Warrior Rising - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,61

a leader of wisdom and compassion - a queen who might go out of her way to protect the vulnerable and the innocent. The humans.

The tight band around his heart eased just a little. Ilaria would never be entirely lost to him if the gates weren't sealed. He might, possibly, see her again when this battle was won.

If they won.

His stomach clenched. What if he was wrong? What if he'd let his feelings for her blind him to what she really was? What if he helped her take the stones and he was wrong?

And what if he refused to trust her and she was right?

As he held her in his arms, feeling her warmth seep into him, he felt his heart ache with the need to open, to embrace her. And maybe listening to his heart was all he could really do.

Ilaria sniffled, shifting her face until the warmth of it was buried against his neck. A second later, she reared back, her face a mask of horror. "You're freezing."

He shrugged stiffly. "I lost a shoe. My foot's a little cold."

She pulled out of his arms, her horrified gaze raking him head to bare toes.

"You're mortal, Harrison. You have to get back inside." And in an instant, she took charge, issuing orders, filling his heart with the certain knowledge that she was made to be queen.

"Findris, he needs your boots. Now."

Harrison scowled. "I have one shoe." His expression was mirrored on the Esri male's face, but Ilaria's will was not to be thwarted.

"Now!"

Findris lifted one leg after the other, pulling off the soft unstructured leather boots and tossing them to Harrison.

But Ilaria snatched them out of his hands and knelt at his feet. "Lift your foot, Harrison."

He felt at once ridiculous and unaccountably moved that the true queen of Esria knelt before him to care for his feet. He did as she commanded and lifted his numb, bare foot, reaching for the top of her small head to steady himself. Vaguely, he felt the soft touch of her fingers along his sole as she brushed away the snow, then the firm grip of her hand closing around his cold foot.

She held his foot, not moving.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Warming you. Healing you."

And she was, he realized. Beneath her hand, the numbness faded without the usual pinpricks of sensation. Within half a minute, his foot felt normal again, the slide of the leather boot pure comfort against his skin.

She repeated the procedure with his other foot, handing him his shoe, then stood and brushed the snow off her skirt.

"Come." Looking like a fairy princess and acting like a warrior queen, she started back the way they'd come and the two men followed without argument.

Harrison glanced at Findris and the Esri met his gaze, speculation and perhaps a hint of respect in his dark green eyes.

"Thanks for the boots," Harrison said gruffly.

Wry amusement softened the Esri's features. "You're welcome, though it's the princess you have to thank and we both know it."

Harrison glanced at the Esri's feet, so white they seemed to disappear in the snow. "You're loyal to her."

"I am."

"If you're lying, if you turn against her, I'll kill you."

The Esri lifted a single snow-white brow, then gave a nod of acceptance. "That goes both ways, human."

Harrison returned that cool nod. "Agreed."

The Esri studied him. "She has a remarkable ability to see the heart of people, regardless of their race. She cares as much for the humans and the Marceils as she does for her own."

"She's a remarkable woman," Harrison said.

"As beautiful of spirit as she is of face. She always has been. Very different from the queen who gave birth to her."

"I can hear you, you know." Ilaria's softly smiling voice floated back to them on the snowy breeze.

"We're just setting things straight between us," Harrison told her. And while he could be wrong, his instincts told him Findris was a man of morals and honor. All he could do was hope that honor drove him to protect Ilaria and help them defeat Rith.

His gut told him to trust them both. He hoped to hell his gut was right.
Chapter 13
Harrison unlocked the door to Charlie's apartment and stood back as the two pale Esri proceeded him in. Esri. What had his world come to that he, of all people, had to convince the others to trust the Esri?

He shook off the thought as he sat and pulled off Findris's boots, tossing them to the frost-white man. "Thanks again."

Findris nodded.

Harrison