Inside the cover of a cave, he could light a proper fire to warm them up and wouldn't have to struggle to erect that blasted lean-to again. It really was a blessing.
Fighting with renewed vigour, they arrived at the dark mouth of the cave quickly. He slipped Lori from his shoulder into his arms.
“Are you going to carry me across the threshold likenewlyweds?” She teased, throwing her arms dramatically around his neck.
Lephas rolled his eyes and released her, carefully placing her back on her feet. “You're ridiculous. I need to make sure there's no one else in this cave before we hunker down for the night.” “You're no fun!”
“Stay here,” the demon instructed and cautiously stepped into the cave entrance with his hand resting on his sword’s hilt. He had to stoop a little to get in, but as he shuffled deeper the cave widened and allowed him to stand easily.
So far so good. He scanned the floor of the cave for droppings or any other signs of animal activity. It was dark and gloomy but Lephas, like many demons, had good night vision.
The narrow entrance opened up into a large cavern. Daylight speared in from a crack in the high ceiling above, perfect for ventilating the smoke of a fire. Lephas couldn't believe their luck.
He scouted around the cavity. There were animal bones littered across the floor – lots of them – but they were old and bleached. A faint pungent musky smell hung in the air.
Bears. He would recognise it anywhere.
Lephas cautiously glanced around for more clues.The floor of the cave was covered in thick dried ferns and plant life that the bear had dragged in for bedding. It was undisturbed and had been vacant for some time.
The cave was unoccupied but it had once been the cosy den to a bear – a large one, judging by the bone size of the prey it had carried back here with it.
Lephas would have to keep his wits about him. Where there was a den, albeit old and unused, there were always bears.
He walked back out to the entrance.
“It's safe, come on.” He gestured Lori inside and she followed him eagerly.
“Wow, it's huge back here,” she exclaimed as he led her into the cavern.
“Plenty of space to light a fire and camp up for the night,” Lephas agreed with a relieved sigh. The dried foliage the bear had used for bedding would make lighting a fire easy. It was just what he needed after an arduous day.
The pair didn't waste any time settling in. Lephas quickly unbuckled his sword and got to his knees. He carefully assembled a fire, making sure to brush the plant life away to a safe distance.
Lori started unpacking their belongings. She laid the travel mattress down just away from the fire and placedthe woollen blanket, still folded, at one end.
“I need to get about twenty or so small rocks to surround this fire, just in case it has any ideas of spreading.” Lephas said, brushing his hands off and preparing to get to his feet.
“You stay here, I'll get them.” Lori offered, striding away to the cave's entrance.
“Are you sure, I don't–”
“You look exhausted, you need to rest,” she interrupted. “There were plenty of rocks just outside, I won't be long.”
Lephas felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. Since when hadshestarted taking care ofhim? He watched the faerie's small frame exit the cave.
The girl continued to surprise him at every turn. Though there was no doubt she was completely clueless about survival, he had to admit she wasn't the prissy princess he had expected. Lori had generally mucked in with him as much as she had been able to, assisting with anything he asked.
The only thing he'd actually seen her shy away from so far was that rabbit. He smirked.
The commander got to his knees, removed his gloves and untied the second rabbit from his pack. Seeing as his partner was out collecting rocks for him, he figuredhe might as well start dressing the rabbit.
His partner?Lephas shook himself. For possibly the thousandth time that day, the demon's thoughts turned heated.
He could no longer deny his interest in the princess and she had made her attraction for him more than clear – hell, she had out and out offered to sleep with him. The demon’s stomach churned.
He had never been any good at reading 'the signals' from women and he appreciated her straightforward nature, but he hadn't been lying when he had told her he wasn't used to it. Lephas had never met a woman who had been so upfront and bold with her intentions. It was ironic really, as Lori clearly wasn’t sexually experienced.
He could have sex with her tonight if he wanted, he realised with a start.
