-Ashes-
She was playful as she took a bite of the bread and smiled at me a little mischievously, but I couldn’t let myself be distracted. Laelia needed to eat. I had noticed how her body had shrunk slightly from all the worry and stress. Even throughout our journey, I had barely seen her eat anything, most likely because she was stressed about what—or who—we might find in the North.
“Ashes?”
I hadn’t noticed I’d been drifting into my thoughts as I was feeding Laelia. My hand was half in the air with the bread now gone. I took a piece of fruit, bringing it to her lips, and she ate it happily, some of its juices running down the corner of her mouth.
I leaned closer, licking it from her skin, and she hummed in satisfaction. I leaned back and licked my lips, smiling at her. She sat up fu
