A Court of Stars and Shadow

Chapter 46

My eyes fluttered open to the warm orange glow of a tent. A fur blanket was wrapped around my shoulders, but smooth skin met my own.

I turned my head to the left, my body feeling heavy and sluggish, like wadding through mud. Carnel laid next to me, shiftless other than the white bandage wrapped around his torso, his scar from the arrow peeking out through the top. Other scars littered his chest, something I hadn't had to time to ask about yet. His chest rose and fell slow and evenly, his face perfect against the fae light, casting shadows on his cheeks and jaw. He was so, so stunning it hurt to look at him.

I managed to raise myself to an elbow, leaning over him to brush a stray curl away from his eyes. His body jerked in the slightest motion before his own eyes fluttered open, his dark lashes parting to reveal his blue eyes. Carnel's pupils dilated as he took in my face over his and his lips twitched up.

"Morning princess"

I smiled back and pushed away another curl from his face, making sure my knuckles dragged over his cheek bones in the slightest touch that made him shiver.

"How to you feel?" I asked quietly, placing a gentle hand over his bandages, not a speck of blood seeping through them.

"I should be asking you that" he replied. I realized then that I had no reciliation what happened after the battle.

My brows furrowed. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep in my arms after you finished off the Montesere army. Quite the show by the way."

"I couldn't let my mate take all the credit. Even on my overlook I could hear the soldiers talking about how you were cutting down soldiers like they were grains of wheat."

He brought his nose to mine and scrunched it slightly before leaving a small kiss.

"Feyre began to heal my wound, by the time the medics got me it was almost closed."

I ran my hand on his stomach up across his abs and rested it on his chest.

"I carried you until Rhys came a couple hours later." His lips thinned slightly. "They won, but barely. They lost a lot more men than we did after they ambushed them as well."

I closed my eyes and shook my head slightly.

"I should have used my power more wisely, should have kept enough to help them to"

"You aren't a one-woman band Luna. They're high lords who have gone to war countless times already, they can take care of themselves for a little."

I rolled my eyes but leaned in close, my lips touching his own in a whisper of a kiss but not quite connecting.

"Cassian came looking for you shortly after we set up camp" he whispered against my lips and I pulled back. Way to ruin the mood Carnel.

"Did he need something?"

"Just a report on what happened. I told him instead. He also went ballistic when I told him just what you did at the end and what it did to you"

I let out a little laugh. "Overprotective bat"

"rightfully so"

I gave him a look and he stared back; of course, I broke first, my mouth forming a smile.

"Don't start" I pleaded and finally gave him a long kiss on his lips.

"When I saw get stabbed on that field Carnel" I began, and my body shuddered. Carnel ran a hand up my arm to try and warm me.

"Everything disappeared and all I could see was you on that field, alone surrounded by the Montesere army and my body, my power just reacted."

I swallowed hard.