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As the day quickly fell into night, Tzidal grabbed my elbow and helped guide me. I was struggling. Each step was more difficult than the last. We had agreed to keep moving for as long as possible, not resting until we absolutely had to. I was worried I’d shrivel back into my base form if I laid on the soggy ground again. And I didn’t want to admit how close to the end I had been. I could feel death’s steely breath on my neck, waiting to collect my soul as I clung to life in that cave. But I had no interest in crossing death’s gates just yet.
I was mortified Tzidal had seen me so vulnerable and ugly, but she was so tender. Touching me and soothing me when I knew for a fact anyone else would have run from the cave screaming at the top of their lungs.
The little wolf was also kind enough not to mention it once I regained my power, not asking any questions or mocking my withered form. No one had ever seen me like that before, but I had known other sirens that were forced into a weakness so great they lost their ability to project themselves. They were almost always beaten or killed for their unnatural appearance.
Tzidal was good, though, maybe even too good for her desired revenge. I had never met someone that crossed the line from kindness to killer, and I wondered if the air around her would taste different after she took Hida’s life. Assuming she was actually capable of doing it.
It wasmid-morning the next day when the exhaustion and pain started to rob me of my ability to walk straight. I curled tightly into myself, my spine arching and muscles pulling hard within my arms and legs. Each step took such strength, feeling like it might be my last.
Tzidal gasped and froze. I straightened as far as my body would allow and peered under my hood.
The sun.
I could see the sun’s rays dancing over the tops of the trees in the distance. We were near the border.
We were almost free of this tyrannical hell, and its stupid, fucking rain. I moved my feet faster. My comical, galloping shuffle made Tzidal laugh, and she quickened her pace to run next to me. My eyes stayed trained on the clear skies ahead as I pushed my body harder and faster, desperate for warmth and a nice, lively meal.
The Vaesen Forest
Joon
The secondI stepped over the invisible barrier, I ripped off my cape and shirt, allowing the hot sun to pour over my damp skin. My body hurt, and I yearned for sleep, but right now, I felt fucking alive.
We made it through.
I looked at Tzidal with a wide grin. She turned her face up, bathing in the warmth of the blessed sun. Lex slumped over on the ground, a chittering groan pushing from the lump within the cape. I rushed over and helped him up, pulling off the wet fabric.
"What the fuck?" I gasped, jerking back.
Lex looked much more fucked up than he had back at the cave. He had returned to the odd greenish-grey color, but unlike before, when he just looked like a smooth human-like being, this time his hands and feet were mangled. His fingers and toes were fused, giving them a claw-like appearance. He looked like something a warrior might trap and eat along the Northern Border.
"He's okay," Tzidal said, coming over to run her hands over the siren's exposed, leathery skin. "He just needs to rest, and he'll be back to normal."
We rolled up our capes and shoved them into my satchel. Then I pulled Lex into my arms. Thankfully, he was barely conscious, so I didn't have to suffer his fussy remarks.
I was looking forward to making camp. Even though it was still early in the day, and we could cover a lot of ground, we needed to rest, sleep, and eat.
My mouth watered at the thought of a large buck or a small bear, but I wouldn't be able to manage one of those in my current form. I would need to shift, but my wolf was still silent within me. I tried not to dwell on it and instead set off to make a few traps for some small game. A few rabbits or squirrels would do nicely.
I left Tzidal to tend to Lex and start a fire as I wandered out into the quiet forest. My senses were still dull. My ears were ringing from being forced to listen to the hammering of rain for days on end, and everything I sniffed was dim like my nose was stuffed full of cotton. All scent washed out and weak.
I made a few traps around some shrubs and thickets before heading toward a steep hill in the distance, wanting to get my bearings. Stepping over the crest, I looked out over the comforting forest. I had longed for familiar trees that grew upright and calm, blue skies, and wildlife that respected my kind as the superior beast.
Even without my wolf, I felt more like myself here than I had in weeks.
A grunt brought my attention to a dark figure at the base of the hill. I crouched down and narrowed my eyes. An Alpha in all black stumbled forward, tripping and falling over. He looked drunk. I smiled to myself and watched as he moved toward the city on the horizon.
In any other circumstance, I would have raced out and cornered him, fighting him off if he proved to be a threat. But my body was still weak, and the Alpha seemed worse off than I was, so I let him go. I patiently waited as he disappeared into the trees.
My mind wandered to Tzidal as I walked through the forest, checking over the area around us. She had done so well. She brought us through the cursed lands safely, and I couldn't help but be impressed by her strength and resilience. Even so, I was still worried about the Omega.
She was lucky we hadn't encountered anything bigger or more aggressive than a few fat lizards. Her small form wouldn't have lasted long against a real predator, but I could protect her now that we were on normal land.
My heart swelled at the realization that I did still want her. I thought perhaps my pull to her was pure instinct, my wolf feeling the natural urge to claim and keep an Omega. But my wolf was gone, and she still dominated my thoughts. I smiled as my mind drifted to the feel of her soft skin and sweet lips.
When this was all over, I hoped she'd be willing to let me take her completely. Mate her and love her. Spend our lives together the way we should have with our mates.
I stopped and leaned against a large spruce. I bowed my head, Fennah's beautiful face suddenly obscuring my view of a future with Tzidal. Guilt pierced my gut, and I let out a long, deep sigh.
