AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She sighed as he continued walking. “It’s not that I wouldn’t try to. I genuinely don’t know if I could. I’ve never done that before.”
She received only a grunt in return. The two walked in uncomfortable silence as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. The appearance of Brado was a welcome sight as the last rays of the golden sun disappeared and the stars began their display.
Aiden shivered.
“Are you alright?” Tempest asked.
His words stuttered from between chattering teeth. “F-f-f-fine. Jus-s-st getting c-c-c-c-cold.”
While the temperature had dropped with the sun, it wasn’t cold enough yet to cause someone to shiver to this degree. Concerned, she placed a hand on his forehead.
“You have a fever.” She cursed herself for not noticing sooner. “You’ve pushed your body too hard for what it has gone through. Here, let me help you.”
Tempest moved to support him only to be shoved away.
“I said I’m f-f-f-fine.”
Shoulders slumped, Aiden pushed himself forward. Tempest followed close behind, catching him when he stumbled. While frustrated that he refused her help otherwise , she couldn’t help but be impressed at the resilience of this mortal. Especially when one took into consideration the pampered life he led.
It took three tries to find an inn that would take them. The first was full, while the second took one look at Aiden’s sickly disposition and refused. Their last option charged double for a small room in what Tempest guessed was a small storage shed behind the actual inn.
Aiden collapsed on a cot in the corner of the small adobe building. It was small and roughly circular in shape, its interior only lit by rays of light that peeked through the slits in the door. He immediately fell asleep. His breathing slowed, and his chest barely rose with each breath.
Grabbing a blanket from one of the piles in the room, Tempest draped it over him and quietly left in search of food. She ignored the tightening of her chest as she left him and entered the inn only a few feet away.
“Is your friend alright?” a large woman asked as she brushed crumbs from the apron covering her red dress.
“He will be. He was in the desert too long and needs food and water to regain his strength.”
The woman nodded. “Ah, that’s why he looked so bad. The desert can defeat the best of us.”
Something about the woman called to Tempest’s ability, but as she was already taking care of one mortal, she chose to ignore it. She followed the woman towards a counter, where a bowl of crusty bread, a bottle of herbed oil, and a jug of water were soon placed in front of her.
“Have you ever had a prickly pear?” the woman asked.
“It’s been a long time, but yes.”
Wrinkles appeared at the corner of her eyes as a warm smile spread across the woman’s face. “My sister’s husband grows them. They’re the sweetest you’ll find around here. Would you care for some?”
Tempest’s mouth watered at the thought of it. Setting three copper coins on the counter, she asked, “Would this be enough to cover it?”
The woman smiled. “The two of you look like you’ve had a rough go of it.” She grabbed two of the coins and tucked them in a hidden pocket of her dress. “Keep the other for another meal. The name’s Tavora. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, Tempest smiled. “Thank you.”
She loaded her arms with the food and headed back. She started to run as cries rang out from the small building where she’d left Aiden. The door slammed open as she entered, ready for a fight.
Aiden whimpered in his sleep and cried out again. She set everything down on the floor and closed the door before approaching his tossing form and reaching out.
As soon as she touched him, his hand gripped her throat. She pried his fingers far enough off her windpipe that she could breathe, but he didn’t release her completely.
“Aiden,” she squeaked.
His eyes opened but didn’t focus.
Tempest tried again. “Aiden, it’s me.”
His eyes locked with hers, but the person she’d found in the desert wasn’t there. The man looking at her now was ancient, deadly, and vulnerable.
