“I’m simply admiring what’s mine,” I smiled.
He huffed, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, half a smile he didn’t want to give me.
“Dangerous thing, to claim a monster,” he murmured, voice low enough to make me melt right on the spot.
“Dangerous thing to think you are one,” I shot back, but he didn’t answer this time.
The fog had continued to thicken until the world felt like a bruise, dull grey bleeding into darker shadows.
Lionel took the lead, considering that I sucked at map-reading, and I had already lost track of which direction was back and which was forth. It was like instinct to him; after only a quick look around he continued forward and we followed.
When Lionel called for a stop, even the trees seemed relieved.
We made camp in a hollow where the roots were thick enough to sit on and the air smelled like damp ash. The ground squelched underfoot, and the only light came from the flicker of my fire, hovering just above my palm. It licked at the mist, which swallowed most of it, making the glow soft and small.
“Creepy place for dinner,” Ashley said, dropping her pack with a thud. “Ten out of ten ambience. Would picnic again.”
Nate grinned, shaking sand from his hair. “Oh good, I’ll pack sandwiches for next time.”
Eve rolled her eyes, already unpacking the rations. “If you two start flirting again, I’m throwing myself into the nearest abyss.”
“You’d miss me,” Nate said, stretching his arms dramatically.
“Not even a little,” she muttered, but there was a tiny smirk there, one she tried very hard to hide by turning towards Lionel.
Lionel seemed to be deep in thought, but when Eve stepped closer to hand him a can, his fingers brushed hers, just barely. I didn’t miss the way she paused, or how he cleared his throat and pretended not to notice.
The group settled into its usual rhythm, boots slipped off for brief airing, soft laughter, the clatter of metal cups. For a while, it almost felt normal again. Until Malakai tensed beside me.
He was sitting on a log, staring into the fire like it held secrets he longed to uncover. His hands were steady, but too still. The faint shimmer under his skin, that subtle pulse of red, was brighter now.
I leaned closer. “How bad?” I whispered.
He gave a rough sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Manageable.”
“That’s not an acceptable answer.”
“I’m managing.” His eyes flicked to mine. They were darker than before, the crimson bleeding through like cracks in glass.
“Can I help? Do you want a bite?” I asked, tugging at my shirt’s collar teasingly.
His mouth twitched, trying to hold back a smile. “I thought we were supposed to fight against it, not lean into it?”
“It’s about surviving,” I reminded him.
“I’ll survive without it a while longer,” he decided. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll worry about my demon if I want to,” I shot back, and for the briefest moment his eyebrows rose as he looked at me genuinely surprised. Then an arrogant smile snuck in instead, evaporating all innocence on his face.
Before he could reply, Caleb’s voice cut through the silence. “Maybe thedemonshould sit a little farther from the rest of us if he’s that hungry.”
The warmth in the clearing disappeared instantly. Everyone froze.
Malakai didn’t move, didn’t even look up, but the air around him shifted, charged and sharp. I rose to my feet slowly, the flames in my palm trembling with my heartbeat.
“Caleb,” Lionel warned, low.
“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking,” Caleb said, resting his hand on his blade. “He’s been twitchy all day. You really think I haven’t noticed the red eyes? How long before he stops pretending to be human?”
