38. Wolf
Chapter 38
Wolf
I t wasn’t a complete fucking lie, but there was no way we were all making it to the blood kingdom alive.
The rebels would be on our trail. Surely, they found that tunnel by now. Surely, they would be tracking our every move.
They were the ones who could kill Asmodeus. They would be here soon, and I prayed to the fucking goddess this wouldn’t last a single more day.
Huntyr rested against me, her head on my chest as her eyes drifted shut. Her feet were covered in blisters. Her body shook from the cold, even with the added layer.
My father was idiotic, but to drag us all after him like this? We could have prepared for this trip. We could have gathered supplies, clothes, food, anything.
Every rustle of a leaf caught my attention. Luseyar was awake, keeping watch a few feet away through the thick trees.
But otherwise, the clearing was quiet.
Huntyr relaxed when Jessiah was near Rummy, and for that, I was thankful. There was no way we were getting Huntyr out of here without her.
She wouldn’t leave her friend behind.
And now, neither would I.
The forest was dark, even for an angel. I could see the shadowed figures of the others sitting to my left. Jessiah’s head fell back against the tree bark just an inch away from Rummy. At least she had a leather jacket on. It would be enough to keep most of her body heat in.
Even in her sleep, Huntyr shivered.
She kicked off her shoes, wrapping her legs up around mine to keep them warm. I would have taken the shoes off my own fucking feet for her if I thought it would help.
The blisters on the backs of her heels were starting to bleed. She would heal with her new powers, but not before we had to continue walking.
We couldn’t continue like this, not when her body had already taken this much of a hit.
I slid my hand down her calf and stopped at her ankle.
Nobody would see. Nobody would know. Everyone was too busy sleeping or listening to the forest around us.
Huntyr wasn’t going to make it an entire day like this. Besides, I was using too much of my energy to keep moving every day. The bond between us was open at full force, and I could practically feel each painful step she took.
She didn’t need to ask me to heal her. She never did. Never would.
I closed my eyes and focused.
Healing wasn’t something I did often. Hells, before I healed Huntyr in Moira, it had been years.
There had always been a force in my mind urging me to keep it a secret from my father. Even now, my ears strained in the forest, listening for any rustling, any sign that he might be awake.
Still, Huntyr was the only one who knew I could heal.
She stirred softly as my magic touched her skin, caressed her body. An electric sensation washed through me as my magic healed her, something that never happened before.
It felt like my power belonged to her, like it recognized her, like it wanted to heal her.
“Sleep,” I whispered against her temple as she leaned into me further. “Sleep, Huntress.”
T he next day was uneventful, aside from the fact that I was damn hungry. The group of us traveled together in silence, nothing but the subtle complaint or the rare command from Asmodeus to keep us going, to walk faster.
But that familiar, dull aching in my stomach grew. It sat in my body like a rock at the bottom of the river.
Huntyr and I walked together in the back of the group, just feet behind Rummy and Jessiah, while the others marched ahead. She surveyed her sore feet in the morning but said nothing, though she did send me a glance and wink before we were ordered to keep walking.
“Stop that,” she whispered as she stepped over a fallen log on the thick forest path.
“Stop what?”
“Stop thinking about blood. I don’t need that distraction right now.” She crossed her arms over her torso and hugged herself.
I took a long breath. “It has been a while. I can’t exactly control the hunger, Huntress. You of all people should know that.”
She shot me a sideways glance. “Unless you’re planning on sinking your teeth into one of them,” she motioned to the front of the group, “you’ll think of something else.”
We walked for hours. The sun rose to the peak in the sky, beating down on all of us with a subtle fierceness that, on most days, would be nice.
But not today.
“We’ll stop here for water,” Asmodeus called out as we reached a river. “Just a few minutes, then we’ll cross and be on our way.”
I immediately glanced at Huntyr. Unless something drastic changed between when she nearly drowned in Moira and now, she couldn’t swim.
But she just lifted her chin and clenched her jaw, eyes shooting daggers at Asmodeus, who quickly dropped to his knees by the running river.
It wasn’t too wide, but the river ran roughly with the new rain from the last storm.
“You’ll be fine,” I whispered to her. “Jessiah will fly you across. Save your wings for when you’ll need them.”
“Yeah,” she whispered back. “This entire situation is just fine .”
Jessiah and Rummy knelt by the river a few feet away, enough distance between us and the others that they wouldn’t be able to hear us talking unless they strained for it.
Huntyr eyed her friend. Her gaze changed from anger and hatred to sadness. Kindness. Grief.
“Go on,” I ushered. “Nobody is paying attention now. Kneel beside her and pretend to be drinking.”
Huntyr’s eyes sparkled with rebellion. “Are you sure?” she asked. “He won’t like it if he sees us talking.”
I nodded. “What’s the worst he can do to you, anyway? He already mentioned he needs you alive.”
She waited a second longer before nodding and scurrying to kneel beside her friend at the river. Only a few feet away, she turned her head slightly to speak while she knelt and cupped the water in her hands.
They both looked so damn tired.
My father would pay for this. They all would.
Jessiah stood and sauntered over to me. I pressed my shoulder against a tree, trying my best to look casual. Bored. Unaffected by the events of the last day.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“I’m surviving.”
Jessiah had at least been wearing his sword when the attack went down. At least he had that to protect himself with. I only had a small dagger, as did Huntyr.
Hells, we were severely unprepared.
“And Huntyr?”
He turned to glance at her. She still murmured quietly.
“What about Huntyr?”
“Is she doing okay with all of this? That attack was unexpected.”
I surveyed his words and tried to find any hint of accusation beneath them, but there was nothing there, nothing but genuine concern.
“She sure as hells was not expecting Rummy to be dragged here as collateral. And Lord…” I stopped myself before my anger took over.
Jessiah eyed me. “I take it he wasn’t exactly a kind and loving caretaker?”
I coughed a laugh. “Something like that, sure.”
The two of us stood there by the tree, a wave of unsaid words hanging between us. I wanted to tell him about the attack. I wanted to tell him about my plan, about Huntyr, about everything. But even if I wanted to, there was no way we were getting away from Asmodeus, Luseyar, and Lord long enough. They could hear every damn word, and that was something I wouldn’t risk.
Soon enough. Soon, he would learn the truth, and I prayed to the goddess he would be on my side.
We stood there for a few more moments until Lord stormed into view, eyes locked on the girls. “What did I say about obeying my orders?”