Latham eyes Torben who nods in response, an entire silent conversation passing between them.
Probably about me.
“She’s powerful,” Torben replies out loud, and there’s a hint of awe behind his informational tone. Though if I pointed it out, he’d never confess to it.
“Let’s hope that serves her well in the future.” Latham swallows, and the three men share a look I don’t understand.
“Let’s get to higher ground. We’ll take shelter until sunrise.” Torben carries me out into the darkness, and I hate that we’re pausing to find shelter. All of us are beaten and bruised, but I can’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach at the idea of not continuing on.
A heavy yawn overtakes me, and I lean into Torben fully, my arms draping over his wide shoulders. I accept his decision.
But only because I’m too worn and tired to oppose that decision.
I just hope I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life. Because I think I trust these psychotic assholes.
Chapter Fourteen
If You Dare
Rhys
Pain stabs through my drowning lungs and my eyes fly open with a gasp. The shitty dream fades slowly as my heartbeat returns to some semblance of normal. Darkness is still heavy in the sky as I stare out of the mouth of a cave. The sun hasn’t yet fought off the night and saved me from the nightmare that is this mountain.
I lift from the frigid ground, but a warm hand slinks over my hip. That feeling drifts through my chest, filling me with magic, calmness, and most importantly, warmth. I lean back into that delicious feeling of a hot bath that the mysterious fenrir offers me.
My head tilts to the side, and I meet his starry blue eyes. Galaxy eyes. Gray swims within the deep blue there, and I could get lost staring at this man.
“Hey, go back to sleep. You’re safe here,” Latham whispers while the deepening shadows under his eyes paint a story of this protective man in front of me.
I peer slowly around at the jagged walls of the cave. A small circle of embers just a foot away from me lights up the space. I don’t remember coming here.
I fell asleep… on Torben.
My eyes blink slowly as that thought settles in. Twelve hours ago I didn’t trust these hellions with my cat, and now I’m snuggling up and turning into Sleeping Beauty in their arms…
A lot has passed in twelve hours though.
Life and death and everything in between.
“You haven’t slept.” I look at Latham, judging the haziness of his gaze.
He shakes his head.
He’s been watching me, watching over me like a guardian of Hell. At my feet, a different guardian of Hell rubs up against me. A small gray house cat looks up at me. Loki watches me with wide, strained eyes.
My fingers run through his soft fur, feeling the life thrumming through him as I try to forget how he looked just a few hours ago. I can’t let that happen to him again. He may be my guardian, but I feel very much responsible for the ferocious hellcat.
A quiet cough shakes through the silence, and I look up to find Aric leaning into the shadows at the mouth of the cave. His silhouette is all hard angles and curving muscles of a man who doesn’t seem to fear anything.
Not even death.
I pull out of Latham’s intoxicating warmth and wander toward the entrance of the cave. Wind flicks at my hair and bites at my exposed thighs where my large tee-shirt doesn’t cover nearly enough. It’s like Aric knows I’m cold, because the moment he spots me, he reaches out, wrapping me up in his fiery scent. He pulls me against his side, and I steal away a bit more of that hellfire warmth they hold inside of themselves.
“You should be sleepin’,” he murmurs as he pulls me tighter against his body. Tattooed fingers are firm against my shoulder, like he’s afraid something in the night might steal me away.
Again.
“Have you seen anything?” I ask seriously.
