“She could use someone living with her. But what if Nurghle wasn’t safe outside the field? Or what if my Earth poisoning came back from not being here? Not to mention I just really fucking want to be here. It feels like where I belong.”
“You said you do this trip every few days?”
“Yeah.”Not frequently enough.
“In the rain… snow… storms?”
I frowned, realizing what he was getting at. “It’s not a big deal. I just bring her what I can to help her get by. And she doessomuch for me in return. I’d be lost without her.”
He stopped at the wheat border of my field. “You aren’t selfish, Vivian. Don’t tell yourself you are.” The words were blunt, as if it was that simple. “What does she need? I can help you carry it. My four hands are yours to use.”
I tried not to suddenly see my mysterious companion as a pack mule, but I couldn’t help it as my eyes roamed the sheer amount of carrying potential spanning his upper body. Ifanythingwas selfish, it would be keeping this blessing of a stranger to myself. If I was willing to accept hisunjustifiedhelp for my own needs, I should share with Ida.
“Food. Water. Firewood. Supplies from town.”
Ida was out of nearly everything that wasn’t forageable. Fabric, spices, soaps, cooking oil—all products that kept a home functioning.
He scratched at the large white scar on the side of his head. “Alright. I’ll go to town with you. Will your beast be alright without you for a couple of nights?”
I perked up. “He’ll be alright!”
“Okay,” he sighed, unhappy with my decision. “Just, for the love of all that is holy, don’t go around talking with people any more than you have to. We leave in two days. We go to town. We get what you need. We bring it back. Deal?”
The grin spreading on my face was borderline painful. I fought the urge to throw my arms around this man’s neck.This beautiful, generous man who poofed into my life from nowhere.
“Deal!”
“I’ll be back with wood,” he grumbled as we reached the wheat border of my field.
“Right.” I reached in my pocket. “Here, take the crystal.”
He stared at it, his arms not moving to retrieve the object from my open palm. “No, you keep that on you. I’ll get myself one when we’re in town.”
“You’re either bringing me or the crystal with you. It would majorly suck for me if you got eaten by the locals. I already went through that wholeguilt over your deaththing once. It really ruined my vibes last winter.”
His gaze flicked over my expression; eyes, the color of dark oak, standing out amongst the background of blue trees. It was as if a piece of an Earthly forest had rebelliously snuck its way onto this planet through him.
“Fine. Come, then. You should always wear that crystal.”
“Why? The field won’t let in anything that wants to kill me,” I mumbled to myself as I followed him.
What wouldreallybe safer is if he took the crystal and left me behind, but Theo clearly didn’t think so. This guy had a lot of “should”s floating around in that big head of his. As if everything was so black and white—right and wrong. I shouldn’t tell people about my demigoddess-ness. I shouldn’t go to town. Or criticize myself. Or be without my crystal. Did he hold himself to these same standards?
I watched the white scars marking his shoulders as he walked ahead of me. Maybe the answer to his weird caution was there. They branched out from the torn armholes of his shirt, the lines getting thicker and angrier as they disappeared under the fabric. Look at what this planet had done tohim, a male practically twice my size.
My mind wandered back to my dad. “You want to run away?You would trade your toys, bed, and playroom to be a street rat?The world would eat you alive, princess.”Little did he know whatworldI’d be up against.
I wasn’t helpless, though. I had managed to avoid trouble in the city by making good decisions—sticking to well-lit streets and populated areas.
I was confident in my street smarts, but this world was different. It was primal. Predatory. I was getting by here, but, the more injuries I discovered on the canvas of Theo’s body, the more I second-guessed my survival skills. What had donethattohim?
Crack.
The first axe blow to a nearby tree sent wood splinters exploding outward in every direction.
I watched in fascination as Theo struck the notch he’d made with practiced accuracy repeatedly, bringing down one of the younger—more manageable—pines in only a few minutes of work. Sure, the tree wasn’t quite as massive as the others, but it was still as wide as my waist. I was impressed.
“Can I try?” I asked once the rustling of branches had ended with one loud thud onto the ground.
