Page 40 of Dark Fey Captive

I knew I could keep her safe, but would she be upset if I had to hurt a healthy human to do so?

The woman groaned again, watching me, confused. She did not know what to think of me other than that I was not prey.

“I am sorry I did not find you sooner,” I said to her even though I knew she did not understand me.

Once they were bitten, they turned stupid. No longer human.

As I removed her head so that she would not hurt anyone else, I hoped she was not one of Arena’s companions. I did not want Arena to blame me for only saving her that day. Yet, I did not think this was one of the three who had been with Arena. The strong swimmer had yellow hair. The two on the boat had light hair and brown hair. This female’s hair was black.

How many females were in this area?

I thought of my brothers and wondered how I could get word to them. If Arena was willing, I could carry her back with me. But it was still too cold to travel that far without a vehicle for her. And leaving her here, alone… I shook my head.

Hopefully, Belak would decide to come soon now that the female he had hoped to pursue was no longer speaking to him.

I carried her outside and left her a distance from the door.

Wanting to return to Arena, I hurried back to the new house to check the temperature. It was still too cold for her inside, despite the fire, but she would have me to keep her warm.

I turned on the water and let it run for several minutes before washing with it. This house did not have everything Arena had asked for yet, but I did not want to wait any longer. The sun was already climbing higher in the sky.

Jogging back down the same main road, I debated whether to move her.

Moving would take her farther from the water and her friends if they returned.

Staying would delay giving Arena some of what she asked for. No warm baths. No sense of security. I could still gather supplies for her and put them in another room. But I doubted that was what she wanted. Females liked cozy homes where they could walk around freely without worry of infected.

Moving would give her that—safety from infected.

But what about from other humans?

Still torn between which was the safer option, I took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Distracted, I opened the door without knocking.

Arena screamed.

The can of soup in her hand went flying into the air. The contents spattered the bed and the floor before it landed. I barely noticed that.

My attention was on Arena.

Dressed in several warm layers, she sat on top of the covers, a circle of empty wrappers around her. She had eaten all of the chocolate and the chips.

Hand pressed to her chest, she glanced down at the wrappers. Guilt filled her gaze when it met mine.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d eaten so much.”

“Do not apologize, my Arena,” I said, trying not to show how excited I was by what I was seeing. “Are you close to your period? Do you need pain relievers? Chips? A breast massage?”

I hoped she would say yes to the last question.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ARENA

Nav had broken my brain again.

My Arena?

He’d said it like it was an endearment. Trying not to panic, I told myself it was a good thing. If he was thinking of me as his, then he wouldn’t be thinking of anyone else, right?