Page 101 of Dawn of Hope
“Never,” he says.
“That’s right,” Roley chimes in. “We’re gonna be Voyagers forever!” He thrusts his small fist into the air like he is stabbing it with a sword.
Sadness falls over me as I look at Fin.
“Is that true? You don’t want to go back to your family now?”
He shrugs and digs a stick in the grass in front of him. “I don’t know. What if I never find it?”
“We’ll find it. I know we will.” I look him in the eye when I say it, with as much reassurance as I can muster. I realize it’s not only for him but also for myself.
“And if we don’t, VOYAGERS FOREVER!” Roley roars, beating his fists on his chest.
“Aahhhhh!” Fin yells, jumping up and chasing him around. I giggle as they play. It feels amazing being around children like this. Looking around at everyone here makes me feel like I missed out on a huge part of life. I’ll never get that experience back in my childhood, but hopefully one day I would be blessed with children with whoever my father deemed appropriate to sit on the throne beside me.
I choke that thought down as my thoughts return to Dane.
It will never be him.
I clear my throat and focus back on the boys.
“You two need to head up to bed soon.” I stand from the chair and dust off my pants.
“But they’re all staying awake,” Fin whines, gesturing to the older boys who are still laughing and joking around the fire.
“Yeah, Lennox, you aren’t my mom!” Roley sticks his tongue out at me.
“No, I’m not, but I care about you boys. You need to be rested to stay safe searching tomorrow.”
They both groan loudly, throwing themselves on the floor.
“Fine,” Roley whines. “We’ll go in a couple of minutes.”
They jump up and fake a sword fight and I laugh, shaking my head. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.” I stride back over to the training area and pick up my bow again. Now that it is quiet and my mind isn’t running away with thoughts about where Dane could be or if he was safe, I can focus on the target and pass the time.
I go through almost a dozen arrows, hitting the bullseye nearly half of the shots when I feel someone behind me.
“Don’t miss,” Dane rumbles in my ear.
I loose the arrow, striking the center of the target and spin around in his arms.
He regards the arrow impressed, then looks back toward me. “Sorry I took so long,” he says, his voice low and husky. His body curves around mine as he wraps his arms tighter. He walks me backwards, holding me tight as my feet try to keep up with him. I drop the bow to the ground at my side and wrap my arms around his neck.
“It’s alright,” I murmur before reaching up and brushing a kiss across his lips.
In one swift motion, he scoops me up, wraps my legs around his waist, and leaves the training area. His hand cups the back of my head and pulls my face to his. The kiss is heated, and I meet his every move, my lips pressing hungrily against his. The light fades as we get farther away until all I can see are shadows from the glow of the moon.
“I have a feeling you missed me,” he says against my lips, his breaths becoming short and shallow.
“I did,” I breathe as my back hits something solid. My mind flashes to being pinned against a wall today. To whenhepinned me to the wall. I push the thought from my head and try to focus on this moment.
We are tucked away in a cove of trees, completely hidden from everyone left in the clearing, but I can still hear soft snippets of conversation.
“I thought something happened to you.” I pant, diving back in for another kiss. “I was worried.”
Dane’s grip tightens around the curve of my backside as he holds me against the tree. His right hand slides down, stroking the backside of my thigh.
No one has ever touched me like this, only him. No one was ever allowed to get close, unless I was training with Brynne looking on.