My stomach drops. That’s why he kissed me. Not because he wanted me, but he didn’t want me to die. “Thank you for saving me and Elizabeth.”
“You saved my selected. His name is Ayan, and he is with Elizabeth now, getting some wood for a fire because it’s going to be night soon.” He hasn’t moved, and something twitches against my stomach. I know what the something is, and I’m tempted to look. I’ve never been this close before.
But first, I should ask the important question. “Erm, why are you naked?” For the first time, I wonder if I should be scared of him.
The light in his blue eyes darkens. “I’m not going to hurt you in any kind of way.” There I go, showing my every emotion and feeling on my face. “You were freezing, literally to death, and the kiss doesn’t work like that. There was a chance you’d die, anyway. The easiest way to warm you up was body heat. I didn’t want to take all your clothes off without your permission, so this is the best I could do.” He pushes me back, pinning me down onto the floor with his huge body, and I have to force my eyes to stay on his face. “Now we are going to talk about why you keep trying to fucking die, Meredith Crone. You’re human, you knew you wouldn’t survive the river, and you still jumped in. My heart nearly fucking stopped when you jumped, and I wasn’t sure if I could find you. I had Ayan jump in with me to search, and I used all my power reserves to stop the river. That was dangerous and reckless, and brave. Don’t do it again.”
He sounds like he cares. I’m not used to it, and I don’t know what to say back.
“You’re the first man I’ve ever seen naked,” I blurt out instead of talking about feelings or asking if he cares. He already told me he only kissed me because of the healing kiss magic, not because he wanted me. I’ve been kissed before but not like that. That kiss will be drowned into my memory forever. “I mean, fully naked. I’ve seen men at the bar take their clothes off and get their cocks out for various reasons, like peeing or dares, but this is…” I’m rambling and I can’t stop. I need someone to slap me. “But you’re fully naked, and I don’t know what to think or say. I want to make a drowning joke, but I think it’s too soon.”
His eyes widen slightly as he reads between the lines of what I’ve admitted. I expect him to laugh at the fact I’ve not been touched at twenty years old, but that doesn’t happen. “You’re a virgin? How the fuck is that possible when you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” All the air leaves my lungs at his statement, at his compliment.I’m what?When I don’t answer, his eyes turn predatory as they drift over my face, his hand coming up to brush a lock of my gold hair aside. He tucks it behind my ear. “I’m extremely glad that I’m the first male you’ve seen like this. I’ll be the only.” He leans in close, and all I can think of is how he is stretched so perfectly against me. “Firsts are important, Mere.”
“So I’ve heard.” I gasp when he shifts his thigh slightly, and the friction against my core is just pure, blinding pleasure. It never feels that good, not even when I touch myself.
Orion ruins it.Bastard. “What the fuck have we just walked into?” His boots stomp on the leaves. “Because to me, it looks like Reed is trying to bed the human for a pity fuck because there’s no wolves around here that are actually worth fucking. This is what you’ve been doing for hours while we tracked you?”
“Careful how you speak to her.” Reed growls low, climbing to his feet, not giving one care in the world that he’s completely naked.
I see all of him, and my eyes widen into saucers. I was right. His cock isgigantic, and no female in history could ever manage to fit that inside her. It’s literally impossible. I’m not sure my hand would even fit around him. Tannith always said the bigger, the better, but I know I’d end up with internal damage trying to take any of that inside me. I also get a full view of his toned back, right down to his absolutely spectacular ass, before I blink a few times and tell myself to stop staring. He is so perfect, his skin so smooth and clear of scars. Not like me. I’m ugly under these clothes, covered in burns and scars. He wouldn’t call me beautiful if he saw. Reed starts tugging his trousers on as I sit up, hating the glares from Orion and Blackfire.
Blackfire snarls down at me. “She doesn’t even smell like our human now.” He turns to Reed. “She smells like you!” He turns back to me, his eyes almost turning from red to black. “You need to go wash his scent off you. Now!”
What the hell is wrong with him?I shake my head, standing up. “I’ve literally been in the river already. I’m not doing that.” I brush my damp hair off my shoulders. “Besides, Reed smells nice, like the sea, and I don’t mind it.”
Reed groans, muttering something about a part of him never going down now, and we all ignore him as they glare harder at me.Wait, Tannith.I search around for my bag, and Reed notices. “Your drake pet is fine. I made sure of it.” He nods over to where she’s lying, curled up in leaves. A bit of what looks like a ripped shirt is covering her. Reed’s shirt. He ripped it to make a blanket for her.
My lips tug up in a smile. “Thank you, Reed.”
Orion is in my face within seconds, grabbing my chin so I can’t move. His green eyes look like the pits of hell as he snarls. “Well done, Reed. I’m sure she will fuck you now because you looked after her little pet. Who the hell has a drake as a pet, anyway?”
Such an asshole. My eyes drift to Blackfire, who smirks. “It’s not her pet; it’s her friend. My uncle cursed her little friend to make her behave. The goddess marked her in a prison, where she was due to die. He knew she wouldn’t do shit for anyone, so he sent me to find out what she cared for. Turns out, only her friend Tannith. She has no one else.”
It stings because he is right. I only have her, and I’ve cursed her to this fate. I’m not strong enough for any of this.
“Ah, so finally you have something to lose.” Orion pushes me away and steps around me towards Tannith.
I throw myself in his path and push at his hard chest. “Don’t you fucking dare! She is the only family I have in this world, and I will die to make sure she lives! She isn’t like me or you. Tannith is agoodperson—kind and sweet. The sort of person who would give an eight-year-old girl she doesn’t know her only blanket because she was cold. Tannith deserves to live, and I will make sure of it.”
Orion laughs. “Make sure of it? Like you did for Elizabeth when you tried to kill me back there with the cat?”
“You did what?” Reed splutters, coming to stop Orion from getting closer to me, I suspect.
I roll my eyes. “I only pushed you into a hole. You’re so dramatic, Ori.” I did wish he had died, though. Luck is not on my side.
He snarls at my sarcastic nickname, but we are all distracted by a branch snapping. I look over, seeing Elizabeth holding a pile of logs. Her eyes widen. She takes in Reed, mostly naked, then Blackfire, and then Orion. Orion is so fast, and in seconds, he is in her face. Reed’s selected, Ayan, backs away with his hands in the air. I look at Reed. “Please stop him.”
Reed nods, and he goes to Orion, stopping him getting closer as Elizabeth is wrapped in vines. Water bursts out of the ground, swimming around the vines on Elizabeth and stopping themfrom getting tight enough to kill her. Does she have powers? I don’t know, but she doesn’t fight back. She stays still as the vines tighten around her body, and Orion shakes. “Tell me why you killed him! You fucking bitch!”
I stop in front of Orion, blocking his view of Elizabeth. “I know you have daddy issues, but you can’t kill her. She is my selected, and there will be a reason we have these selected in this horrid place. I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t kill her.”
Orion laughs in my face at my offer, and Reed tightens his grip on him, whispering something I can’t hear into his ear. Orion shakes his head. “Fine.” The vines drop from Elizabeth, and I run to her, helping her stand up on shaky legs. “You get one day, Elizabeth, and it’s only because Reed asked.” Orion turns his hateful eyes to me. “You can’t protect her forever.”
I can.I think it, but the words don’t come out; they stay frozen on the tip of my tongue. I want to scream them at him, with all the rage building in my blood. But he is right. I’m just human, and I’ve seen what he can do. Reed won’t be able to stop him forever, not in this place. There is only one thing for it: I need to leave with Elizabeth and get her somewhere safe where she isn’t threatened.
I need to leave them.
There’s a whoosh and a hiss in the air, and the sky seems to sparkle gold for a second. All four of us freeze, remembering that same sparkling dust as it slammed into our chests and marked all of us, except for Elizabeth and Ayan, who look around at the four of us, wondering why we have all gone still. All of our eyes drift up as that same gold dust falls from the very sky, like a star has exploded and fallen onto us. Right before my feet lands a letter made of gold paper, and it is glowing gold.
