Phoenix Maplewood A temper set for tender

She chewed a tough piece of sinew almost ponderously, her eyes lighting on her mate's face. When he spoke, the first thing she felt was a wave of guilt—had she remembered she loved him, and he her, when she'd willingly lain with Luke?—but she quashed it readily, unwilling to admit her fault and her treason, and warmly replied, "love you too." After all, in a way, she felt she did. In other ways she still thought it was too soon to know for sure. Regardless, they were life partners now and Saena would, eventually, come to honour it and cherish it.

"My what?" she asked a little dumbly, the words chased by a sudden feeling of apprehension. She was loathe to leave the safety of the maplewood, and the safety of their hole in the ground, after what had happened with Sebastian, but she knew eventually she would have to. The mere thought of giving up her scouting trade was enough to push anxiety to the back of her mind for a moment. Besides, what Reek suggested was wonderful, nostalgic, and probably exactly what Saena needed, considering the entire reason she'd gone out so far was to see how the Rise fared. She had failed at that.

"That sounds fun," she said after a beat, smiling to assure him that she meant it. What did she have to fear from Sebastian, anyway? She'd already mentally vowed that the next time they met, one of them would die, and she would have Reek for back-up if they happened upon him a third time.