His gaze was not as playful as usual. The heat in his eyes was filled with desire, and Leah’s hand froze against him.

“Keep touching me,” he urged, and never took his eyes from her as she stroked him.

The longer he looked at her, the redder Leah’s cheeks got.

“We need to get to Kurkan quickly,” he said, a slow smile spreading over his face as he watched her. “I miss your silver hair.”

He kissed her hand.

“Is it so impossible to do in the desert?”

Leah’s face turned scarlet at the innuendo purring in his voice. It felt like her head was going to explode, but she said it.

“I’m just as eager to get to Kurkan.”

Ishakan rewarded her honesty with a kiss.

“We’ll spend the day in bed when we get there,” he said playfully. It would be difficult, when they had Lesha to consider, but Leah nodded. There had been little time to be together on their journey when their son was with them, and their desire for each other had been building up for weeks.

His eyes licked at her slowly, with unabashed lust, as if he meant to devour her where she was, down to the sand.

“We really have to hurry.”

* * *

They traveled with Bachmann’s caravan to Kurkan.

Gently, Leah stroked the sleeping Lesha, who had sung himself to sleep.

It was the first time he had dreamed twice about the same subject, and it seemed he had unconsciously been using his prophetic abilities to dream it again. Morga would be thrilled when he heard about it.

Maybe in time, Lesha would be able to freely foresee whatever he wanted.

She was happy with her son’s progress, but it also confused her. He was a special child, but she worried that his abilities would overwhelm him as he grew. She didn’t care about power or glory; she only wanted him to be happy.

“What are you thinking about?”

Leah glanced at Ishakan, riding beside her on a camel, and summed up her worries in a single phrase.

“Childhood education.”

Ishakan chuckled.

“You are so adorable,” he murmured. A compliment that Leah didn’t understand, and therefore ignored. “It’s about time,” he added unexpectedly.

It only took Leah a moment to realize what he meant.