9. Stars
Wilder studied her more closely now that she couldn’t see him.
Lyra was strange—not in a bad way, but in an unpredictable way. She stared up at the stars with quiet fascination. But she seemed to be amazed by everything, really.
The Wilds might send her into shock. It was everything this mortal land was, but better. The air was clearer, the stars brighter, and there was a richer vibrancy to the colors of the plants.
Lyra held her hand up in front of her, tracing the outline of her fingers. She smiled, and it was a bright, lovely thing. Wholly at odds with her sneer or smirk, it was genuine.
“What are you doing?”
“Tracing constellations,” she breathed and tilted her head to the side to stare at him.
When he didn’t reply, she went back to stargazing but shared her thoughts.
“This is Orwandil.” She outlined the constellation also known as the Great Hunter. “He fell in love with a goddess. The gods became jealous and killed him with a giant scorpion. And in her grief, she immortalized him in the stars.”
“We have an entire day of walking ahead of us. Sleep. I will not be carrying you,” he ordered.
She glared at the stars, and he could see the muscles of her jaw quivering.
“Let’s get something straight right now,” she snarled.
“While I am technically your captive, you will not command me to do anything. I will follow you to the Wilds because it is far too late for me to return to the sea, so I am trapped here.” Her voice shook as if those words had caused her pain.
“But do not think for one second, Princeling, that I will follow your orders if I don’t want to. ”
Wilder stared at her with a mix of frustration and humor.
She was infuriating, insufferable, really, and he had never wanted to put someone in their place so badly.
He ground his teeth and opened his mouth, preparing to lay into her.
And yet, she rolled onto her side and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“Save it. I won’t be listening to anything you have to say.”
His jaw snapped shut so quickly that the sound echoed through the woods.
Wilder held his breath, attempting to hold back his roar of frustration. He closed his eyes and let the breath out.
It wasn’t worth it. She was attempting to get under his skin, to throw him off guard so that she could escape.
But oh, was he going to have words with his father when he returned. Why in all the realms would he have sought this mermaid?
Wilder closed his eyes and worked on controlling his breathing to settle down his fury. He was only three breaths in when Lyra’s slow, shallow breaths met his ears. And that only enraged him further.
It was dawn before he had cooled off. The sun was gilding the sky with rays of gold.
They had a long day of travel before them. If she traveled as slowly as she had last night, then it would tack on another half day of travel to Fresia, where his guard waited. They would not be happy about the delay.
They might have alerted his father to his elongated absence, but surely Otto had seen the cause of their delay.
And if not—King Oberon would be furious, naturally, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He had plenty he wanted to say to him after this mission.
Stretching his arms up above his head, his neck and back popped.
Closing his eyes, he took slow, deep breaths, centering himself in the world around him.
Feeling the water in the tree roots, the life pulsing up through the branches and into the leaves.
He could feel the birds awaken to sing, and the smaller animals scavenging for food.
And her. She was awake now.
Lyra watched him as he stood with his back to her, as still as any predator.
“It will be a long journey today. We should move.”
He turned to find her flexing each foot.
“They don’t hurt.”
“Wonderful. We should be off.”
His words were brusque, and she grimaced. The lines between them had blurred last night, and he was doing his best to rectify it now. But when she clutched her stomach, he grew concerned.
“What is it now, Legs?” Wilder studied her expression.
“Yes. Um, I need to empty my bladder,” she replied.
Wilder’s ears burned with mortification. How could he be so stupid?
“I’ll stay here,” he replied and jutted his chin towards the denser forest. “Don’t go too far and yell if you need anything.”
Lyra nodded and stumbled off in the direction of the larger trees.