Chapter 16
Katie
The snow isn’t quite thick enough along the path, turning it into a muddy, wet slush. The bottoms of Asterion’s calves are splattered in it, matting the hair on his legs.
“I do not want you to get too cold. We still have quite a way to go.”
He probably should’ve thought about that before dumping me on the ground. Already, I can feel the harsh bite of the cold through my clothes, especially now that the back of my jeans are soaked through.
He takes the pack from me, pulling out the fur and securing it around my body, tying it tight with the rope.
I feel like a fluffy human sushi roll. He straps the pack back around me, the extra weight causing me to lose my balance.
He grabs at the ropes, securing the fur and pulling me upright before I can tip all the way backwards.
“I hope you don’t expect me to keep up with you like this. I can barely stand.”
He snorts at me. “Of course not. I will carry you, but no more piggybacks.”
I groan. “Fine. Let’s get it over with.” My arms are tucked inside the fur at my sides, so I’m completely at Asterion’s mercy. It might be quicker if he just rolled me down the mountain instead.
“At least this way I will not have you grinding against me like a dog in heat.”
I gasp. “I did not!” Heat rises up my cheeks.
“Yes, you did. Tell me, what were you dreaming about?”
Kill me.
He still has his fingers hooked around the rope to stop me from falling over, but it doesn’t stop me from attempting to waddle toward the edge. He tugs me back to him, smashing me into his body. If it wasn’t for the fur, I’d be face deep in his chest. His nipple rings wink at me in the moonlight.
“Where do you think you are going?”
I refuse to make eye contact, looking everywhere except at his face. I can’t tell him that I was having a very good dream with him as the main attraction.
“Oh, I was just going to throw myself over the edge.”
He cocks his head at me, bending down so that we’re face to face, and I have no other choice but to look at him.
“Little viper.” His rumbling voice sends tingles down my spine. “I have borne witness to you finger fucking yourself to climax. What is a little dry humping between friends?”
My mouth dries up looking into his rich golden-brown eyes.
“Are we friends now?” I can barely whisper it.
“You tell me.”
For once, I am speechless, left standing there with my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Is it hot out here, or is it just me? Am I overheating?
I don’t think I even need the fur anymore.
I am a hot, sticky mess. Between my legs specifically.
I am filled with an awful, terrible need.
Asterion hums. “If I had known the fur would smother your scent, I would have done this sooner.”
In one swoop, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder, and I finally come to my senses with a screech.
“Warn a girl, would you?” I’d smack him, but I can’t. “And I know I smell, okay? That’s what happens when you haven’t washed in days.”
“You think you smell bad?” Asterion continues down the mountain, at a much slower pace this time. Flurries of snow fall from the sky, making visibility almost impossible.
“Well, yeah, you’ve only said so a hundred times.” I blow my bangs out of my eyes as I’m jostled around on Asterion’s shoulder while he walks.
“The problem is not that you smell bad. It is that you smell good enough to eat.”
Blood drains from my face. Has he been fighting the urge to eat me this entire time, and I’ve been teasing and testing boundaries, thinking it’s all in good fun? I suddenly think about the dried meat he has been sharing with me, and I think I might be sick. What if it was… human?
“Oh no.”
I have no hands to stop it. The sloshing of my stomach with every step Asterion takes, combined with dangling over his shoulder, has dinner coming back up my throat before I can do anything about it.
I retch. Chunks of undigested meat and vegetables splatter across the mud, burning my nose on the way out.
“Katie!” Asterion gasps, sliding me back to my feet. I stumble away from him, unbalanced.
The coating of snow has gradually gotten thicker until the path has become less brown sludge and more sparkling white, only tainted by Asterion’s footsteps.
“Did I—Did you—?” I struggle to get the words out. Just the thought of them makes my stomach turn again.
“What is it?” Asterion looks stricken as panic overtakes me.
“Did—Did you feed me human?” I’m so horrified. If I had my pocketknife, I’d probably have it pointed at his chest right now. I can feel my body tremor inside the fur. I so desperately want him to tell me it’s not true.
“What are you talking about?” He frowns, stepping toward me.
I take another step back. “The meat. The dried meat! Is it… human?” Pain stabs at my chest like a knife through my sternum. Breathing becomes harder to do until I’m buckled over, gasping through a panic attack.
Asterion takes another step toward me, arms out like he’s placating a wild animal.
I shake my head to tell him not to come any closer as I struggle to breathe. Tears prick the corners of my eyes. My feet shuffle backwards away from him, the closer he gets, until the ground drops out from beneath my heels.
“Of course it is—”
I take a deep breath, my stomach in my throat as I tip over the edge, and I scream.