He set a few metal traps he’d brought with him to hopefully get some fresh meat for the morning, but he wasn’t very optimistic. Still, the more he could get, the easier it would be on their food stores and reduce the need for trips into villages for more supplies—something which would be increasingly dangerous the closer they got to Occidens—so it was worth a shot.
He was getting close to their camp when hisvenatorpicked up Cris and Ena’s voices, and something about their tone made him pause.
Looking through the trees, he spotted them. The light was dim, so they couldn’t see him, but with his Gift, he could make out their faces clearly.
They were sitting together on a downed log by the fire—closer than he would’ve liked—and Cris was staring at her. He paused for a second, knowing that he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but…a larger, pettier part of him didn’t give two fucks at all. He wanted—no,needed—to know what was going on between them, so he continued to listen.
“—was thinking you should sleep in my tent tonight,” Cris was saying. “I can keep it warm for us, and it’ll help with your healing. Besides, there’s plenty of room.”
“Oh,” Ena replied, her voice hesitant and almost…disappointed. “Yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense.”
Now she was gonna sleep in his tent? Ty’s heart plummeted. No. No, she couldn’t do that.
But she could. Of course she could. She wasn’thisanymore. She owed him nothing.
Fuck, this was brutal. He briefly considered not listening anymore, just to spare himself any more pain, but he couldn’t stop.
“You seem hesitant. Why is that?” Cris asked, not unkindly. “Are you…with one of those guys?”
“No,” Ena replied. Did her voice sound sad? “Not anymore.”
“But you were?” Cris prompted.
“Yes,” she said simply, her voice indicating that she didn’t want to talk about it.
Cris was silent for a second, and Ty was glad for it. The way Ena’s voice sounded talking about all this…he felt an echoing ache in his own chest.
“You know, I lied before,” Cris said when he finally spoke again.
“About what?” Ena asked, her voice confused.
“About why I decided to come,” Cris said. “Part of me came along to help, and because of course I believe you, about everything you said. But…it was also because of you. To keep you safe.”
“Cris…” Ena began, her voice sympathetic.
“Ena, I don’t know if I trust these daemons,” he said, interrupting her and lowering his voice to a whisper. “I mean, that Turner guy seems alright, but the other one? He’s menacing as shit. I didn’t want to leave you alone with them.”
“You can trust him,” Ena said, her voice imploring. “I promise you can. He just…he has his reasons for being that way.”
“Okay, if you say so,” Cris replied skeptically. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I was so worried when you were taken at Samhain, and I haven’t heard much since then.”
“I’m fine, I promise. I’ve been fine,” she said.
“Really?” Cris asked, looking down at her still-healing wrist.
“Yes,” she insisted. “Aside from that, it’s been…good for me. It’s been an adventure,” she replied, a small smile in her voice.
“You? Overly cautious Ena on an adventure?” Cris teased.
“Yes, asshole,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder. “Believe it or not, I think I’ve…changed. Or at least, I did, for a little while,” she said, seeming introspective. “Then something bad happened,” she added, gesturing at her hurt arm again. “And now I’m just…feeling kind of lost again.”
Cris nodded, like he was trying to understand. “Well, what about Greya and Heran? Do they know about any of this?”
Ena shook her head. “Not all of it, not yet.”
Cris scooted closer to her, and reached out to put his arm around her, making her raise her gaze to his. “Well, I’m here now,” he said. “And I can help protect you.” Leaning forward slightly, he bent his head as if to kiss her.
Ty froze—his heart absolutely wrenched from his chest as he watched the man move towards Ena. His blood began to boil, and he involuntarily moved to run—to stop them, to grab Cris and kick the ever-loving shit out of him—but then Ena pulled back, moving away from the intended kiss.
