Ever stuffs his foot into the stirrup and mounts in one fluid motion. When he extends his hand toward me, I let him haul me up in front of him. The way his body presses against my back as he reaches for the reins feels incredibly intimate, never mind the way his thighs squeeze mine as he kicks Nyx into a gallop.

Wind tears at my hair as we race away from the canyon, the thudding of Nyx’s hooves matching the drum of my thundering heart.

A few minutes later, Ever comes to a halt beside a tree and dismounts. When he reaches for me, I let him lift me down to the ground. The wool blanket falls into a puddle on the dirt.

“Can you climb?” he whispers.

Nodding, I grip the lowest branch and haul myself up to the next one and the one after that, my arms and legs protesting the entire climb. This is far more difficult than I remember. Eventually, I reach a small platform hidden among the barren branches with sticks and twigs nailed to the walls. The space would be cramped for just one person, let alone both of us. By some miracle, Ever manages to fold himself into the tiny gap behind me. He grimaces as he tries to settle himself, but there’s hardly enough room for him to stretch his legs without bumping into me, even though I’m trying to make myself as small as possible.

“Kerris?”

“Yes?”

“Come here.” He holds out his hands, and I hold my breath as he settles me right onto his lap.

I try not to think about how close we are, how intimate the space feels, but it’s all I can seem to focus on and if I don’t distract myself, I’m going to do something incredibly foolish. “What just happened?”

“Riders were approaching the outpost.”

Really? I didn’t hear a thing beyond the crackling fire. Looks like Trevor’s book was correct about Unseelie hearing.

“And Maddox was relieving himself because…?”

“We needed to cover your scent.”

So the book was right about their sense of smell as well. “I thought it wasn’t illegal for me to be here.”

“It is not illegal, but our chieftain would not approve, and I would rather not have the entire clan knowing my business.”

His words rumble from his chest, straight into my heart. His chieftain wouldn’t approve and yet here he is, hiding me, protecting me, seeking me out anyway.

And I’m doing the same. If Nia found out, she would be so angry. If any of the other Seelie learned the truth of where I sneak off to every night, they wouldn’t understand. But here I am, crossing The Divide night after night just to steal a few hours with this cautious, caring man.