“Don’t you dare get blood on my fur,” Mauro snapped.
“Mauro,” I chided. “He’s dying.”
“Will you quit saying that?” Theron barked. “I’m fine.”
Mauro huffed and knelt in the snow so Theron could climb on his back. “This is only because you fought to keep Snow alive.”
“He just didn’t want to break our bargain,” I grumbled, but at the look of agony on Theron’s face, something within me softened. Mauro was right—Theronhadprotected me. When I’d screamed as the creature drew closer, its rotten stench overwhelming me, Theron had assaulted it with a recklessness that had gotten him stabbed, skewered by the beast’s claws.
If the Demon Fae hadn’t been preoccupied with him, I wouldn’t have been able to deal the killing blow. I wasn’t sure what exactly he’d done to stun the creature like that—it had gone completely still, allowing me to make my move.
Whatever he’d done had saved my life.
And he had been prepared to face the creature alone while Mauro and I rode to safety.
Sure, the fae bargain might have claimed his life if he’d let me get hurt. But I wasn’t so sure. Theron had a haunted look in his dark eyes, something that told me he’d seen enough death in his life.
Perhaps he didn’t want to add mine to the list. At least not yet.
“Hop on, princess,” Theron said in a bored voice.
I eyed Mauro’s back uncertainly. I didn’t like the idea of riding behind Theron, but it was safest if my arms were around him, keeping him astride Mauro in case the hunter passed out.
With a sigh, I swung my leg up and straddled the stag, tucking myself against Theron’s back with my arms around him. He smelled of sweat mingled with Demon Fae blood, and that annoyingly charming scent of woodsy mountains.
“Don’t try anything,” Theron said over his shoulder.
I snorted. “Or what? You’ll bleed on me?”
“Injured or not, I can still best you.”
“We’ll see.”
“Oh shut up, both of you,” Mauro said, rising to his feet. Theron grunted from the shift, and I tightened my grip around him to keep him steady. “I’m surprised you’ve kept quiet about their bickering, Frisk. Usually you love a good banter.”
“Oh, I do love it, but I appreciate being a bystander,” Frisk said, his voice full of amusement. “These two will rip each other’s heads off before long. Can’t find better entertainment than that.”
I ignored them both. “Still with us, Kendra?”
The tiny dragon poked her snout out again. Her razor-sharp teeth were munching on something. “You’re right, Snow. These apples aredelicious.”
“Don’t eat all my damn apples,” I snapped, but I couldn’t hide the smile from my face as she disappeared in my pack, no doubt to continue eating.
I dug my heels into Mauro’s fur. “As fast as you can, Mauro. I don’t want to have to bury another body today.”
“You won’t,” Theron growled.
I said nothing. Theron couldn’t lie… but if he believed he would live, it wasn’t a lie.
He could still die from this.
And then, my whole plan would be ruined.
Mauro set off at a brisk speed, and Frisk became a white blur beside us as we took off through the woods.
I tried to keep Theron conscious by teasing him. I poked his arm every few minutes, earning a grumble or two, and mocked him for losing a battle with a Demon Fae, leaving afair princess to save his sorry ass. At first, he responded with his own barbed insults, but after a while, he slumped backward against me and fell silent. If he was still conscious, it was only just barely.
We were running out of time.
