“Wait,” said Phlegmy. “Look—on the ridge. There’s somethin’ there.”
The one called Bean made a sound of distress. “You don’t think that’s…”
“Course it is,” said Phlegmy. “Itoldya I felt somethin’. It’s them.”
“You can’t know that,” Bean replied, but he sounded uncertain. “If the curse was broken, we’d see the keep there, right? Not just…whatever’s up there now. I can’t tell what it is, but I don’t see anything moving.” He paused for a second, then added much more confidently, “Besides, if those three knew how to break that curse, they’d have done it ten years ago.”
The voices were so close that I was shocked the men hadn’t seen me yet. I was tempted to open my eyes just a slit, but I was afraid that even the smallest movement would alert them to my presence. Theshivery-ness was rippling up and down my body now, still building, but the pain was manageable—for the moment, anyway.
And then a hand clamped over my mouth.
I couldn’t help it—my immediate reaction was to fight back. I writhed and bucked, despite the pain all over, until a weight suddenly came down on me and forced me to lie still.
I peeled my eyes open, and this time I was ready for the bright light of the sky overhead. There was a man lying on top of me, pinning me in place, and his hand was still pressed across my mouth.
And he smelled like cedar with a hint of citrus.
Alastor?
As if he sensed my recognition, he lifted his head, looking down into my eyes with acknowledgment. Slowly, he brought his free hand up and pressed a single finger against his lips, indicating that I should be quiet.
I nodded, and he lifted his hand from my mouth. But he remained on top of me, even as he turned his attention toward something up and past my head.
The two men were still arguing about what they could see on top of the ridge, as well as whether or not they should take a closer look. I lifted my chin, trying to follow Alastor’s gaze, but all I could see past my head were some very thick shrubs.
At least we’re shielded from view, I thought, though I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see what Phlegmy and Bean looked like.
In the meantime, Alastor’s current position was a little distracting—and not just because he was putting pressure on about a dozen different sore spots on my body. His intoxicating smell was almost dizzying this close, and the heat of his body made me all warm and tingly. That last, tender kiss on the brow he’d given me before stepping through the portal was recent enough that I could almost still feel it on my skin—or maybe that was just theshivery-ness again. Theshiverwas definitely tipping over into painful now, and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from moaning.
“If you’re so convinced it’s something, thenyougo up there,” Bean was saying. “I’m going back to our post.”
“Yer a coward, that’s what ya are,” Phlegmy grumbled moistly.
“And you’re a fool.” Bean spit. “I’m going back. You coming or you climbing up there?”
Phlegmy mumbled something unintelligible. But then both sets of footsteps retreated, back in the direction they’d come.
Alastor remained completely unmoving on top of me. My heart was beating so fast that I was certain he could feel it—and with a start, I realized that I could feelhis, thumping quickly but firmly in his muscled chest.
I’d never been this close to a man in my life—not close enough to literally feel his pulse against my body. It was strange, and beautiful, and mesmerizing in a way that momentarily helped me forget about all of my pain. I could sense my own heart responding to his, trying to fall into rhythm, and even though I didn’t particularly like this man, it felt like he was casting a spell over me, using his scent and his heartbeat to cloud my mind and put me completely at his mercy.
Almost the very same instant I noticed that, though, another feeling smacked me upside the head with a force that knocked me right back to my senses.
I didnotlike this man. He wasn’t evil, but he was a certified asshat, and I didnotwant anything to do with his heartbeat, now or ever.
I gave him a hard shove, and thankfully, he got the not-so-subtle hint right away. He raised himself to his hands and knees, still hovering over me but no longer touching. His eyes were watching the bushes just past my head, presumably making sure the two men were truly gone.
Finally, his gaze dropped to me once more. He gestured again that I should be quiet, then indicated that I should get up.
I did, gingerly. Every part of me ached, and my arms and legs shook from theshiverthat had taken hold of me. There were moderately deep cuts across my right palm from that shard of glass I’d used against the Tendrils, and even though the blood had mostly dried, I knew I’d need to deal with them sooner rather than later.
But I could move, and right now that was enough—even if I had to grit my teeth against the pain.
Now that I was standing, I could get a better look at the world around me. My vision was slightly blurry from all the aches and throbbings, but I could see that we were right on the edge of a forest—to my left, there were trees for as far as I could see, the shadows between them becoming darker and deeper the further you went, while on my right, everything opened up into a flat, grassy plain. Just across the plain, maybe a quarter of a mile away, the ground abruptly jutted upwards into a low, rocky outcrop. That must have been the ridge that the two men were talking about.
I squinted, trying to clear my vision, but even my eyelids were starting to shake.
Alastor’s hand came down on my arm. It was a gentle touch, probably just to get my attention, but it sent a fresh shockwave of pain all the way up to my shoulder.
