First Eclipse

Tim opened his eyes and looked around. He was in his room. Stretching, he felt the pull on his side and remembered the last twenty-four hours. Turning his head, he saw Fauna curled up on the very edge of his bed with Rocco snuggled against her. "Getting spoiled, bud?"

Fauna's eyes opened, and she looked at him. "Morning. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes were sleepy, her hair a mess, and she was breathtaking. "A little stiff, but that's normal."

She rubbed her eyes. "When you've been beating your body up for as long as you have, it's no wonder."

Tim grinned. "You've been talking to Mac."

Her smile was slow. "And Woods and Bronx. They've been taking four-hour rotations."

"I'll have to chat with them." He slowly sat up. His skin felt a size smaller, which was usual after a major injury. With slow movements, he shifted the muscles around his neck and shoulders, stretching out the stiffness. He couldn't remember the last time he slept like that or for that long.

"How many more scars would you have if the royal family didn't give you blood?"

He turned to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. "I haven't kept track."

"You should wear body armor or whatever it's called."

Tim shook his head. "That would restrict movements too much." Looking back at her, he could see how upset she was. "Hey." He reached out his hand and waited until she put her in his. "I'm okay. Once we shut all these traitors down, I'm sure

it will go back to long decades of nothing happening." He hoped not. The huntress wouldn't be content with that. He watched her take a deep breath and then exhale.

"Okay, I hope so because I don't think I can do yesterday ever again."

Lifting their hands, he kissed hers and then released it. "Yesterday was because of a dirty coward." He growled low in the back of his throat. "I hate cowards."

"Oh, that reminds me, Prince Rafael called while you were sleeping, and they confirmed that the man was from Solrelm."

Tim shifted and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Did he have any other news?"

She was up and around the bed before his feet were on the floor. "Not that he shared with me."

She held her hands out like she was going to have to catch him.

He smiled at her. "I'm fine. I'm going to go grab a shower."

She clasped her hands in front of her. "I can make breakfast. Ambrosia brought food yesterday. She's very nice."

Tim nodded. "She is. I couldn't have the animals if it weren't for her because I'm not here enough." She stepped back when he stood up. He felt rough. Too much sleep when you weren't used to it was the worst. Every muscle in his body was tight and sore.

"She stayed and chatted for a bit." She rubbed her hand over her arm. "She has a tattoo."

He nodded. “She found her mate a long time ago. They have two grown children." He grinned. "One is a guard."

Just a heads up: FindNovel.net is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! "Yes, she told me." She looked over her shoulder and then back at him but kept her eyes downcast. "I'll go get that started." She backed up a few steps. "How hungry are you?" "Starving."

"I guess that's a good sign." She turned on her heel and quickly exited the room.

Tim looked at the door and then back at the bed. She'd slept close to him. Inhaling a deep breath, he realized all he could smell now was her. Grabbing some clothes, he made his way to the bathroom. Hours had passed; he'd slept and even fed again since the hospital, and all he could taste was her. Leaning on the sink, he looked at his reflection. He looked rough. His hair was similar to how Felix tried to make his look, and the growth on his face was bordering on a full beard now. Backing up, he lifted his arm and ran his hand over the faint scar from yesterday. He hated getting cut, but that sneaky move had almost cost him his life. Once he was cleaned up, he'd call the captain and see if there was any news about the mage. The first one had given them those buildings, he was counting on the second one having more useful information. Like why they wanted Fauna so bad that they tried to take out her mate to get to her. The captain's words came back to him. He did have decisions to make. Glancing at the reflection of the door behind him, he wondered how she was going to take to the discussion that would be the balance of his decision. Going over, he turned on the water. They were either going to be a fully mated couple, or she was going to be isolated and under guard for the foreseeable future. He clenched his teeth together. Not at all how he'd planned it to go with her, and it pissed him off. Someone was going to pay dearly for it, and right now, he didn't care what degree they were involved in all of this end-the-realm stupidity; if they were involved, they were his enemy and target.