The curly haired Hunter grinned and lifted his sword behind his head, stretching his limbs. “She looks frightened,” he mocked.
“Fear has no place in my core,” Aydra spat.
“It should,” Draven said. “Where is your Second?”
“Taking care of my sister. Back to the Village for help,” she admitted. “You can leave me. I will be fine waiting for them here.”
“What bewitchment have you placed on my Ulframs?” Draven asked as though he were ignoring her other words.
“Your Ulframs?” she mocked. “And here I thought these creatures were free.”
Draven’s jaw clenched, and he muttered a quick “Dammit” under his breath. “Dunthorne, Bael, go back to the kingdom and get a cart. I’ll wait with the Sun Queen and her horse. We’ll need one to get it out of here.”
“I don’t need your help,” she argued. “Lex will—”
“You’re hurt. Your Dreamer friends won’t make it back inside this Forest without certain death. And they’ll be four days away. You come with us, or you can thirst to death.”
She hated that he was right.
“You don’t have to wait with me,” she told him.
He ignored her and sat down in front of one of the trees, leaning his back against it. “Don’t think this is out of pity. I’ll not watch one of these Noctuans rob me of what is mine.”
A brow raised on his face. “Excuse me?”
“Your death,” he informed her. “Being the one to kill you. It’s been promised to me since we were children.”
“Perfect chance, Venari,” she said, opening her arms. “I’m hurt. Alone in your realm. Strike me down.”
He stared at her a moment, and then he shook his head. “Too easy. It’d be my luck you were faking this whole thing.”
“Oh yes. Faking my horse being hurt during the Dead Moons, surrounded by Noctuans, just so I can ambush you into a fight,” she smarted.
“Sounds about right.”
“No, itsoundslike you’re scared of me.”
His jaw tightened, and he gave her a full once over. “I’ll not pretend to know the secrets you keep. Especially with you so cozily sitting there with an Ulfram in your lap.”
Aydra eyed his deliberate gaze a moment, and she turned back to the Alpha.Is he always like this?she asked it.
My life is his. I dare not speak ill of him.
I didn’t realize Noctuans were so loyal.
“What was that?” Draven called to her.
“I did not say anything to you,” she replied. “You’re hearing things.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
THEY WAITED LONG enough in the dark for Draven’s men that Draven actually fell asleep against a tree, faint snores evacuating his body. Aydra could just see him from the firelight. Leaned back against the trunk, legs crossed in front of him, strong arms crossed over his chest… The peace on his features was something she’d not seen on him before.
Every now and then she would hear the crunch of leaves beneath feet that she couldn’t see, and the alpha Ulfram would growl in its direction, but never would it come so close to her that she could see it. And when she asked the Ulfram about it, she would tell her it was not her concern.
Her raven stood guard in the canopy above. Aydra’s eyes were threatening to close when she finally heard it tell her the Venari guard was coming.
Aydra turned to tell Draven his men were back, but when she turned, he was no longer sitting against the tree. She frowned into the darkness and turned back, only to find him crouched down suddenly behind her horse.
