Chapter 10 Hannah
Hannah
Every stride he took jammed my stomach hard into his shoulder, knocking the breath out of me in short bursts that refused to even out.
I curled my fingers into the leather of his cloak, my nails digging in as his arm locked around my legs like an iron band and blood rushed to my head fast enough to make my face burn.
I twisted, trying to lever myself up, but his grip tightened and dragged me right back into place.
Fine.
He had to be suffering from some sort of god complex, and I hated that both the caribou and I had to deal with him. Still, was he really about to charge into a fight with me slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and with my ass facing the enemy? Absolutely not.
His body shifted beneath me, weight dropping, balance changing.
I used the opening, forcing my torso up despite the pressure crushing my middle, dragging in a breath that didn’t feel like broken glass for once. My hair fell forward, brushing stone as I craned my neck, trying to see past him.
Light glinted ahead, sharp and uneven, splintering across crystal.
A figure strode into sight, and Kai surged forward sword-first before stopping so abruptly the jolt sent pain snapping through me.
His breath hitched. “Gavriel.”
I twisted harder, ignoring the pull in my side as I forced myself upright enough to see past his shoulder.
Oh. Blue Eyes. Of course it’d be him because times like these were when he seemed to appear. And this wasn't the worst position he’d ever seen me in.
Gavriel lifted the torch he held in one hand, a sword in his other. He breathed raggedly. “Your Majesty!”
“Fantastic. An audience,” I muttered, propping my chin on my fist and digging my elbow into Kai’s back. “As much as I love charging butt-first into battle, now do you want to put me down so I can do something besides present my backside to your entire army?”
“It’s a nice one at least.” Gavriel cleared his throat awkwardly.
Kai went rigid, as if someone had just struck him with lightning, and snarled, “Avert your gaze and report, soldier.”
The deadly growl that rumbled through him vibrated straight through me as well and made my stomach knot. Heat followed, and I swallowed hard. All the jarring must be taking its toll because there was no way in hell I was still attracted to this caveman of a fae who’d abandoned me.
“Apologies, sir.” Gavriel’s voice broke.
“We stopped using the whistles unless it’s an emergency because we’ve spotted the enemy.
The Night Court forces at the Blood Basin are starting to make their way down.
” His breathing was still uneven but steadying.
“At first, we thought they were breaking formation. Running. That they’d scatter.
But then we caught other sounds. Calls going out.
It sounds like reinforcements are moving in, and dawn is close. ”
My grip on Kai’s cloak tightened, and my stomach dropped somehow, despite still being upside down. Something cold slid through my chest.
Kai’s arm tightened again. “How many?”
“Hard to tell,” Gavriel said. “The echoes carried the news. At least two squads. Could be more.”
Kai tilted his head, listening and calculating. Silence pressed in, thinner and stretched tight. “Go. Now. We’ll use the caves to our advantage.” He surged forward.
“Are you being freaking serious right now?” My voice was muffled against his back, and my ribs protested every step.
Pain shot through me again, reminding me exactly how unpleasant this position was.
“You’re still going to carry me like this to the battlefield?
Just so you know, I can walk so that both of us can fight with two hands, which feels like basic common sense. Did you get hit in the head?”
His shoulder shifted under me, and a faint huff of breath left him that almost sounded like a laugh. “You aren’t fast enough.”
Fire blazed in my chest. He could be so cold, but the fact that it was probably true made me want to be even more irrational. Aunt Maureen’s face appeared in my mind, her lips pursed tight as she clicked her tongue before making the eh sound she did to tell me to be quiet.
Well, because you died and left me, I’m still not gonna listen to you. I caught myself sticking my tongue out at her like she was present. If someone saw me, it’d look like I was trying to lick Kai’s ass.
I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the actual threat, and then opened them. I glared at the ground flashing beneath us. “I’m going to steal more than your underwear next time! I’m not some sort of princess and can hold my own just fine!”
His hand adjusted on my legs to counter my shift without him breaking stride. “Claims a woman who was trapped by a monster. Besides, if you try to steal something again, you’ll be disappointed.”
“Ha!” I laughed loudly, regretting it immediately because the movement hurt my chest more. “Challenge accepted!” He’d regret those words even if I had to die to make him.
“What challenge?” He scoffed and then added, “Forget I asked. We need to focus on getting out of here.”
The air turned colder as we cut through a narrower passage with crystal brushing close enough to graze my sleeve.
The faint glow deepened to a darker violet, and shadows stretched longer between reflections.
If the smell was any indication, we were getting closer to the surface, the fresh air carrying that sharp bite I remembered all too well.
My hands clenched, less from the motion and more from the way the space seemed to close in.
We burst through one final passage, and the cavern opened around us, vast and echoing.
Caribou near the far wall stamped and snorted, tossing their antlered heads at our sudden appearance. Two soldiers held their reins. Torchlight cast long, shifting shadows across the crystal-studded walls, and the cold hit harder here, carrying the bite of the mountain air from the entrance above.
Kai crossed the space in a few long strides and finally set me down.
My boots hit stone, and my legs wobbled as blood rushed back where it belonged. I grabbed a caribou’s saddle to steady myself, and the beast huffed warm breath against my arm while I blinked away the spots in my vision.
“Seleth,” Kai barked, turning toward the soldier nearest the cave mouth. “Report. What are you seeing?”
The soldier who had to be Seleth straightened and tightened his jaw. “Three squads confirmed now, Your Majesty. They’re moving up the pass in formation, and the falling snow has turned to fine powder. At least two inches of fresh accumulation at a minimum, and it’s very dry.”
My stomach clenched. Three squads. How many fae was that? And what did the snow have to do with anything? Whatever it was, it clearly had them on edge.
“Then we split off.” Kai stepped beside what I assumed was his caribou and reached into one of the saddlebags next to a secured heavy crossbow, then pulled out a scarf.
He handed it to me. “Cover your hair. It’s too distinct.
We need to avoid recognition if we can.” His gaze shifted back to Seleth.
“What of the solumbra eagle? Is it still circling?”
“Still circling.” Seleth wrinkled his nose. “It’s made several attacks and is slowing their movement. Not sure what it’s after, but it isn’t leaving, and it may draw wolves and other carrion if it keeps up that noise.”
“Then we use it to our advantage and get out before the wolves arrive.” Kai stepped forward, surveying his soldiers.
I tugged my hair over my shoulder and wrapped the scarf around my head, tucking in as much of the gold as I could.
The cold bit at my exposed skin even through the enchanted clothing, and I stamped my feet to get the blood moving again.
My leg throbbed where the glass had cut me, but the makeshift bandage was holding…
for now. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to run.
Kai turned back to the group and lowered his voice just loud enough to carry.
“We ride hard for the eastern ridge. It offers the most alternative paths back to the Dusk Court. Go in groups of three. Some of you double up so we aren’t the only pair.
Prepare your snow visors. The glare will come fast at this elevation with powder like this. ”
Snow visors? Why did we need those? When the Dusk Court soldiers had come to get us after the storm, it had been bright, and they had all been squinting, but it hadn't been too bad.
A flash of recognition shot through my mind. That had been in a much lower part of the land, and the snow wasn't fresh powder. I vaguely remembered hearing about how much brighter the sun got at higher altitudes and how dangerous that could be. Well, that was lovely.
Everyone moved quickly, organizing without hesitation.
Kai returned to me.
I raised an eyebrow. “So, I don’t have to ride butt-up anymore. Right?”
He narrowed his eyes, like he was considering a response and finding none worth the effort. “No.”
The urge to mock that serious tone was strong, but maybe not the best idea with imminent death looming. “I could ride my own caribou so we don’t have to double up.” My heart skipped a beat, but after he was so mean to me last time, I didn’t want to be near him. It confused me.
“No. You ride with me.” He was already moving, pulling something else from the saddlebag. It was an odd, narrow mask with a thin slit and dark interior. “Put this inside your cloak. When dawn hits, wear it. Powder like this will reflect enough light to burn your eyes in minutes.”
Before I could tuck it away, his hands were on my waist, lifting me up and onto the front of the saddle. He swung up behind me in one smooth motion, his body crowding close.
Damn. He was warm, and I hated that it took more self-control than I wanted to admit not to lean back into him as the cold intensified.
“You’ve got a bad habit of just doing whatever you think is best,” I huffed, shoving the visor into my bra for safekeeping. “I could’ve gotten up on my own.”