to heat up the air or something?”
“Keeping the air warm in here would require constant use of my magic, and I’m already using it to steer the balloon,” I told her. “I’m not a never-ending power source, Annia – that would drain me eventually.”
“Oh alright,” she sighed, burrowing a little deeper into her bedroll. “But this still sucks.”
“I told you we shouldn’t have brought her.” Fenris’s voice echoed into my mind, a little smugly. “She’s clearly not cut out for this kind of travel.”
“You have no idea what Annia is and isn’t cut out for.” Annoyed, I turned to glare at him, but I found that he wasn’t even looking at me. Rather, he was staring at Annia over his knees, his yellow eyes glimmering with ire.
My scowl melted away into a grin as an idea came to me. “Go sit over there with her.”
Fenris’s eyes snapped toward me. “ Excuse me?”
“Oh you heard me right .” My grin widened. “Go get under the bedroll with Annia and share your body heat with her.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Fenris bit out. “You keep saying she can take care of herself. She doesn’t need me.”
“Oh stop being such an ass.” I would have been annoyed at his recalcitrance if I wasn’t enjoying how uncomfortable he was becoming. I’d never seen Fenris so ruffled. “You know why we need her, and there’s no point in letting her suffer if we don’t have to. Be a gentleman, for Magorah’s sake! Unless you don’t know how.”
“Of course I know how,” Fenris snapped.
“Know how to do what?” Annia asked, and we both snapped our heads around to look at her. Her dark, thickly lashed eyes were peeking out from beneath the bedroll, and they latched onto Fenris hopefully. “Build a fire in here without setting the whole basket aflame?”
“No,” Fenris sighed, his voice softening. He rolled onto his knees, and the basket rocked a little as he made his way toward Annia. “But I suppose I can help warm you up with my body heat.”
“Oooh.” Annia waggled her eyebrows, and I nearly lost it. “Does that mean you’re getting naked?”
“Hardly.” Fenris kept his voice even, but his short, dark hair wasn’t long enough to hide his ears, and I bit back a laugh as I watched them turn red. Annia lifted the bedroll and waved Fenris over – a gesture that cost her as the exposure caused her to start shivering again. Noticing, Fenris quickly got under the bedroll with her and tucked it around them both, pressing his stocky body close to Annia’s.
“There,” I said, grinning. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“You put him up to this?” Annia asked, her brows arched.
“Well, I didn’t want my best friend turning into a popsicle. Feel free to snuggle in closer – he doesn’t mind.”
“What…?” Fenris started to protest as Annia did exactly that, and I let out a snicker. From the glint in her dark eyes, I knew she was playing along with me. Fenris was ridiculously easy to tease, and I found myself wondering why I hadn’t done it before. Probably because we didn’t really spend any idle time together. As I watched Fenris slowly begin to relax, I wondered if he spent idle time in the company of others at all. He was close friends with Iannis, sure, but I’d hardly ever heard the two of them talk of anything other than business, and he didn’t appear to have close relationships with anyone else.
Then again, Fenris was a shifter, so should I really be surprised that he hadn’t made friends with the others? The way the Council had turned on him so quickly the moment Iannis was out of sight was proof that without the Chief Mage’s support, Fenris didn’t hold much influence. It made me wonder if that was my fate, too – if I would always have to rely on Iannis to protect me from the wrath and prejudice of the Mages Guild.
Hell no , I thought, gripping the rope in my fist a little tighter. I might need Iannis now, but no way was I going to be dependent on
“Keeping the air warm in here would require constant use of my magic, and I’m already using it to steer the balloon,” I told her. “I’m not a never-ending power source, Annia – that would drain me eventually.”
“Oh alright,” she sighed, burrowing a little deeper into her bedroll. “But this still sucks.”
“I told you we shouldn’t have brought her.” Fenris’s voice echoed into my mind, a little smugly. “She’s clearly not cut out for this kind of travel.”
“You have no idea what Annia is and isn’t cut out for.” Annoyed, I turned to glare at him, but I found that he wasn’t even looking at me. Rather, he was staring at Annia over his knees, his yellow eyes glimmering with ire.
My scowl melted away into a grin as an idea came to me. “Go sit over there with her.”
Fenris’s eyes snapped toward me. “ Excuse me?”
“Oh you heard me right .” My grin widened. “Go get under the bedroll with Annia and share your body heat with her.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Fenris bit out. “You keep saying she can take care of herself. She doesn’t need me.”
“Oh stop being such an ass.” I would have been annoyed at his recalcitrance if I wasn’t enjoying how uncomfortable he was becoming. I’d never seen Fenris so ruffled. “You know why we need her, and there’s no point in letting her suffer if we don’t have to. Be a gentleman, for Magorah’s sake! Unless you don’t know how.”
“Of course I know how,” Fenris snapped.
“Know how to do what?” Annia asked, and we both snapped our heads around to look at her. Her dark, thickly lashed eyes were peeking out from beneath the bedroll, and they latched onto Fenris hopefully. “Build a fire in here without setting the whole basket aflame?”
“No,” Fenris sighed, his voice softening. He rolled onto his knees, and the basket rocked a little as he made his way toward Annia. “But I suppose I can help warm you up with my body heat.”
“Oooh.” Annia waggled her eyebrows, and I nearly lost it. “Does that mean you’re getting naked?”
“Hardly.” Fenris kept his voice even, but his short, dark hair wasn’t long enough to hide his ears, and I bit back a laugh as I watched them turn red. Annia lifted the bedroll and waved Fenris over – a gesture that cost her as the exposure caused her to start shivering again. Noticing, Fenris quickly got under the bedroll with her and tucked it around them both, pressing his stocky body close to Annia’s.
“There,” I said, grinning. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“You put him up to this?” Annia asked, her brows arched.
“Well, I didn’t want my best friend turning into a popsicle. Feel free to snuggle in closer – he doesn’t mind.”
“What…?” Fenris started to protest as Annia did exactly that, and I let out a snicker. From the glint in her dark eyes, I knew she was playing along with me. Fenris was ridiculously easy to tease, and I found myself wondering why I hadn’t done it before. Probably because we didn’t really spend any idle time together. As I watched Fenris slowly begin to relax, I wondered if he spent idle time in the company of others at all. He was close friends with Iannis, sure, but I’d hardly ever heard the two of them talk of anything other than business, and he didn’t appear to have close relationships with anyone else.
Then again, Fenris was a shifter, so should I really be surprised that he hadn’t made friends with the others? The way the Council had turned on him so quickly the moment Iannis was out of sight was proof that without the Chief Mage’s support, Fenris didn’t hold much influence. It made me wonder if that was my fate, too – if I would always have to rely on Iannis to protect me from the wrath and prejudice of the Mages Guild.
Hell no , I thought, gripping the rope in my fist a little tighter. I might need Iannis now, but no way was I going to be dependent on
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