Mirror of Malice: A Steamy Fantasy Romance by Tee Harlowe

Author:Tee Harlowe [Harlowe, Tee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M&F Books
Published: 2024-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-One

We eventually slowed to a walk once we were far enough away from Jasper’s home to be spotted. Rock formations jutted up, tall rocky cliffs, arches, pillars to hide us, so many shades of brown and orange I never knew existed. Bright yellow and pink flowers sprouted from the ground, cacti littering the landscape. Penn and Shadow led me to a little cave tucked into a tall and thick rock wall. Their satchels already lay here, against the wall. This must be where they stayed before coming to rescue me.

Exhausted, we all lay down and passed out.

When I awoke, Shadow was gone, and only Penn remained, sitting by a crackling fire with rabbit roasting. He was also clean, all the sand and muck gone from his pale skin, his blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck, as usual. Handsome as hell. And far too close for comfort.

“As much as I love that gown on you, it’s probably best if you burn it.” He gestured to the clean trousers and tunic that sat nearby. Shadow must’ve left them for me.

“Where is Shadow?”

“She’s on her way back to Mosswood Forest. She and the others have a mission to complete.”

“A mission? Now? When we’re stuck here?”

He shot me a grin. “No rest for the wicked.”

Great. So it was just me and the king of thieves. And his handsome face. And kissable lips. And shameless flirting. And smirk that somehow made my blood boil and my knees go weak at the same time. I didn’t know when all those things had become truths, but somehow they had, and it made me want to chase after Shadow and demand she come back and be a buffer between us.

I glanced at his stomach. “Is your wound okay?”

“It’s healing,” he said but didn’t elaborate any further. He cleared his throat. “There’s a spring nearby. You can bathe, and then we can eat.”

I just nodded and grabbed the clothes, listening to Penn’s directions on how to get to the spring.

“Be quick about it,” Penn warned as I walked toward the entrance to the cave. “We don’t need you getting spotted by anyone.”

Despite the hot desert air, the spring was cool. I wanted to spend hours scrubbing my skin, but I heeded Penn’s words, and used some nearby brittle bush to wash away the dirt and grime. Agave plants sprouted up from the ground, surrounding the spring, and I broke a few off, splitting open the plant and using the juices to cleanse my skin and hair.

By the time I returned to the cave, Penn had the rabbit off the fire and cooling, ready to eat.

He offered me a few chunks of meat, which I greedily accepted, my stomach rumbling.

Finally, we’d finished eating, silent up to that point.

“I have something,” I said and walked to my dress, reaching into the hidden pocket and pulling out the ring. I offered it to Penn. “For you.”

He studied it for a moment before accepting the ring and slipping it on his finger, his thumb rubbing over it.

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