I put out the fire and slip out after him. “Which way should we head first?”
“Not sure it really matters.” He motions to the left. “I guess we’ll start this way.”
Hours pass as we walk aimlessly through the twisted forest. The fog finally lets up, allowing me to actually see where it is I’m stepping. By now, my body is exhausted from being on edge. Every muscle of mine is tense as the chilling sounds fill the night air. I suppose I should be happy we haven’t come across anymore monsters wanting to kill us, but that also means we haven’t come across any who might be potential allies.
“Do you think your father has already brought most of them to the realms?” I whisper to Ryder who is a couple of paces in front of me.
“I’m not sure.” He turns around to face me, but his eyes scan the area behind me. “It is weird no more have shown up.”
“I don’t like it.”
His watchful eyes dart down to mine. “I don’t either.”
As if we spoke it into existence, we hear voices in the distance. Ryder immediately grabs my hand and pulls me under a large, raised root that has formed a sort of horizontal shelter for us to hide under. Their voices grow louder as they close in on us. It’s hard to tell how many there are. At least three, maybe more.
“He’s back and this time he’s not getting away.” It sounds like awoman speaking.
Ryder wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into him so that every inch of my body is caressed by his. My heart rate quickens, feeling his chest muscles flex against my back as he holds me close. It’s so incredibly intimate. The only thing keeping me from falling into a guilt spiral is the fact that we’re only laying like this so that we don’t get killed. As far as excuses go, I’d say that’s a pretty good one.
“Do you think he’ll have the Verenite Stone with him?”
I turn my head to see if Ryder has put two and two together, but when I do, our lips almost touch.
“Serenities,” he whispers into the shell of my ear. His cold breath against my skin sends a shiver down my body that I’m sure he notices.
“If he does, we’re getting it before anyone else does.”
They’re so close now it sounds like they’re almost on top of us. Ryder moves his hand up to my mouth, covering it as his shadows crawl around me. Just like in the caves, everything goes completely black. If they were to look under the arched root now, they would only see a dark pit hiding beneath.
The seconds pass by so slowly that I’m not even sure time is still moving. All I can seem to focus on is the way my body fits perfectly into his. Unlike mine, I can feel his steady heartbeat thumping against my back. Its rhythm is calming in a way that could put me to sleep if our lives weren’t in danger.
Suddenly, I feel that part of him I shouldn’t even be thinking about, harden. It’s impossible not to notice it against my backside and I can’t stop the heat from rising. There’s nowhere for either of us to go. He’s as far back as he can go and I’m almost positive the Serenities are right outside of where we’re hiding. My heartbeat is so loud in my head that whatever they’re saying is completely muffled.
It's too much.I can’t push the heat down.
My skin is starting to glow, and I can’t stop it. I can’t quiet the wild desire I have to press myself against him. My lower half throbs with the need for release, but there’s nothing I can do. If it were any other creature, I would take my chances out there, but I’ve seen the Serenities’ magic and it’s too dangerous to risk getting caught. Each passing second, I feel my self-control slipping.
Ryder’s hand presses harder against my mouth and I’m not sure if it’s because he’s struggling as hard as I am to restrain himself or if it’s because my heat is burning into him. All I can think about is what it would feel like to have him. My body seems to be aware of every breath, every heartbeat, every movement of his. Every inch of him is touching me and it’s still not close enough. My self-discipline slips further as thoughts of us run wild in my mind.
I grip his thigh with my hand, desperately needing his cool touch, but the feeling of his muscles only makes my heat intensify. He moans when my nails dig into him and something about it makes me unravel with dark desire. One of his shadows crawls down my arm as if it were his hand. The cool stroke of it stops when it reaches the top of my hand and slips through my fingers, curling around them. I feel him bury his face into my hair and the deep breath he exhales sends a cold rush down the back of my neck. His shadows tighten around my waist and I reflexively arch my back, grinding my ass against the part of him that seems to be demanding my attention. Before I’m able to enjoy the feeling of him, it’s as if the whole world explodes.
The thick root that was our protection a moment ago has been obliterated, along with a giant patch of dark forest. Any trace of the Serenities is gone, and I know better than to assume they made it out alive. I’m still on the ground, taking in the view of the decimated woods, but Ryder is no longer behindme. Instead, he’s standing in the middle of the destruction with his back to me and his hands in fists at his sides. Whatever heat had taken over only seconds ago, has now dissipated as fear takes over.
His power is beyond anything I could’ve imagined. He had told me that my death made him disintegrate a mountain, but I thought he was exaggerating. I didn’t know anyone was capable of something like that and I certainly didn’t understand why my death would trigger such a response. It’s terrifying what he can do and yet, at the same time, it’s incredible.
I finally stand up and brush myself off, but Ryder remains unmoving. I stare at him for a long moment, wondering if I should approach when all of the sudden, I see an arrow sticking out of his back. My eyes find the Centaur at the edge of the leveled forest, readying another arrow. I immediately release my dagger and shoot a fireball in its direction. The dagger misses, but the fireball doesn’t. I send two more while it flails around and watch as the half man-half beast runs ablaze back into the part of the Dread Woods that has been untouched by Ryder’s power.
Panic clutches at my chest as I sprint to Ryder who seems to be in some sort of trance. His eyes are glazed over and it’s as if he doesn’t even realize he’s been hit.
“Ryder! Ryder!” I shake him furiously. “We need to get out of here. We’re too vulnerable.” He finally looks down at me and then at the arrow impaling him.
“Shit,” is all he says before turning around to head towards covered ground.
“Are you okay? We have to get that out of you,” I say, trying to keep up with him.
“I’m fine.”
When we get far enough into the tree line, I grab onto his arm and force him to face me. “Stop. Let me look at it.” He tosses his head back like I’m being dramatic but lets me assess the injury.
