Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JAX
The forests surrounding the monastery are lush, and vast. After a couple of hours traveling north, the wide path we follow narrows to where we have to ride one after another because there’s not enough space for two.
I take the reins and lead, with Nix riding not far behind me. She’s lost in thought for most of the day. I leave her be.
From time to time, some of her thoughts slip past the door she keeps closed between us. She thinks about Vera, about what Caligos could be planning, and of Noire holding down the fort back in Jaakii.
She’s got a lot on her plate.
As the day goes by and afternoon stretches into the early evening, I start to look around for a place to set up a camp for the night.
Nix doesn’t have to say it. I know she’s…unsatisfied, to say the least. We have yet to see a single sign of dragons. Which could only mean we’re not even close to the feeding grounds.
I know that based on the wooden signs we pass occasionally that mark how far we’ve gone from the monastery. The trackers have the whole territory marked here, so it’s easy to follow the maps they gave us.
They said three days’ time until we reach the lake. Well, based on the map and the distance we covered today, it’s looking more like four to five days, maybe.
I know Nix realizes that, too.
Even her silence is angry.
“Here,” I say, pointing at a small clearing surrounded by low-hanging branches and large boulders. “This will be a good place to settle in for the night.”
Nix looks up from the map in her hand with a frown. “We’re stopping already? We’ve barely covered any distance.”
“We’ve been riding all day. The horses need a break,” I say, calmly. “Besides, we can’t travel in the pitch-dark when we don’t know these forests.”
Nix presses her lips into a thin line. That’s the only answer I get.
I let her simmer in her anger as I climb out of my saddle and tie Midnight to a nearby tree so I can better inspect the area I’ve chosen for the camp.
It’s good.
The boulders provide cover on two sides, so we only have to watch our front for any danger. It should also help conceal the flame of a campfire. The low-hanging branches from the large trees offer privacy.
I hear running water somewhere close, which means we have a way to refill the water and allow the horses to drink.
“Alright, let’s set up here,” I say and turn to Nix, who’s still mounted on Luna. “Wanna take the horses by the river to drink?”
Nix eyes Midnight. “I’m not handling him.”
I turn my back to her so she doesn’t see me smile. Quickly, I untie Midnight and follow the sound of the running water.
A couple of minutes’ walk away, there’s a river and farther down the stream, a large waterfall. I hold Midnight’s reins while it drinks. Nix unmounts Luna and lets her mare drink, too.
We stand in silence.
There seems to be lots of silence between us today.
Once the horses are done, we return to the clearing. We tie the horses to nearby trees.
I glance at Nix. “I’m going to set up the fire pit. Want to unsaddle the horses?”
Absentmindedly, she nods and removes the saddle from Luna’s back. The mare blows out gratefully and shakes her head. Nix pets her coat and approaches Midnight next. The moment she steps one foot forward, the stallion grunts in a warning.
A chuckle escapes me as Nix freezes in place with her palms up in the air.
She shoots me a glare. “What’s his fucking problem? He has no issue letting you close!”
Nix is a brilliant woman.
I find it unbelievable she can be so blind about things.
“You’re angry,” I say. She blinks and lowers her arms. “Anger makes you unpredictable. Animals don’t like that.”
Nix scoffs, and turns her back to Midnight. “You deal with your horse. I’m going to get water.”
She grabs our leather flask pouches and darts into the bushes, leaving me alone with the horses.
Gently, I unhook the straps around Midnight’s saddle and remove it. My new buddy blows air through his nostrils and I pat him on his sturdy neck. “Don’t take it personally, buddy. She’s rude to me, too.”
Midnight shakes his head, as if he can’t believe someone could be rude to me.
“I know,” I say with a sigh.
As I go about checking that the horses are tied loosely to the trees so they can graze around our camp, I keep mental tabs on Nix’s proximity.
I know she’s a capable soldier, more so than me, but my instinct to protect has grown even stronger since we left the safety and comfort of the monastery behind.
She pretends she doesn’t need anyone.
She refuses to.
I tighten Midnight’s strap around the tree.
We’ll see about that.
We’re bound for life, after all.
Through our bond, I sense she’s simmering in her anger, at a close distance. Maybe some alone time by the water will do her good.
As long as she doesn’t jump into the freezing cold water like last time, by the waterfall.
I push that thought aside and get busy.
From around the clearing, I gather dried wood and some dry twigs. I bring it back to the campsite and go fetch some rocks.
Just as I come back to start setting up our small, private fire ring, Nix returns with our skins, full of fresh river water.
“It’s getting dark quickly,” she says, looking up.
“Yeah, the foliage is thick here,” I say.
Using the stones I gathered, I build a small ring of rocks and stack the logs in the center of it. From one of my bags, I get the flint and steel the monks shared with me and kneel next to the wood.
Nix brings our fur sleeping rolls into the camp and sets them next to the boulders.
I strike flint and steel. A spark appears. It’s not enough to light the fire.
Nix’s eyes are on me. Silently, she watches me work.
I strike it again. This time, the spark gives, and the dry twigs catch fire. Soon, the logs are burning, too.
“It won’t attract attention?” Nix asks.
“It’ll help keep us warm for now,” I say. “Once we have dinner, I’m gonna let it die.”
She nods and unfolds the fur rolls. A makeshift bed for the night.
We eat dinner in silence. Some sourdough bread, and three kinds of hard cheese. The monks even packed us some candied dried plums as a dessert.
Many words dance at the tip of my tongue. But I stop myself.
Nix is tired, frustrated, and anxious. Something tells me she would rather not have me running my mouth tonight.
After dinner, Nix yawns.
“Ready for bed?” I ask.
She nods, hugging herself. “One of us has to stay up. To keep guard.”
“Let’s do shifts. I’ll go first, you sleep.”
She looks up at me. “You sure?”
I stoke the flames. “Yeah. I’ll wake you when it’s your turn.”
“Thanks, Jax.”
The words are murmured gently and quietly. A shiver runs down my spine.
I sit by the fire while Nix settles between the furs. The night hasn’t even settled in fully, but the temperature has dropped significantly.
Not even five minutes pass before I’m bored. I scratch the stubble on my jaw.
Spirits of the gods, I hate being still.
Quietly, I rise to my feet and stretch my legs. Maybe I should scout the perimeter.
My feet are quiet and quick as I navigate the forest floor and leave Nix sleeping in the camp. The horses are calm, and quiet.
I don’t go too far.
At night, the forest appears to be even larger. And it’s not quiet. It’s full of sounds, from hooting owls to chirping birds.
After making the rounds around the campsite and not finding any threats, I return to the camp.
I’m surprised to find Nix still awake. Our bond is buzzing with energy.
“What’s up?” I ask quietly as I sit down by the fire.
A beat of silence. Then, “It’s fucking freezing.”
“Damn, being a human’s not so fun,” I tease lightly.
Nix scoffs and throws off the fur to glare at me.
“Not funny! I’m wearing my leathers, the fur vest, and am buried between three rolls of fur!”
Chuckling, I stand up and head over to her.
Immediately, she’s alarmed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to join you so you don’t freeze your ass to death,” I say.
Nix clicks her tongue. I know she’s desperate to argue against it. Oh, I can literally hear her debate happening in her mind.
But she bites her tongue and makes space for me on the fur roll.
I try my best to suppress my smile.
She hits me in the middle of my chest with the back of her palm. “Stop looking so smug.”
“Sorry, darling,” I purr.
At first, she keeps her distance. There’s a gap between us, and she shivers so bad that the fur covering us vibrates.
I sigh. “Phoenix, you need to be close to me for this to work.”
Nix growls in frustration, then twists and turns under the fur until finally, she presses her back to my chest and shoves her ass right into my crotch.
I’m struck by lightning.
Oh, dear spirits of the gods.
For a moment, I stop breathing.
I’m frozen.
“What?” Nix snaps.
“Nothing.” I manage to get the word out and rest my arm around her.
My throat is dry.
Oh, please please please, don’t have a boner now.
I’m so rigid and tense, sweat drips down my spine.
Okay, I need to focus on something else.
Nix makes the cutest satisfied sigh and wiggles a little. “You were right. You’re like a damn furnace.”
Focus on something else than her juicy ass pressed close to me, the intoxicating scent of her—
Snap out of it! I scold myself.
Think about something else.
Think about something else.
Dragons!
Yes, counting dragons.
One dragon, two dragons, three dragons, four very scary deadly dragons, five—
“Jax, why are you counting dragons in your mind?”
Oh, fuck me.
“It’s something I like to do when I’m trying to focus. You close that door between us and rest your pretty eyes. Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, I’d love to, but you’re so loud. It’s distracting.”
I huff a quiet laugh against her hair.
Every instinct in my body screams to pull her closer.
But I don’t.
Gods. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“Close the door, Phoenix,” I whisper.
A heartbeat.
Then, silence.
Not around us.
Between us.