Frost & Bothered (24 page)

“White Queen.” He blinked. “You were a White Queen.”

Chills ran through me, lifting every tiny hair on my arms and the back of my neck. His words triggered a clear recollection of hanging in darkness, a circle of tigers around me. “I think I was a tiger in my dream.”

“You pulled me away from the river and helped me shift. Warmed me. Then you were gone and the horse was there.”

I can’t leave him.

I’ll send another to watch over him. You need to wake the Unseelie, and soon.

Water splashed as Logan began to sit up. I planted my hand on his chest. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He subsided. “You looked scared.”

Of course I did, finding a mostly forgotten dream had been real. “Did you see anyone besides me?”

“No.”

“And I was a tiger?”

“A White Queen with green eyes.”

“My life is unbelievably strange.”

He blinked. “It was you.”

“Apparently so.” I frowned, trying to remember more of the dream. “We wanted to look for you, but the horse was hurt and a blizzard started. When I went to sleep, I was in my house. The river was in the attic. There was a drake, then I found your car and it took me for a ride. Really weird stuff went on. But the weirdest is I dreamed of becoming a white tiger and found you on the river bank, and you frigging saw me.”

“Gods?” Logan had some color in his face.

I shrugged. “No clue. Whatever it was, the important thing is that you’re alive and back with us.”

“Because of you.” He smiled. “Always one-upping me.”

I returned the smile. “You’re definitely feeling better.”

“Yeah.”

I touched his shoulder, then his forehead. Both felt cool, but not chilly. “Okay. I’ll send Connor in to help you out and into some clothes. Dinner and bed after that.”

“I might still be cold.” He shivered, but the corner of his mouth quirked.

Tapping his nose with my finger, I looked him in the eyes. “If you want snuggling, say so.”

“I want snuggling.”

“Then there will be snuggling.” I stood and grinned. “May take a little while to convince Connor, though.”

“I can get out of the tub.”

I laughed and hurried out. “Connor, would you please help Logan?”

“Sure, but the snuggling thing isn’t happening.”

“Oh, come on. Cats love to snuggle.” I blinked, realizing the hounds were lying in front of a fireplace, and that wall of the pavilion had turned into stone. “We’re redecorating?”

Kethyrdryll came in from outside. “I thought it would be useful to have a larger source of heat this evening.”

Connor wiggled his fingers. “Magic.”

“Right. Good idea.”

N
ot too long passed before Logan had eaten his fill. I insisted on wrapping his wounds, even though nothing had begun leaking out of them. “Sorry, but they look yucky, and I really don’t want open wounds on my sheets.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He cooperated, lifting his arms to let me roll the linen bandages Kethyrdryll had provided around his middle. Done, I called Leglin to follow us; we went to my room. The other two had already gone to bed.

“Redecorated in here, too.” A large, rectangular cushion was in one corner, and my hound went to it. My cot had disappeared, replaced by a queen-sized bed on a wooden frame. A nightgown lay across the foot of it. “I’ll go change.”

“Okay.”

When I returned, Logan was already in bed with his eyes closed. I quietly slipped in next to him, and the magical lighting began to dim.

I rolled onto my side and found his hand under the covers.

“Not exactly snuggling,” he said when I put my hand over his.

“You have holes.”

“They’re healing.” He turned his head to look at me. “Just don’t touch them.”

“You really want snuggles, huh?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay.” I scooted closer and he moved his arm. A minute of arranging, and I was mostly against his side, my arm across his chest, my head on his arm and a pillow. “Better?”

“Your knee’s poking me.”

I bent my leg and let it rest on his. “Now?”

“Much better.” He kissed my forehead. “Here we are, in an elf’s bed again.”

“Guest bed.”

“Guest bed,” he repeated. “I’m curious.”

“About what?”

“If we’ll ever be in one of our beds together.”

I felt my face grow warmer. “Well... We’re breaking the snuggle barrier tonight, so no telling what the future might bring.”

“That’s a maybe. Right?”

More like a definite yes, but I didn’t want to say that because I wanted to do things without rushing into anything. “Right.”

“Maybe’s good,” he said. “I like ‘maybe’ when you say it under these conditions. I like that we’re breaking the snuggle barrier, too.”

Boy, so did I. He’d warmed up nicely, his skin a few degrees hotter than my own. Perfect snuggling partner for winter.

“Are you sleepy?”

“A little.” Not really, since the image of him naked in the bath was on a loop in my mind.

“I’m not. Think I was out of it too much.” He moved his free arm and put his hand on mine. “Are you cold?”

“No. Just human temp.”

“Right.” Logan was quiet for a minute or so. “Do you think we can do this? Find a way back home?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good. I don’t like this place. Don’t like being so far from the clan. Especially from Terra.”

I gave a slight nod. “She’s going to need you around for a while yet.”

“Yeah, but I won’t be as busy.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Does Arcane Solutions have room for another employee?”

“You’d have to ask the boss, but I’d say chances are good.”

Logan’s hand moved, his fingers sliding down my forearm and back. “I’ll ask, unless you don’t like the idea.”

My skin was tingling under the slow sweep of his fingers. “I’ve grown up a little. Enough to admit backup isn’t the same thing as having babysitters. I don’t need a babysitter. But backup? Oh, yeah. Definitely need that.”

“Okay. I’ll have to run the idea by Terra first.” He wiggled. “They’re itching.”

“Sorry.”

Logan laughed. “You didn’t make them itch. Why do humans apologize for things they didn’t do? It happens all the time.”

“I don’t know. Maybe because we can’t think of something else to say?”

“Guess that makes sense.” He sighed. “Not sleepy yet.”

“I noticed.”

“I’m keeping you up.”

“I don’t mind. Rambling Logan is fun.” I liked listening to him, and yeah, liked the way he kept caressing my arm.

“Rambling? Guess I am. The queens’ council kind of upended my life.”

“In a good way, though, right?”

“Yeah. I just wasn’t really expecting to be let off the hook so soon. Or mostly off the hook. Now I need to figure out things I wasn’t expecting to have to face for a few more years.”

“Oh.”

“I wondered if living with the clan would be a problem once Terra didn’t need me as her Protector anymore. If it would interfere with her leading them, especially if we disagreed about something.” He tapped my arm. “What do you think?”

“Me?”

“You’re clan,” he pointed out, beginning to stroke my arm again.

“Well, yeah, but like, the newest newbie.”

“New or not, I value your opinion.”

Dang it, now I had to say something. “Well, I don’t see you causing a ruckus. You’d talk to her privately.”

“True,” he agreed. “It’s important to present a united front.”

“Right.” Whew. I’d said the right thing. “She’s not mean or stupid. Maybe inexperienced, but I think she’s been doing great so far.”

“She is.”

“Then don’t worry about future differences of opinion. At least, not right now.” We had to get back before that sort of thing could happen.

“I have to worry about the future. It’s part of my job description.”

That made me laugh. “Yeah, guess it is.”

“You worry about your future.”

I worried about staying alive. Pretty much the same thing. “Yes. I guess everyone does.”

“I want to say something, but I don’t want it to sound pushy,” he said.

“Go ahead.”

“I want you to be a part of my future. A part you already are, but there’s a part I hope you’ll be.”

I couldn’t not ask, because I wanted to know. “What part is that?”

“Clan, friend...lover.”

Oh, my God. Something about how he said “lover” sent a spike of heat right into my heart. I wanted to giggle like a maniac at the idea, but he might think I was laughing at him. Instead, I responded with something guaranteed to knock my giggle urge over the head. “Not wife?”

“That option’s open for future discussion. When it seems like a viable option. I think we probably have a lot of ground to cover before that happens.”

“Yeah.” Relief, excitement... I didn’t know which felt better to me. “Hey.”

“What?”

“Since we’re having a kind of heart-to-heart here, I want to ask you something.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want kids?”

Logan chuckled. “I’d love to have kids at some point.”

My heart sank.

“But it’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“Black tigers can’t father children. We’re sterile.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. No one knows why, but there’s never been a black tiger who’s sired children, doesn’t matter who they were involved with.”

I blinked, not quite stunned enough to keep from thinking “no more condoms,” even though that situation wasn’t in our immediate future. “Oh.”

“And adoption’s out, because orphaned cubs go to the closest family members,” he added. “I’m resigned to being an uncle.”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?”

“A brother, Ryan. He’s five years younger and lives with our old clan.”

“Are you close?”

“No. I wish we were, but being chosen as Terra’s Protector...”

“I get it.” And it made me sad for him. “But you’re not like, um, not friends?”

“No, we get along fine. We just haven’t gotten to spend much time together over the years.” His shoulder twitched. “That’s why I worry about Terra so much. She’s the only family member I’m really close to.”

I tilted my head and meant to kiss his check, but the angle was wrong and I kissed his jaw instead. He sucked in a breath. “What was that for?”

“I’m trying to be a sympathetic friend but my aim was off.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Could he feel the blush covering my entire head?

“For future reference, that’s a good spot to kiss if you have different intentions.”

“I’ll remember that.” I wanted to sink through the mattress into the ground. Good thing people couldn’t die of embarrassment.

“Please do. You’re blushing.”

“Gah. You’re not supposed to notice.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. God. I don’t know why you’d consider dating me. I’m a complete doofus.”

Logan laughed. “No you’re not.”

“I flail through life.”

“You have a good, kind heart. That’s what I like best about you. Doesn’t hurt that you’re also smart and strong.”

He hadn’t said a word about my looks. I decided I liked that. “I’ve done bad things.”

“Sometimes life forces us to.”

“Did you take a class in how to always say the right thing?”

“They have classes for that?”

We both laughed.

“So... you’re not interested in me for my body, but my heart and brain.”

“Well, those are considered delicacies. Ouch,” he said when I pinched his chest. “I’m kidding.”

“Better be.”

“Did you want me to only be interested in your body?”

“Body does factor in, huh?”

“How people look is the first thing you tend to notice. You didn’t answer my question.”

“No.”

“Good. You’re attractive outside, but it’s what’s inside that’s most important. At least to me.” He paused. “Feel free to overshare like I have. Any time.”

I had to laugh. “You want to know what I like best about you?”

“Love to.”

“You’re compassionate. You care, even about people you don’t know, like Zoe and Tonya. You have a good, kind heart, too.” I hesitated. “Maybe it’s weird, but I pretty much liked you the moment we met.”

“Same here.” Logan moved his hand from my arm to cover a yawn.

“Oh, now you get sleepy.”

He chuckled. “I’m warm, I have a full stomach, and am having a good, quiet talk and snuggle with one of my favorite people. It’s cozy and relaxing.”

“I’m one of your favorite people?”

“Yes.”

“Who are the others?”

“Terra, Soames, Moira, Alanna. My dad.”

Sounded like I was in excellent company, and that maybe he was a little on the choosy side when it came to picking favorites. “Cool. Cuddle with Dane a lot?”

“Once. We were out hunting in winter and a storm hit. Spent two days curled up together in a snow den.”

I smiled. Good to learn he didn’t instantly equate cuddle with sex. Not that I had a problem with cuddling before or after, but sometimes just cuddling was nice. “Neat. What about the others?”

“Terra all the time. She was a demanding little thing. I don’t think her feet touched the ground her first two years of life. My dad cuddled us a lot when we were small.”

Was he avoiding Alanna and Moira? Did it matter if he was?