Chapter 6
I’m ready by the time Hunter comes into my room in the morning.
Well, as ready as I can be when I’ve just recovered from the snake bites.
My fae healing kicked in pretty quickly and after some food and more water, I felt almost normal yesterday.
Hunter didn’t leave my side, spending the day telling me stories of his childhood and asking for stories of mine.
I barely noticed the day passing while we spoke, and by the time I yawned, it felt like seconds had passed instead of an entire day.
I mess with my braided hair as I run my eyes over Hunter and the dark purple shirt and black trousers he has chosen today.
The material clings to his thick arms and wide chest, and heat slithers down my spine the longer I stare.
I have to pull my eyes up to meet his, pushing the desire to step closer to him away as he shuts the door.
“I was wondering, when I go back to my world, why don’t you come with me?
They won’t be able to get you there, right?
We can just take the people here with us. ”
“Are you asking me to move in with you? That’s a bit early in our relationship, don’t you think?” He playfully replies.
“Our relationship?” I blurt out.
“I am messing with you, Wren.” His smirk is sinful, and I feel it all the way down to my core.
Damn this male. His smile fades. “I can’t leave the people here and the dragons will burn them before they let them leave with me.
I could maybe defend them long enough, but to open a portal that big?
I would need dragon blood, and buckets of it to power me.
The only way to escape this world is to get rid of the dragons, and in all my years here, nothing has worked.
No poison takes them down; weapons are useless when they can read your mind, and any attempts have ended in flames.
” He steps closer, his hand snaking around my waist as he pulls me to him, pressing my body against his.
His mouth rests against my ear as my head spins from the close proximity of him.
“I’ll help you in this game, but don’t make it obvious.
Don’t act surprised. You need to pretend for me, Wren.
I will not let them kill you. I won’t let anyone take you from me. ”
“Hunter, what are you—”
He presses his finger against my lips. “Trust me. Trust that I won’t let you die... that I care about you. I know this is fast and fucking madness, but I wouldn’t want you any other way, Wren. Trust me, okay?”
He searches my eyes, and for a maddening second I realise that I do trust him.
I trust the man who has kidnapped me, pulled me to this dangerous world and put me into games that are deadly.
What the hell is wrong with me? I nod. He slowly removes his hand from my lips, his eyes tracing over where his finger was before he steps back, clearing his throat.
“Let’s go and get this over with.” He offers me his hand.
I obviously take it without a moment’s hesitation.
How can I trust him so soon? Why does it feel like I’ve known Hunter a lifetime instead of, what, a week?
We walk together in silence, this time because I realise saying anything outside my room is a bad idea when the dragons are close.
When we get out to the courtyard, I visibly wince.
There’s glass everywhere, shards of it shattered across the courtyard.
The sun is beating down and making them reflect and shimmer, and the dragons are up on their towers again, looking down while the sun seems to make them look like glowing statues.
Hunter nods at me once, his whole body as tense as mine, and I let go of his hand to step out.
He shuts the door behind me with a bang.
I look down at my boots, then to the very large pieces of glass, and realise this is really, really going to hurt.
I don’t know what idea Hunter has, but this is definitely going to hurt if he doesn’t help.
I lift my chin and look up at the dragons. “What is it you want me to do with all this glass?”
They don’t bother to answer for a long breath. “Walk to the other side. Your endurance is what matters here today. Bleed and we shall see whether you are strong enough to withstand our game.”
I barely manage to breathe calmly as I look at the glass.
There are a mix of tiny shards and large ones, and I know every step is going to make a thousand cuts into my feet.
I look at the other side where the dragons were when I first arrived, seeing a raised stage and a single glass of water on it.
Water is payment for this game, but I’ll bleed out before I get to it. Fuckers.
I look up at the dragons and keep my eyes narrowed before facing forward.
Hunter won this game and he survived — I can do it too.
I want to scream at them that the dragons my parents rode were righteous, lovely creatures, not vicious, nasty things like them.
But I don’t. Instead, I trust the man who kidnapped me and take a step onto the glass.
The crunching noise echoes through the silent air, and it hurts on the first step.
Not like a cut, just a sting, and I wince.
I quickly realise something is covering my foot from inside my boots, and I look down once, seeing a wisp of purple shadows from the top of my boot.
I have to pretend, or they will know Hunter is helping me.
I cry out, pretending to be in maddening pain, and I walk slowly, one step at a time.
It still cuts me in places, small enough that I’m leaving a trail of blood, but not bad enough that it’s a thousand cuts like it should be.
I make sure to really act, putting on every acting skill I’ve ever used growing up to get out of dance classes, to get out of anything to do with classes in general.
As I hobble across the glass, getting closer and closer to the other side, the dragons roar.
The loud, sudden sound makes me slip, and I wince as I fall, glass slamming into my arm and side.
I cry out for real this time. Hunter’s shadows can’t protect me from a fall, not where they could see.
I wince, climbing to my feet as blood pours down my arm and hip, from my hands too.
I carry on walking, feeling my blood dripping, the metallic tang of it filling the air as I walk, step by step, until I’m finally there and I collapse onto the platform, looking back at the trail of blood across the glass.
Shakily, I pick up the glass of water and drink it down before lying back on the platform and looking up as the four dragons take to the sky, roaring and blasting fire into the cloudless sky.
They aren’t happy, but I don’t have it in me to care. The bastard dragons are going to watch me win their games, go home and raise an army to destroy them. Hunter and his people will be free, and I will not stop until these cruel dragons are gone.
“Are you sure it’s okay to wear this to some kind of celebration?
” I look down at my clothes. My arm is completely bandaged up, all the way down to the wrist, and my hands too.
So are my feet, but they’re not sore at all thanks to Hunter helping me, risking everything from his life to his people to help me.
I said thank you a dozen times, but he has brushed off every attempt I have made.
Hunter came and picked me up off the platform with his purple shadows covering us, and he took me back to my room and began bandaging me.
Thankfully, only a few pieces cut deep, and my fae healing will sort them out soon enough.
“Yes.” Hunter answers. “You look beautiful in anything, Wrenley.”
My cheeks burn under his intense stare. “I’m definitely going to have scars from the game. I kind of like them.”
“Fae healing will soon kick in.” He murmurs. “And you shouldn’t have any injuries at all.” He sighs, offering me his hand. “Let’s go.”
I walk slowly with Hunter because my feet are a little sore.
We walk out the door and enter the courtyard, walk towards the double doors and out into the fields of vegetation.
I stare at the strange fruit, seeing it’s pink with spikes coming out of it.
“It’s called dragon fruit. It’s one of the few things that grow here well.
” He moves us closer so I can see them. “I would offer you one, but none of them are ripe yet.”
“They look peculiar. Are they pink inside too?” I question. My cousin would love these — she adores anything pink.
“White actually,” he smiles at me. “With many seeds.”
We slowly walk through the vegetation when I hear it.
Music. Joyful, upbeat songs and someone singing sweetly.
Eventually we find the people, and my eyes widen.
There’s a massive circle of dancers in the middle.
Some people are playing guitars, and a woman is singing in a language I do not know.
They’re laughing together in corners, sharing drinks, and they look so happy.
Everyone seems quite happy, in fact. Hunter leads me through them, and I just watch how they react.
Hunter is loved by them — even if he doesn’t see it.
I can. People smile and wave, others immediately nod their heads, bowing almost. I arch my eyebrow at Hunter when I find him looking at me.
“You can speak freely here tonight. The dragons don’t monitor us tonight. They leave on this night only.”
“All right, why are they all bowing?” I wave around.
“Because people remember.” He rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks brightening.
“Shall I start calling you my king now?” I tease.
He looks down at me, tracing his eyes over my face. My breath hitches. “You’re a queen, Wrenley, and unless you have a partner I don’t know about, calling me your king is interesting.”
“No partner or anything.” I murmur with burning hot cheeks.