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Chapter 17
“My ears are popping like crazy,” Flare said,
I glanced over my shoulder, catching him wriggling his forefingers in his ear as if cleaning it.
“Mine, too,” I added, ducking a low-hanging branch on the narrowing path, guiding us into much rockier terrain, where one wrong step might be our last.
Having lived on the lower plains of Tritonia, I wasn’t used to the elevation in Wildfire, either, and my ears crackled and popped. Several hundred feet above us, the dragon kingdom loomed, awaiting us amongst the clouds. Castles carved deep into the mountains overlooked lush valleys full of orchards, forests, lakes, villages, and plantations. At that thought, claws scratched at my heart.
Last time my father and I had ventured here, I had gotten a rotten earache and the flu. The dragon king had refused us passage to leave until I was well again. He was kind like that. I longed to see him again. My mind cast back to one of my first few visits, during which he’d set me on his knee and had told me tales of dragon battles with evil characters that had threatened Wildfire. Oh, how those stories seemed a terrifying reality now.
We’d been climbing the rocky path for over half the day, leaving the resistance far behind us. That little reminder made me wonder what Grimm would do. Send a search party out to find us? Retrieve us and send us back? Or would he leave us to our own devices? Endless possibilities twirled in my mind, clouding it, and I pushed them aside to concentrate on the mission at hand.
The afternoon sun beat down on us, and despite the blustery winds pummeling us, I wiped sweat from my brow. Soon, the beautiful orb would dip below the horizon, shrouding us in icy temperature, leaving me clinging to the cape I’d tucked in my satchel.
Every part of me ached, demanding a rest. My body wasn’t used to all the exercise. I struggled to maintain Phantom’s pace, where two of my steps equaled one of his. Damn him and his strong and fit legs, and my weak skiiny ones.
The same went for the other panthers. Each time I fell behind, they slowed, waiting for me to catch up, closing the distance between us.
My breaths came ragged and fast. A burning crept through my lungs and into my muscles before settling into my hips. Hands clamped to my aching sides, I massaged my waist, but it didn’t ease the pain.
I stumbled on some loose rocks, and they tumbled over the edge, clacking as they struck more stone on the way to the bottom.
Phantom grabbed my waist to steady me. That simple touch sent a trickle of energy through me. Ever since meeting him, my mind had been a tornado of confusion. I wrestled with my attraction to him, trying to keep my distance, frightened of him getting any closer, yet not wanting separation to exist between us. Twisted, I knew. Especially when I fought the same feelings for Shadow.
“Can’t you see she needs a rest, pup?” Shadow shouted from behind.
Phantom examined me with worried eyes. “Come sit, Snow,” he said, doting on me, his touch light on my elbow as he helped me take a seat on a large rock.
My heart fluttered like a bird’s wings. I wanted his touch more than I wanted a drink of water.Sea God!Where were these feelings stemming from? I hardly knew him. Or Shadow, for that matter. Yet both of them stirred unfamiliar and inescapable emotions within me. They had me doing crazy things, like running from the safety of the resistance, to be alone with them. Had me putting myself at risk by being out here in the wild, where hunters tracked me and might show up at any moment. Puzzled by my clouded judgment and pure stupidity, I took out my leather canteen and swallowed a few sips of water.
The other two panthers kept their distance, resting against the rocky wall of the mountain. Flare glanced down at the forests stretching halfway up the mountainside.
“Lunch?” Phantom asked the group.
We all nodded.
I slid the satchel off my shoulder and removed the canteens. With each step, the bag seemed to gain more weight, and my shoulder ached from carrying the damn thing. I tossed Shadow and Flare the drinks, and they gladly accepted, emptying at least half the liquid in a few gulps.
Phantom grabbed the loaf of bread, his smile stripping away my pain as he split the loaf into quarters and gave me the slices to butter. Instead of watching the task at hand, I stared at him. In my distraction, I accidentally stabbed a slice right through and jabbed myself with the tip of the knife. His laugh sent shivers through me as he finished the job for me and then cut up the cheese. Floating with dizziness, I marveled at the ease and confidence of his motions. My gaze trailed after him as he passed the goods out to the rest of the group.
“Thanks, pup.” Flare’s usual hostility had vanished, and he accepted his food with a grateful smile and a nod.
Amazing how a hungry stomach transformed a person.
His anger seemed to have transferred to Shadow, whose tight face and refusal to accept Phantom’s offering spoke of a brewing contempt. He only begrudgingly welcomed the snack when Flare threatened to snatch it for himself. With each bite, he glared at Phantom, watching his every move, as if Shadow didn’t like the younger panther’s presence in the group.
What possible reason could Shadow have for being annoyed with Phantom? Had something happened back at the resistance after I’d left the panthers to get the food and mirror? Phantom seemed the laidback type, the kind who’d get along with everyone, the extrovert who liked to party and who would ensure everyone else around him was having a good time. At least that was my experience with him. The other day in the infirmary, I’d sensed some tension between the two panthers, but I’d thought it was because Shadow had been disgusted with Phantom, his fellow panther, for siding with me.
Phantom either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the hostility directed his way. Instinct had me tense as he took a seat beside me and started on his piece of bread. But his confident smile flooded me with relaxation and the sense I could trust him.
Flipping hell,he was handsome. The way the sunlight brightened the gold tint in his brown hair. How it made his golden skin glow and brought out the lighter hues of ochre in his eyes.
I stuffed the bread into my mouth before it fell open again. Moment by moment, I felt my attraction to him build, clashing with my desire for Shadow. Did their animal instincts allow them to sense my inner conflict? Was that the source of their tension? Did Shadow desire to be by my side like I yearned for him, for them both, to be by mine?
Curse those wretched collars! I ripped off a piece of bread and tossed it at the ground. Maybe I’d mistaken his loathing for me for something else. Back in the cell, when I’d brought him dinner, he’d asked if Phantom was my boyfriend. Was he jealous of Phantom? Surely not. Just a few days ago, he’d attacked me in the forest, suggesting he’d felt betrayed by me, even if he’d been under the witch’s control.
Yet after the damage I’d done, Shadow had still shown me compassion several times, telling me to stay away when the collar had overpowered him. He wouldn’t have done that unless he’d feared what he might do to me. He’d demanded Grimm release me from the cell when I’d started to panic. If Shadow hadn’t cared, he would have let me starve for my next breath.
