeding her fire.