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He stares straight ahead. “Only if they’re the bones of Avren’s soldiers.”
I shake my head, unsure if he’s serious or joking like me until he sweeps me up in his arms, spins me around, and pins me against a tree.
He brings his mouth close to mine. “What you did back there—going through all that pain to fulfill your destiny…” His lips dance along my jawline like they had in his bedroom. “That made me want you even more.”
“So, pain turns you on?” It’s a warped mindset if it’s true.
“You turn me on, Mari. The way you stood up to Ben’s narrow-mindedness. The way you endured pain to heal. The way your lip quirks slightly when you’re ticked off.” He leans in to tug on my lower lip with his teeth. “Everything about you has my world spinning, and I don’t know how to slow it down.” He rests his arm beside my head on the tree. “When Gray said the Council had two more orphans for him, I wasn’t happy. The four of us were fine without you. But you got into my head, and I can’t shake it. Whenever I’m around you, I feel like the universe has us together for a reason. And this magnetic attraction might kill me.” His face is inches from mine as his gaze drops to my lips. “But I can’t imagine my life without it now.”
Several howls break out in the woods. Dusk is falling around us, and we still have an hour to the cabin. Fighting werewolves was not how I intended to spend my evening.
Bastian slips a dagger into my hand, the bone handle smooth though awkward. “Silver. We’ve got to keep moving. Based on their howls, they’ve smelled your Avrenian blood.” He opens his sack, removes a tunic, and tosses it to me. “Put this on. It might mask a bit of the scent.”
I pull his tunic over my head, trying not to get lost in its woodsy smell. The focus needs to be on survival, not him—though the two go together. If I survive the next hour, my reward is a night alone with him in the cabin. The idea invigorates me.
As we rush through the forest on a narrow trail, it takes all my concentration not to trip and injure my ankle again. The howls are closer, ringing through the canopy and sweeping over the pine-needle-carpeted floor.
Panic sets in as a warm breeze rustles the leaves and sets pinpricks dancing along my skin. It’s as if a werewolf’s breath is hot on the back of my neck, threatening to rip it out before devouring the rest of my body. I stop to catch my breath. Images of Tanner lying on the ground helpless fill my head.
That won’t be my fate. Bastian won’t allow it.
A low growl comes from behind me on the trail. I see the wolf’s yellow eyes reflected in the moonlight before I see the rest of its massive frame padding toward me. I hold my breath, daring to glance up the trail at Bastian. He’s about a hundred yards away with his back to us, climbing over a wall of boulders.
“Looks like I’m closer, little one.” It pads toward me as I back into a tree.
Never in my life have I taken the life of another being. My hand holding the dagger shakes because I know what I must do. “Do you know who my travel companion is?”
“Yes.” Saliva drips from its mouth, anticipating the kill.
I grip the knife tighter and swallow back the bile rising in my throat. “Then you know if you kill me, he’ll hunt you to the ends of this world, making you endure a slow and painful death.”
“We do not fear the Kindred Few.” There’s defiance in the creature’s voice. “One of yours killed one of ours. It’s time to return the favor.”
The time is imminent. I root my feet, ready for its attack. As the wolf lunges at me, I crouch so it can’t knock me to the ground and drive the dagger into its chest. With the force of the wolf’s hind legs hitting my shoulders, I still get barreled over and hit my head on the tree.
I lie there, my head spinning, ready for the wolf to finish me. With my skills, it couldn’t have more than a flesh wound, enough to tick him off.
A deep voice says something above me, but I can’t decipher it. Large, soft hands cradle my head and carefully lift my body. I’m in Bastian’s lap.
“You did it” His voice is low, reverberating through his chest. “You killed your first monster.”
I slowly open my eyes and look at him before resting them on the massive heap of hair about ten feet away. Blood covers my hands.
“It wanted revenge for the other wolf’s death.” I don’t know why I say it. There’s importance in its motives, but I’m too drained to think about it. “That’s all.”
“Supes are and will always be our enemies. The sooner you learn that the better.” He doesn’t expound any further, only picks me up and carries me down the trail once again. “We need to get out of here. There are other wolves in the area. I think I found us a quicker way home.” He stops at the boulder field and sets me down. “Do you think you’ve recovered enough to climb?”
“I can do it.” The wall of boulders stands like a bulwark before me, but I set my hand on the first rock, carefully placing each foot to make sure I don’t slip. I’ve had enough falls for today.
“When you’re almost at the top, wait for me.” Bastian begins his climb. Although he can likely climb much faster than me, he stays behind, probably expecting me to fall.
It doesn’t take too long to get there. I scoot to the side to let him pass. From the ledge, he reaches down and holds out a hand for me to clasp. I scramble to the top with his help and rest on my hands and knees. The smell is what I notice first—like a forest fire mixed with methane gas.
When I look up, a massive beast lies in the meadow, eyeing me. Without getting up, I wrap my arms around Bastian’s leg. Glimmering blue, green, and brown scales cover the creature. It releases a burst of fire into the air from its mouth. “What the hell is that?”
“I believe ‘dragon’ is the appropriate term.” He smirks. “But I’m sure you could butter him up if you called him Oh, Great Caspian, Lord of the Sky.”
“I thought you just told me all Supes are our enemies.” I scale Bastian’s body like a ladder, refusing to let go. “If he turns on me, I don’t think I can kill him with a dagger.”
