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I have a feeling he means more than just the deer.
He’s talking about us.
It’s then I realise we are close, our heads bent together so as not to spook the deer, and my hand is still in his. I turn slightly in his grip, and his head tilts farther down, his horns pressing to my hair. His black eyes search mine for something as his tail wraps around my leg as if to keep me close to him. His clawed hands grip my hips as his lips purse.
My eyes drop to them, wondering if he is going to kiss me.
I want him to.
He starts to lean in closer, and I shift closer as well. I want this, it was inevitable. The air around us vibrates with our need for each other. Our differences do not matter anymore, only our similarities.
Our need for each other.
His lips are about to touch mine when a loud horn splits the air, making me jump back. I watch the deer bolt, and my eyes go wide as Akuji moves before me, his hands raised and his claws ready as he tilts his head to listen. The horn sounds again, and he looks back at me.
“What is it?” I ask, reaching for the blade given to me by Roroak.
“Someone is at the wall.”
TWENTY-ONE
AKUJI
We are too close to ignore the call. Grabbing my human despite her protests, I start to run to the wall, but at the border of my lands, I realise it’s at the south entrance, somewhere I can’t go. Cursing, I throw Aria onto my back and start to climb. She gasps and slides her arms around my neck, her legs circling my waist tightly, but I would never let her fall. At the top of the crumbling building, I hold her to my chest as we peer over the edge.
“What are we looking for?”
“Shh,” I murmur into her ear. “If they see us here, we are in trouble. These are not my lands, after all.”
She nods her understanding, seeking comfort or maybe shelter against my body. Wrapping my arm around her, I hold her tight as I scan the decayed ruins below. We know of every weakness within the wall, the small hole my Aria came through being the exception, one I never told anyone about. The south entrance is an old bridge. The river dried a long time ago, meaning the embankment leads to the wall, where the builders left a door to get in and out—a door the darklings control.
I see them hiding in the darkness, catching only glimpses. They are good, almost as good as my warriors and in some ways, better. They are more feral, however, and filled with hatred. It’s what drives them, not friendship or love.
They are closer to the rage that consumed our people back then than any other. “See them?” I ask, and she shakes her head, so I turn her to the left. “There, amongst the rubble, is one.” She gasps, and I point out a second hiding within a fallen plane, and a third in the window of a building. “They are waiting for their prey to come in.”
“Humans,” she whispers.
I nod, but I won’t lie to her. “We should go,” I murmur. Whatever is going to happen won’t be good, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Aria just began to trust me, and I don’t want our relationship ruined because of this tribe.
“No, I need to see this,” she whispers and looks up at me. “I can’t promise it won’t affect me, but…I need to see.”
I am unable to deny her anything. I jerk my head in affirmation and hold her close, knowing I could lose her again soon. I will let her go if I have to. I don’t want her to fear me, to hate me, but she is right—she needs to see this. We are enemies, and if the humans are soldiers marching in here to steal more of our own or kill us, they will be dealt with.
We are from different worlds, my little human and me, and it seems they are finally clashing together. When the sparks of the collision disappear, will she still be here?
I hope so. With everything inside me, I hope so.
The call comes again, lower, deeper, and in quick succession. They are close. Then, all is silent as they wait for the humans to approach. What fools decided to come in at night? I must say it out loud, because she says, “It makes no sense. Everyone knows to avoid the wall, especially at night. Unless…”
“Unless?” I prompt.
“Unless, like me, they want to escape something. They are running.” She stares up at me, her eyes wide. “It’s not soldiers, it’s a scared human trying to find sanctuary.”
My gaze goes to the wall as my heart stops, but it’s too late to call out, not that the other tribe would listen, but Aria’s theory is proven right when the door swings inwards. They left it unlocked. Fuck.
A woman.
She stumbles through and slams it behind her before pressing her back against it. Her chest heaves as she pants, her face red from exertion. She scans the area with wide eyes and adjusts the bag slipping down her arm before looking at the door for a lock. When she doesn’t see one, she stumbles away, clutching a crumpled notebook in her hand. She’s smaller than Aria and curvier, with big, bright eyes and bright hair. She stands out, and judging by her shaking body, she is not a warrior.
