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Axel was there, at the cave entrance, sitting on a rock staring at the ground, his hands pressed together and his knuckles white.
Upon hearing me, he lifted his head. His eyes were dark, angry, and sad. They brightened just the tiniest bit upon seeing me, but his jaw was set in a very firm line.
“Where have you been?” he growled, and I could sense danger radiating from his every pore. I bit my lip, trying to come up with some sort of explanation for leaving the caves, but I couldn’t. In all honestly, I knew it had been my restlessness and my insatiable curiosity and my need to know more. Without a doubt, that wasn’t going to be enough for him.
No matter what I’d found out.
His expression screamed consequences.
And I didn’t know if I was ready to pay them.
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to have a choice though. I took a step back as his skin rippled red and I held my hands up in front of me.
“Axel, we hadn’t had any sign of Saleos in days. I didn’t go far,” I said softly.
He hissed in my direction, his upper lip curling up in the form of a snarl. My eyes opened wide in fear. He tore his eyes away from me.
“I smell him all over you. He found you and I wasn’t there to protect you,” he growled. I watched as his chest rose and fell with the effort to hold himself back.
His skin tempered in color once again.
The darker it was, the more danger I was in.
“He let me live. I’m still alive,” I whispered, trying to quell his anger.
He looked me dead in the eyes.
“At what cost?” he asked, the chill in his voice unsettling.
I couldn’t answer him. I wouldn’t. I’d figure some way out of my predicament myself. I didn’t need to drag him into it. There were other things I needed to tell him.
He lifted his arm and pointed inside.
“Go. I’ll be in to punish you when I can gather my senses,” he said, and I shivered. I stood still, watching him for a long time. As much as I wanted to run, I still needed him. I needed his protection and his guidance out of this place. I needed him to escape back into the real world where it was safe and disappear to a place where Saleos would never find me.
I ducked my head and went inside, wrapping my arms around my chest.
I followed the familiar paths, winding my way down into the cave to the familiar cavern where the fire was still burning dimly. I distracted myself by stoking it and adding some wood to the still red embers. When I was finished, and the flames were burning hot, I sat down on the blanket-covered rock nearby.
I waited. It was a long time before he came inside. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I could imagine it wasn’t going to be good for me. I’d disobeyed him directly and I’d seen the disappointment on his face, but there had also been fear.
Enough for me to begin to feel guilty for what I’d done.
I picked up a stick and resituated the wood on the fire when I heard him move into the cavern. I felt his presence behind me as he brushed my hair to the side.
His palms felt hot on my skin as he squeezed my shoulders.
“He could have killed you,” he whispered.
“I know,” I replied softly, my voice a bit shaky.
“Tell me why he didn’t,” he said calmly, his grip on my shoulders tightening only the slightest bit.
I was quiet for a long time.
“I made a deal with him and I walked away with my life and my body intact. That’s what’s important,” I answered.
“Cosima Rose,” he warned. I knew he wanted to know more, but I didn’t think he’d be pleased with the deal I had wrought. I swallowed anxiously.
