Enemy's Queen Page 33

  She swiped her arm across her face, her tears smearing across her cool skin. Sage focused on him. “Don’t placate me with lies, Tehl. I can’t stand any more lies. Just be honest with me.”

  “I am.” He shook his head, his face a mask of frustration.

  She smiled as he jerked his hands through his hair. The gesture was so familiar, so human.

  He eyed Nali and then Sage, his eyes narrowing. “You stubborn wench. It’s me.”

  “My lord, calm down,” a deep voice chastised.

  Sage blinked slowly. Her thoughts sluggish. Wench? When was the last time he snapped at her? She couldn’t remember. She rubbed her sandy hand across her forehead, the rough grit biting into her skin and grounding her. Could he be real?

  “Sage!”

  Her heart squeezed as she glanced in the direction of the voice. Jasmine stood bedraggled at the front of the group. She was bruised, dirty, and slightly blue, but there wasn’t anything more beautiful in that moment than her friend. “Jas?”

  “We made it. We’re home.”

  She pointed a trembling finger at Jasmine. “How do I know you’re real?”

  Jas rolled her stormy eyes. “Bloody hell. Trust us. Trust your husband,” she said through chattering teeth.

  Sage’s eyes slid to Tehl, standing patiently on the other side of Nali. Trust. She’d trusted him the entire time she was in Scythia. Why was she doubting him now when he might be real?

  “Fine,” she growled. Her friend would only badger her until she complied anyway. She tried to stand, only to have her legs collapse underneath her.

  Nali’s growl grew louder.

  “No, Nali,” she whispered, and placed a soothing hand on the feline’s side. “It’s okay. These are friends.” Nail’s ears flattened, but she held still, her flesh quivering under Sage’s hand. “You’re going to have to help me stand, girl.”

  The beast chuffed and held still as Sage wrapped her arms along her neck and back. Painfully, she hauled herself to her feet with Nali’s aid, wavering slightly. Her fingers sunk into black fur as she studied the man standing fearlessly on the other side of her man-eater. He looked real, but could it be?

  He smiled at her and held a hand out. “Take my hand.”

  She stared at his outstretched hand. What if she was dreaming? Sage reached out and paused, her hand suspended in the air. Could she handle the disappointment?

  “Don’t be a coward, Sage,” Jasmine called.

  She clenched her jaw and eyed her trembling hand. When had she ever shied away from a challenge, or the truth? Never. And she wasn’t going to start now.

  Hesitantly, she slid her hand into his. Tehl’s callouses caught along her smooth skin and warmed her frozen hand. She gasped, her gaze darting to his.

  He shifted closer, brushing against Nali. He lifted their hands and placed hers against his cheek. Whiskers tickled her palm as he leaned into her touch. “Do I feel real to you?”

  Sage stared at her hand cradling his face, another sob escaping her. He felt real, but could she trust it? His blue eyes beseeched her, begged her to trust him. Tehl had always protected her and told her the truth, even when she didn’t wish to hear it. “Am I alive?

  “Yes. Scarred, but not broken.”

  That truth hurt and yet it soothed. Awe filled her. “You’re real.” She stumbled around Nali and fell into Tehl’s arms. Her nose stung as she pressed her face to his vest, but she didn’t care. She pulled in a deep breath, his familiar scent of leather and pine invading her senses. No trick of the mind could imitate his scent. “I made it,” she cried.

  Heat suffused her as he crushed her against his chest, one hand pressed against her wet head. “You did,” his voice rasped. “You made it.” His lips pressed to the top of her head over and over as she clung to him. Her eyelids drooped, and she smiled against his vest.

  “You did it, Sage. You’re home.” His arms tightened around her and he whispered it one last time. “You’re home.”

  She was home. A sigh escaped her as her body went lax.

  She was finally home.

  Continue The Aermian Feuds in Book Four: King’s Warrior…

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