AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“All right,” he whispered as he rose and stepped away from me. I breathed in the mossy, decaying smells of the forest and it cleared my head from the spell he cast on me. “I’m afraid we only have two tents.”
I stood. “Oh. That’s okay. I can sleep…” I’d meant to say, ‘out here.’ But that comprised sleeping on piles of leaves and sticks with a chilling wind and nothing but darkness and the haunted moon as companions.
“Please sleep in my tent. If it would make you more comfortable, I can sleep out here.”
“No, I can’t ask you to sleep in the elements while I take your bed.”
“It would be fine.”
“I’ll stay outside.” A shiver of revulsion skittered down my spine, but I forced my voice to firm up. “I don’t mind.”
He dragged his fingers back through his hair. “Would you join me? I can assure you, I’ll behave honorably. And it’s not like we’ve never been in a room alone together.”
His tone held a lilt of teasing in it, and I released a nervous laugh. “I don’t know—”
He reached out and curled his fingers around my elbow, and my words froze in my mouth, jumbles of verbs and nouns that stuck behind my teeth the way I held my song in. The want of them to fall out sat there, but I swallowed it back. “Please,” he said with the same tone he’d asked me not to leave earlier. “You’re safe with me.”
My heart galloped, and I had nothing to blame it on this time but his intense gaze, bitingly sweet smell, and steadying hand. “Okay,” I squeaked, my head too clouded to form another reply.
He nodded, but his hand lingered for a moment before he pulled back. As soon as he did, my anxiety crept up again. I’d just agreed to spend the night in a tent no bigger than a bed with this man. This man who made it where I couldn’t think straight. Perhaps God punished me for running off from Mother and our group. Maybe I’d found a siren of my own to lead me to destruction.
He turned and walked towards the tent.
I followed.
After ducking through the entrance, we stood in a space scarcely large enough to fully stretch out in. A pile of blankets took up the center over a rug. Sai gestured to them as he pulled his shoes off and removed his jacket before draping it over his pack in the corner. I removed my shoes but took nothing else off. I wouldn’t undress in front of a stranger.
I dropped to one side of the tent and pushed my legs under the blankets, my dress crinkling and dragging up. I yanked the skirt down and moved over to the edge of the tent. Sai lowered beside me, the quilt rising and letting cool air slip back in before he settled. He didn’t touch me, but the warmth of him blossomed between us.
I sank farther against the rug and cursed myself for agreeing to this. God, what if he removed his shirt… or more. I didn’t think I could handle more. My heart lodged into my throat and pattered there. I couldn’t decide if it was more from anxiety or desire. Or which of those two would be most dangerous.
Hours seemed to pass before I finally fell asleep.
When I did, I eased into a night of no dreams, fears, or worries. Nothing but restful sleep like I hadn’t had in years.
I woke to warmth. It was a struggle to peel my eyes open. I wanted to stay wherever I was forever, tucked under the blissful weight of silky covers, pooled in an aurora of heat, smelling the sweetness of the air. It was like a bakery had let cookies go for just a moment too long until the edges crinkled with burnt bits that would spread across my tongue and melt into a puddle of blistering sugar. My eyes creaked open to the soft brown of Sai’s cheeks, the long dark lashes that pressed against them, and the sharp edges of his jaw.
His arm was wrapped around me, and my body was curled up close to him, my knees pressed against the firm planes of his stomach, my chin tucked against his shoulder. I panicked and froze. I didn’t want to wake him and have him find us in this position. That was the only thing that could make it more humiliating.
I pulled my legs back slowly and leaned away from him. Something in me longed to stay, though, tucked within the shelter and warmth of his arms. This man was dangerous. The temptation to follow him was the wrong choice, and I needed to get away from him as quickly as possible.
I rolled over to the edge of the blankets where I should have stayed the night before, and his arms dropped. He gasped in a breath, and I pressed my eyes closed, hoping he’d believe I was still asleep. The blankets pulled with his movements. He paused—probably realizing that the previous night hadn’t been a nightmare—and then he rose, rustling something before he stepped out of the tent.
I waited a few more minutes before getting up and straightening my dress. It was hopeless, though. The fabric had wrinkled through the night. I tangled my fingers through my hair and realized I didn’t even possess a comb. The pouch of coins that rested against my thigh suddenly seemed meager. Sai’s voice from the night before echoed through my mind.How will you survive?Fear, the great heady beast that it was, filled my chest. I hadn’t meant to run yet. I wanted to save more. Then Mother had forced that mark onto my arm and informed me she’d pass the magic to me at the blood moon whether I wished for it or not. I had to leave. I scarcely had enough coin to survive a month even if I kept my expenses meager. Perhaps I could take a roommate. Or maybe I could nanny and live with a family. I had enough money to buy some suitable clothing and rent a temporary room. That would have to do, and I’d figure out the details once we arrived at the town later that day.
When I stepped out of the tent, I found the other three sitting in the clearing. In the gray light of early morning, it appeared almost demure. Mist laced over fallen leaves and the pine trees all stretched pale and long against a sky scarcely marred with a few thin, lavender clouds.
Elisa rested her head against Neia’s shoulder, seeming better if still a bit tired. Her auburn curls poured over her blouse as she lifted her face and grinned at me. “Good morning, Lira.”
I returned the smile but could feel Neia’s censoring glare and Sai looking at me which stirred up emotions I couldn’t name. “I hope you’re feeling better today. If I’d known retrieving the bag would injure you, I wouldn’t have asked. I owe you an apology.”
“Don’t worry yourself. I’m already feeling well.”
Neia’s grip around her tightened, but she gave me a bob of her head.
“When will we—”
“Morning, bitches.”
