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“Of course. I’ll escort you and watch the area,” I offer, slowly climbing to my feet so as not to scare her.
“I will come as well,” Weyland states.
“Oh, um, great,” she murmurs.
Together, the three of us cross the tiny distance to the shallow river, and when she eyes us expectantly, we both turn away from her. I hear the shucking of her clothes and ignore the tightening in my body, ashamed of myself for wanting her when she is so clearly suffering. When I hear the splash of water, I relax a little, scanning the trees for any more attacks. I had grown bold to think no one would find her and come for her.
It won’t happen again.
While she washes herself in the river, we keep watch, our backs to her to give her privacy. “What happened to her?” Weyland murmurs too quietly for her to hear.
“I do not know. Something terrible, I think,” I reply. “She was near death when I saved her. She bears many scars and is fearful of touch or fast movements.”
“Then I will move slowly.” He nods, and we share a look. We are still wary of one another, but it is clear he wants to keep her safe, and Kai needs it so I do not fight him, despite how much I want to keep her all to myself.
My head snaps up and Weyland’s ears twitch when we hear screams in the distance. We share another look, but Kai seems oblivious. It was far away, so maybe her human hearing did not pick it up. For that, I am thankful. “That was a monster’s scream,” I mutter. Neither of us move to find what made the sound. Once, I would have, but I cannot leave my Kai defenseless, so I stay.
“Not like any I have ever heard. That was fear. Nothing makes monsters fearful,” Weyland murmurs. “Not even when facing off with other monsters. Things are changing in these woods. We must be vigilant.”
I nod my head in agreement, worried about what is coming.
“Done,” Kai calls hesitantly, and we both turn toward her.
She shimmers under the foggy sun, her orange and black hair sparkling. Kai’s eyes are bright and wide, and she wears a soft smile on her lips.
She is magnificent, and I know whatever is coming, it will not keep me from her.
Nothing will.
Chapter
Eight
KAI
For the first time since Weyland appeared, I leave the cabin door open for both of them. They hesitate to enter at first, unsure if I need more time, but they have done nothing but protect me. While Weyland’s visage is more terrifying at first than Kaito’s was, he works hard to appear nonthreatening, moving slowly and keeping his growls to a minimum. He keeps his distance, understanding that I’m still working through my fear.
With the two monsters plus me inside the little cabin, it suddenly starts to feel smaller but no less comfortable. The fire burning in the fireplace keeps it warm, but surprisingly, the two men do the same. Though more growls and roars echo outside the walls, I’m less afraid with my protectors here, even if they bear resemblances to the monsters I sometimes glimpse outside.
I don’t sleep as much, and I engage in conversation with them, but the memories come at night and more often than not, I wake to Weyland singing to me and Kaito watching me with a sad expression that breaks my heart.
“What’s it like?” Weyland asks a few days later, his bright eyes watching me carefully. It should make me feel like prey, butinstead, it’s like a warm caress that traces my skin. He’s sitting on the opposite side of the cabin, his fingers curled to hide his claws—something for my benefit, I’m sure. His lips cover his wicked teeth even as he speaks, no doubt another thing he does for me.
“What is what like?” I ask, glancing up at him from where I stir the pot. Kaito produced a larger pot once Weyland joined us, so now our soups are plenty big enough to feed all three of us. The wolf has a large appetite.
“The Gilded Lands.” Weyland tilts his head. “Surely that’s where you come from. You sparkle so brightly, and Kaito said that’s where he found you.”
I freeze, the reminder of the Gilded Lands making my heart stop briefly before I urge it to restart and pretend as if that name has no bearing on my soul and doesn’t haunt my every waking moment.
The bruises have healed but, like my body, my soul and mind will always bear the scars of what happened to me within those golden walls.
Kaito watches from the table where he chops vegetables for the stew. His movements slow, as if he’s listening, but he doesn’t turn to look.
My mouth is dry, but I force the words out anyway. “I was born and raised in the Shadow Lands,” I reply. “That was the place my family called home.”
I told Kaito I have no family, and while I did that out of self-preservation, I don’t know if I should reveal exactly who my family is. Cora will be well-known by now, her will and strength growing the longer she holds the kingdom, so that secret should remain with me for a while.
Also, a small part of me worries that if Kaito knows Cora is my sister, he will be . . . disappointed. She is brilliant, strong, powerful, and everything I am not.
