Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Khorrek pushed them through the darkness like his life depended on it. Because it did, both their lives depended on it.
Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to move faster and put more distance between them and Kel’Vara. Between them and Lasseran’s inevitable rage when he discovered the betrayal.
When. Not if.
Morning would come and the High King would summon them. He’d find Thea’s rooms empty and her guard missing.
And then all the hells would break loose.
He’d seen Lasseran’s wrath before, seen what the High King did to those who disappointed him. Those who defied him. Those he considered traitors.
The memory of broken bodies and screams that lasted days made his jaw clench and made his hand tighten involuntarily around Thea’s. She squeezed back. Tired but still walking. Still trusting him to lead her through this nightmare.
Strong. So much stronger than she looked.
The terrain grew rougher as they descended from the base of the cliffs. Rocky outcroppings gave way to dense pine forest. Old growth that blocked out what little moonlight remained.
Perfect for hiding, but terrible for speed.
He navigated by instinct and memory. He’d traveled these paths before on various missions for Lasseran and he knew the shape of the land even in darkness.
She stumbled and caught herself, then kept walking.
He slowed fractionally. “We can rest soon.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re exhausted.”
“So are you.”
True. But exhaustion was familiar. He’d been trained to push through it and function on minimal sleep and maximum adrenaline for days at a time.
She hadn’t.
“Just a bit farther. There’s a place I know. Hidden. Safe.”
“Okay.” No argument. No complaint.
Just trust.
She shouldn’t trust me this much. Shouldn’t follow me blindly into the wilderness.
But he was desperately grateful she did.
They kept moving as the forest thickened and the undergrowth caught at their cloaks. Branches reached out like grasping fingers in the darkness.
Her breathing grew labored, not quite a wheeze but close. He was pushing her too hard, but what choice did they have?
Dawn was coming and with it, discovery.
The sky lightened incrementally. Black fading to deepest blue and the stars winking out one by one.
He found the landmark he was searching for. A lightning-split oak, ancient and gnarled, its exposed heartwood pale as bone in the growing light.
From there, he counted paces, adjusting for the angle of the slope, before pushing through a dense thicket of brambles that caught at their clothes and skin.
And there.
The cave mouth was barely visible. Hidden behind a curtain of hanging vines and overgrown brush. Small enough that most people would walk past without noticing.
Perfect.
He’d used this hideaway twice before. Once after a particularly messy assassination that had required him to disappear for several days while Lasseran smoothed over the political complications. Once when a border skirmish had gone wrong and he’d needed to lay low until the search parties gave up.
Both times he’d been alone.
Both times he’d been thinking only of survival.
This time was different.
This time he had someone to protect.
He pushed through the vines and helped Thea navigate the narrow opening. The cave beyond was small but dry. Deep enough that the back chamber would be invisible from outside, and high enough that he could stand upright.
Not comfortable, but safe, and safe mattered more.
She sank onto the stone floor with a sound that was half sigh, half groan. She set the bundle of scrolls down carefully and then just sat there, her head bowed and her shoulders slumped while he moved deeper into the cave checking for signs of occupation by animals or other travelers.
He didn’t find anything but ash from his own previous fires. Proof that no one else knew about this place.
Good.
He filled a waterskin from the small spring at the rear of the cave and returned to find Thea trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. He handed her the waterskin and she drank thirstily before washing her hands and face.
“Now sleep.”
“I should help you—”
“With what? Setting up camp?” He gestured at the bare stone. “Already done. Sleep, Thea. You need it.”
“Don’t you?”
“I’ll keep watch.”
“Khorrek—”
“Please,” he said gruffly. “Let me do this. Let me keep you safe.”
Something in his tone must have convinced her. She nodded, pulled her cloak tighter around herself, and curled up on the stone like it was the finest feather bed.
And just like that, she was asleep.
He watched her for a long moment, watched the rise and fall of her breathing slow and the tension drain from her body as exhaustion finally claimed her.
Beautiful. Even disheveled and exhausted and sleeping on bare rock.
His Beast stirred in recognition.
Mate.
He’d been fighting that recognition since the moment he’d first seen her at the stone circle, naked and furious and completely unafraid despite being faced with an orc warrior twice her size.
He’d spent decades suppressing his Beast, controlling its urges, and channeling its strength into violence sanctioned by Lasseran.
But this was different. She was different.
And now that he’d severed his loyalty to the High King, now that he’d chosen her over everything he’d ever known, his Beast was harder to contain.
Claim. Mark.
He settled against the cave wall, close enough to touch her if needed, but far enough to maintain the illusion of distance. His body ached, his muscles protesting the brutal pace he’d set, but he ignored it. Pain was familiar. Manageable.
What he couldn’t manage was the feeling of being utterly untethered.
For as long as he could remember, he’d had a purpose.
Lasseran had raised him from childhood, trained him and shaped into his perfect weapon.
Absolute loyalty to the High King had been the foundation of his entire existence, and now that foundation was gone.
Shattered the moment he’d chosen to protect Thea instead of delivering her to Lasseran’s mercy.
This is what freedom feels like.
Terrifying.
Exhilarating.
Completely foreign.
He’d never made his own choices before. Every decision had been filtered through the lens of what Lasseran would want.
What would serve the High King’s interests.
Now he was adrift in a world with no guidance.
It was just the two of them and the desperate hope that he could keep her alive long enough to see whatever plan she was formulating come to fruition.
He watched her sleep. Watched the way her auburn hair spread across the stone. The way her glasses had slipped down her nose. The way her hand curled near her face like she was protecting something precious even in sleep.
She’s my anchor. The only thing he had to hold on to now. But what if she wanted to leave him?
He leaned his head back against the stone. Let his eyes drift half-closed while keeping his senses alert for any sign of pursuit. The hours crawled past. Dawn came fully. Grey light filtering through the vines covering the cave entrance.
Birds started singing and small creatures rustled in the underbrush outside.
There was no indication that anyone was searching for them.
Yet. Lasseran wouldn’t give up. Wouldn’t accept the betrayal without response.
He would send people after them and Khorrek had to make sure they stayed ahead of the pursuit long enough for Thea to complete her research.
And then what?
He didn’t know. All he knew was that he would protect her, no matter the cost. Even if it meant facing every warrior Lasseran sent after them. Even if it meant his own death. Because she mattered to him. More than loyalty. More than duty. More than my own life.
Thea stirred, whimpering in her sleep and he tensed, ready to wake her if she was having a nightmare. Instead she simply shifted closer to where he sat. Unconsciously seeking his warmth just as she’d done on the trail.
His Beast practically purred.
She wants us. She trusts us.
Slowly, carefully, he shifted his position and gathered her into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest. She settled immediately, her body relaxing against him. He’d never had this—the simple comfort of holding someone who mattered.
He held her as the morning passed, listening to the sounds of the forest waking around them, and for the first time in his life, felt something that might have been peace.
It was well after noon before she woke. He felt the moment consciousness returned, felt her tense fractionally as she remembered where she was, and then she relaxed and tilted her head back to look up at him.
And smiled.
“Hi.”
His throat tightened. “Hi yourself.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Most of the day.”
“You should have woken me. We need to keep moving.”
“You needed rest more.”
She sat up and stretched. The movement pulled her shirt tight across her small breasts and he forced himself to look away. He needed to focus on survival and not how much he wanted her.
“Khorrek?”
He looked back and found her watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.
“How does it feel?” she asked.
“How does what feel?”
“To be free.”
Free. Was he free? He’d escaped Lasseran’s direct control and broken the chains of loyalty and duty that had bound him since childhood. But free?
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’ve never been free before. Don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like.”
“Scary?”
“Terrifying.”
“Good.” She smiled, then reached up to touch his face. “If it wasn’t scary, you wouldn’t be doing it right.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Doesn’t it? The best things in life are usually the most frightening because they matter the most.”
“Spoken like an academic who’s never had to fight for survival.”
“Spoken like someone who spent her entire life afraid of taking risks and finally decided to try.” She traced the line of his jaw. “You’re worth the risk, Khorrek.”
His Beast surged. Demanding. Insistent.