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“Shit, this is onlyhalfthe pain?” She frowned.
“I doubt you would be on a horse otherwise.”
That was a good point. She sighed. “So, if somebody stabs you, I’ll feel half of it.”
He glanced at her with his one red eye. It kind of glowed. Which would be cool if he wasn’t usually using it to glare at her. “Planning on stabbing me?”
“No, just predicting other people stabbing you.” She paused to think over the different scenarios. “What happens if somebody chucks you into a volcano?”
“Gwen.” He stared at her like she was stupid.
Right. Fire elemental. “Whatever. You know what I mean. What if somebody chops off your head?”
His furry brow lowered in thought. “I’m unsure. I’ve never seen that tested before. I wouldn’t recommend trying it.”
“What’s this generally used for? Like, why do demons have this spell?”
He muttered something under his breath.
“What?”
“Mated pairs,” he said with no small amount of disgust. “If a demon mates with a mortal, it shares its immortality with the other.”
“Eeewwuuhh—” She made a face. “I’m not your—”
“Of course you aren’t!” he snarled. “Don’t be vile. I was desperate. It was the only resource I had at my disposal that would keep me alive and apart from Avalon for so long.”
“What’ll happen to me when our life force is separated?” She was looking forward to that more and more, even if it was dangerous. Even if it meant he was going to start a war. Because she certainly didn’t want to be stuck with a demon for the rest of…apparently forever.
“You will lose your elemental abilities. I will be restored to my rightful power.”
“I’m not going to die from it, am I?” She narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t trust Grinn. Even if he told her the truth, she wasn’t sure she was going to believe him anyway. But it didn’t hurt to ask.
“It might. I honestly don’t care if it does. This situation is untenable, no matter how you feel about the risks.”
Well, at least he was being honest. “You’re such an ass.”
“So you’ve said.”
They fell into silence, leaving her to think over the logistics of the plan for the rest of the day. Finding another stream to camp at, she settled in for another night of cuddling with the dog. At least Eod had stopped barking at Grinn every time the demon walked into the clearing.
Not like she really blamed the pup.
It was just after dinner when it began to rain. Sighing, Gwen got the thick cotton sailcloth that the villagers had given them and began making a bit of a lean-to by tying it to trees at various angles.
Being shot hurt. Like, a lot. And every time she moved, the wound was happy to remind her that it was still there. But Grinn was clearly uninterested in helping, so she was on her own. She really had always loved camping with her dad, and now it all came in handy. With the spare canvas, she did the same for the mare. She didn’t want the poor horse to get cold, even if it probably wasn’t really necessary. She had to take a second to breathe and not throw up from the pain every now and then. But knowing it wasn’t going to be fatal took a lot of the oomph out of it.
“I see how it is,” Grinn complained from where he was hunkered down by the sputtering fire. “A hovel for the horse, but not for me.”
“First of all, you’re making me do this all by myselfwhile I’m wounded,so fuck you. Second of all, you’re too big, dude.” She shook her head. “You wouldn’t fit under either of these. Go back to cat form, and just sit under here with us if you want. That would require, y’know, proximity.”
He grunted. “I prefer the rain. And you are managing just fine on your own. Time you learned how to endure real suffering for once.”
“Whatever. The point is, it’s a you problem, not a me problem.” She settled down on the bedroll with a collection of meat, bread, and cheese from the villagers. Eod was already lying on the bedroll, enjoying the shelter from the rain that was starting to pick up in intensity. The patter of water droplets on the leaves and a full day of traveling while in pain knocked her out pretty quickly after she lay down.
Halfway through the night she woke up to shift, and nearly kicked a small, black, furry object by her foot.
Grinn.
