Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (8 page)

Sitting at the basin’s edge, she dipped her hand in the hot water, stifling a moan. She couldn’t remember the last time she had bathed in hot water, much less with soap and shampoo. Of course, the shampoo was Evan’s and she wouldn’t be able to get away from his scent, but it was a small price to pay for clean hair. Some Erritrol packs had luxuries at their disposal, but hers did not. They had little to trade and when they did, they always traded for things that would help their cause. Creature comforts just didn’t rank high enough on the list.

Looking over her shoulder, she hesitated only a moment before dragging her ratty dark green shirt up and off, wrinkling her nose at the stench of the fabric. The Coalition pants she had pilfered had seen better days as well, but it wasn’t like there were shops in the Dark Lands for her to buy anything new. She left her filthy clothes in a neat pile near the basin. Just the thought of putting them back on after she finished washing had her grimacing. Maybe after she had bathed she’d launder them in the hot basin. It would mean wearing them while they dried, but the main cavern was warm enough.

She immersed herself slowly, savoring the heated bliss caressing her skin. Now that she knew of this cave, perhaps Evan wouldn’t mind if she visited it—

Shaking her head, she sank the rest of the way. What? Was she thinking to come here and see Evan on occasion? It was obvious he had used this cave before, and in all likelihood would do so again. Nothing good would come of occasional chance meetings, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Arms open wide, she grazed the edges of the basin with her fingertips. Worn smooth from years of water flowing against it, the stone retained the heat of the hot spring. Even stretched out as far as she could, her toes didn’t reach the end. Not that she was very tall, but Evan would be able to do the same and not come close either. A picture of Evan floating in the luxurious water flashed in her mind. Groaning, she forced him from her mind. Not everything revolved around that man, yet he kept creeping into her thoughts. The long strands of her hair floated like a halo around her head until she ducked beneath the surface, eager to wash it out.

The air shivered with his presence, or maybe it was just her awareness of him, making her freeze below the water’s surface. Evan was close. Heart racing, she came up again, gasping for air as she covered her breasts with her arms. “What are you doing? Get out.”

Evan’s gaze met the floor, affording her some privacy as he held out what looked to be a neatly folded T-shirt toward her. “I bring a peace offering.”

“I don’t need a peace offering. I need you to get out.” Her voice rose with every word. “Now.” Once again, heat crept up her neck and into her face. Would she ever stop blushing around this man?

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful. Your assistance has been invaluable.” Still gazing at the floor, he took another step closer.

“Apology accepted. Besides, I wasn’t offended. Now get out, and take your clothing with you. I can wear what I have.”

Silence filled the chamber. When he looked up, meeting her glare, stark determination shone in his eyes. His gaze drifted to her barely concealed breasts, lingering there for a moment, making his eyes darken and his jaw stiffen. “Suit yourself. You don’t need to accept my peace offering.” Mischief sparkled in his eyes again. “I may prefer you to decline it after all.”

Before she could register what he was doing, Evan dropped the items he held and grabbed all of her clothing, then stalked out of the cave, leaving her with nothing but a towel and his T-shirt to wear and her mouth gaping open.

Shock soon gave way as the hilarity of the situation hit home. What on earth had just happened? Had he really marched in and stolen all of her clothes?

Brienne’s soft giggle followed Evan down the tunnel back to the chamber. When she had left the cave, he’d wondered if he had insulted her or hurt her feelings by calling attention to her humming, which was why he had decided to go after her to apologize. Truth be told, hearing the tune had done something he hadn’t thought possible anymore. It had allowed him to think back to his childhood with fondness for the first time in over thirty years. Besides, it had been cute as hell.

A wide grin split his face. When he’d grabbed her clothes, he’d expected to hear her scream and name him every kind of bastard, but her soft laughter had spilled out of the bathing chamber to curl around him as he retreated, lifting his spirit more than any healing ever had. He wasn’t foolish enough to think she wouldn’t retaliate, but it would be on his terms. If she wanted her clothes back, she would have to come and get them. He just had to be ready for her when she did.

He should have known better than to go to the bathing pool. Hell, he did know better. The way she had sashayed from the cave with those gorgeous hips of hers had sent all the blood rushing from his head to pool in a lower and much more sensitive area. Sure, he had wanted to make amends, but it was more than that. His phoenix was restless. The moment Brienne left, it had squawked and pushed him to follow. By the time he had gotten to the basin, she’d already stripped and gotten in the water. It took everything in him not to jump into the pool with her.

He hadn’t bothered to do any healing on his leg before following her, and the trip to the hot bath had hurt like hell, but he would do it again in an instant. He grinned to himself again. She would be furious if she knew how little had been covered by her hands and how much he had enjoyed the view. Her long, bare back had lifted with the buoyancy of the water, giving him an enticing view of her backside before she had lowered herself again. He hadn’t been looking straight at her for the most part, but the phoenix’s eyes never missed a thing.

Brienne had done a great job healing his injuries, making him an even greater jerk for having teased her. Now that he had rested and his more critical injuries were healed, he could take care of his leg, but that would mean cutting their time in the cave short, and he had a feeling she was anxious to be rid of him. What he still needed to figure out was what she was doing and why.

Lying on the bedroll, he tried to keep the images of her naked body from his mind, but damned if they didn’t keep popping up, making his shaft throb. Every single part of her was gorgeous. Her eyes snapped with fire with the slightest provocation. Her lips, pouty and soft, made him want to kiss her senseless.
Damn
. He had it bad. If things were different, he would haul her back to Avalore, kicking and screaming if he had to, then convince her to join him.

Brienne’s soft, feminine energy reached the chamber before she did. It slid over him like silk, making goose flesh rise on his skin and the throb in his groin deepen. Now that he had been the recipient of her ministrations, he would recognize her anywhere. Inside, the phoenix came to attention, waiting for its prize to waltz back in.

Evan didn’t bother opening his eyes as she milled about the chamber looking for her clothes. If his hunch were correct, she would be casting little glances at him, expecting him to be watching her every move. She would expect his mistrust as he expected hers.

All movement ceased, even the sound of her breathing stopped, and he could almost feel her glare piercing through him when she spotted the small pile beneath his head.

“I’ll have my clothes back now, if you don’t mind.” Each word was controlled, precise, as though she had practised her cool façade before coming back to the chamber.

He tried to suppress the grin that was struggling to break free, but if the spike of sizzling energy coming at him was any indication, he hadn’t succeeded. “I’m sorry, which clothes?”

“My clothes. The ones you stole from me. The ones you’re using as a pillow.”

“Oh,
those
clothes. Funny, I’d swear they were Coalition issued. Either way, I gave you something else to wear, and I’m quite comfortable.”

Her soft growl filled the cave. It was anything but threatening and made him want to go to her rather than run from her. Taming the little dragon would be a task he would relish given the opportunity.

When he opened his eyes, she stood next to him, hands on hips, glaring down at him. Her sweet, feminine scent all but engulfed him, driving his phoenix wild. All he had to do was reach up to touch the silky softness he yearned for so much.

Long, well-defined legs ended at the edge of the T-shirt—his shirt. It barely covered the parts needing to be covered, but when she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, it shifted right along with her, showing him a glimpse of what he would never have. He couldn’t stop the groan from slipping past his lips.

He had no right to be looking upon her body. She had made her choice. She didn’t want him, and he had come to terms with that, but damn it, he deserved an explanation. “Tell me why.” Not caring about the pain throbbing in his leg, he stood and faced her. “Why did you leave Avalore?”

Whatever Brienne had expected to come from Evan’s mouth, that wasn’t it. Hunger had flashed in his eyes, making her heart rush full speed ahead, only to crash again when pain had snuffed the fire out just as quickly.

“I…” Doubt crept in, making her hesitate. Had her leaving hurt him? She would have thought he would have been relieved. Glad even. “I did what was necessary for our people. I let you go.” She wasn’t going to lie. She tilted her chin up higher. He could accept her explanation, or not.

His features tightened into a grimace as he set weight on his injured leg. “What the hell is
that
supposed to mean?”

“You heard what I said. I did what I had to do for the people of Avalore.”

He took a step closer, his expression incredulous. “I heard what you said. The problem is I don’t understand.” His words were pushed through clenched teeth.

How dare he act as if he had been the one to be slighted? It was all she could do to breathe even now when she thought back to the day she left Avalore. It hadn’t been easy, and it certainly wouldn’t have been what she would choose for herself.

Unable to face another day without joy, without hope, she had sought the Elders’ assistance in naming her mate. Back then, it had made perfect sense, but looking back, she saw it for the act of desperation it was. She’d been so excited when she’d found out Evan Mayfield had been named as her predestined mate that she hadn’t thought anything of following when the Elders sought him out to tell him the news. They had found him in the royal gardens, still weak from his injuries from a recent battle, conversing with one of his men. How Evan or even the Elders failed to see her standing not twenty feet from them with so few people about that overcast day, she would never know.

His reaction to the Elders’ announcement hadn’t just hurt, it had gutted her. He had groaned and dropped his head so low his chin might have touched his chest. “I can’t be joined now. We are so close to finding Rhiannon. Damn it, not now…” She repeated the words that had played thousands of times in her mind since that day. She had never heard of a male refusing his mate, not once, until then. It had torn her heart to shreds, leaving her soul to bleed. And so she had left Avalore, but only because he had no desire to be joined.

“Sound familiar?” Try as she might, she could not keep the pain and bitterness from creeping into her voice.

His eyes widened, and he huffed out a breath. “And so you decided to leave without a word to me or anyone else.”

“Yes.” Her gaze never left his. He was furious, and hurt, but so was she. “You didn’t want to be joined. You told them you wouldn’t, and so I did what I needed to do. I left.”

His jaw clenched. “You didn’t think it wise to speak to me, or at least eavesdrop for the entire conversation?” A pale yellow sheen flickered on his skin, and then it was gone, making her wonder if she had seen it at all.

“I’d heard all I needed to hear.”

“You hadn’t, otherwise you would have heard me agree to be joined.” The cold steel in his voice chilled her to the bone.

She rubbed her arms, chasing the chill invading her. What difference did it make? He might have agreed, but it wasn’t what he had wanted. “I saved you from having to worry about me while you searched for your sister.”

“Like hell, you did.” He growled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, little spitfire, that I spent months searching all of Avalore for my lost mate
instead
of looking for my sister.” He winced with every step as he approached. “I combed the entire city. I scoured the northern territories for even a hint of where you might have gone, but it was as though you’d never existed.”

Was it possible he had wanted to be joined? It couldn’t be. She had heard him, heard the frustration behind his words. Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Brienne tilted her chin and looked Evan in the eye. “I did what I thought was right. What I thought you wanted.”

Jaw clenched, he took several long breaths before shaking his head and turning away. “I need to finish healing my leg before we go back to Avalore.”

Go back? She couldn’t, at least not until she finished what she had started three years ago. She would see him safely to the border, but afterward, she had to get back to her pack. “I’ll take you there, but I can’t stay.”

His shoulders stiffened, and a soft growl resonated between them. “Why?”

The pain behind that one little word made her want to weep. She had hurt him when she’d left Avalore, and she was hurting him now. Did she dare tell him the truth? Would he understand her need to help the Erritrols?