He’d regret that challenge. Somehow.
24
More souls popped onto her radar, and she could hear gasps and feet crunching and way too much silence for a collection of bodies. He hadn’t been lying. Six of them came up to greet him. Adding to the previous four, that made ten in all.
She dangled uselessly off Tarian’s back, figuring she might as well take a page from his book andleaninto it. Her arms dangled and so did her head, letting her hair rain down the back of him. Blobs of color entered her limited field of vision, and she closed her eyes against it. She could feel the souls. She knew they were gathering around to take a gander at what he carried in.
His toy, ladies and gentlemen, that was what. His fun little plaything. What joy.You’re allmiserable wretches. I hope every last one of you gets foot fungus and dies from complications.
Someone spat out laughter and another chuckled. She did not see the humor in this situation.
The material under Tarian’s feet changed from dirt to something like sand. Something soft that made him limp more. Then a crunch, like gravel or rock. They’d clearly doctored up this homestead. Next his feet thumped on something like wood, hollow like a porch. Metal hinges creaked and cool air greeted them. She shivered against the change but sighed in relief. Her body didn’t realize this was a safe haven, but her mind did.
“Here we go.” He lowered, his knee hitting the ground and his hands braced against her back. He pulled her away, and she opened her eyes, but it was awkward looking at someone when you couldn’t see details. “Here. Here’s a bed. Lie down. I’ll get you some water.”
The image of the room filled her mind. Wood slats for walls, something like a dresser along the side, and two small windows. The bed right behind her took up almost all of the leftover space, about the size of the one in the shack they’d slept in last night. Apparently, they’d be sharing again.
“We don’t have any extra lodgings,” he said as he poured water. “You are welcome to sleep on the floor, but without a rug, it won’t be very comfortable.”
“Quite the gentleman,” she said sarcastically, andsat down on the edge of the bed. Her entire body sagged in fatigue.
“I never claimed to be one. Besides, it wasn’t just me scooting closer last night.”
“Yes, it was. I was on my side of the bed, where I started,” she said in a haughty tone.
“Hmm.”
She felt his soul approach and opened her eyes when he neared. Around the throbbing lightning blob taking up most of her vision, she made out the definition of his hand and took the glass of water. Her head throbbed. “Thanks.”
“Drink. I’ll get more. Niall is readying food, and Kalia is preparing something you can wash with. We’ll look for some suitable garments from the females. I’m sure someone has something that will fit you.”
She drained the glass and waited patiently for him to keep refilling until she didn’t think it was wise to drink any more. He placed a damp cloth against her forehead and lingered for a moment, trailing his fingers down the side of her face to rest on her shoulder. Even though she had a continual desire to punch him in the face after his little stunt, the smooth sensation of his touch was more blissful and soothing than the cloth. She felt her muscles unwind.
“I’ll be back shortly with food. Rest. We’re safe here. Each of these little dwellings has its own ward. Once it is set, it’ll keep anything and everyone out. I’lldo it when I return. All you have to do now is rest until dawn.”
“And then?”
He paused. “We’ll worry about that when we need to.”
The door closed softly behind him, and she slipped the damp cloth to her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the headache pound.
Then they would be heading to the Obsidian Kingdom, of course, where the next phase of her journey for survival would begin. Brawn and her sword wouldn’t get her through that one. Or not only those things. Cunning and treachery, too. It would be cheating and politics. Demigod Kieran had started training her for that at age fifteen. She’d shown a knack for it at the very first Demigod convention where she initially met Tarian. She’d been studying it ever since, helping where she could, sitting in on meetings whenever they would let her. She found it fascinating. Intriguing. Fun, even.
But these past few years, it had always been Kieran and Lexi who’d been playing for keeps. Now it would be her, and she didn’t have a team to advise her. She’d be playing solo and seeing how she stacked up against the fae.
She startled awake.The room lay dark and still around her. A strange feeling skittered across her skin.
A look beside her and Tarian wasn’t there. He’d come back with food some time ago, when the sun still illuminated the shades he’d pulled, but left again to give her some privacy to wash up. He said he’d be back after he discussed some business with hisFallen. There was no telling how long ago that was.
She felt worlds better. Her headache was only a dull throb. She was still tired, needing more sleep and soon maybe more to eat, but she felt mostly normal.
She sat up, that strange feeling unsettling, like something wasn’t quite right. Then again, whatwasright? She was a captive in a strange land with an uncertain future. Still…
She squinted in the low light, the murky darkness hinting at unseen horrors. Magic curled and twisted all around her,thrushingin the quiet space. Or was that her imagination?
The floor was cold on her feet as she crossed the room and pulled back the shade. The soft glow of moonlight fell across her skin and the fabric slip Tarian had given her to wear. Darkness shifted around the trees and bushes not far away. It blanketed the grassy plain.
Nothing moved out there in the night. Unlike earlier, when she’d been washing, dressing, and eating, there weren’t any strange calls or odd-sounding birdsong. No creatures skittered through thebrush. Currently there was nothing. An absence of sound, it felt like. Like everything in the area had taken off.
