Page 83 of The Cursed Kingdom

I can’t keep her warm without it.

The human lets out a quiet grunt as Kie bends and begins sliding the material up her legs, but she doesn’t make much of a fuss. I prefer it when she’s fussing, and a low, involuntary whine slips from my throat when she doesn’t.

Kie looks at me, clearly surprised by the noise, and I turn away. I didn’t mean to make a sound.

He finishes pulling my pants up her legs, coating them in mud in the process, before stepping away to give me room. I didn’t tell him I intended to do this, nor did he ask, but we’ve always been on the same page.

Even when we’re fighting.

It’s the damn bond.

The human stares at me through her thick lashes, her brown eyes narrowed as she tries to monitor our movements. Her pupils are fully expanded as she tries to make out our forms in the dark, but I doubt she’s getting much detail.

She doesn’t have her illumination stick on. I hate the damn thing, but she should be using it when it grows dark—especially when she’s by herself. The trolls are afraid of fire, and they’re probably dumb enough to think that’s what the light is.

Maybe the human doesn’t know as much as I assume. She’s making idiotic decision after idiotic decision, even when she thinks she’s alone. I find it hard to believe anybody fromthis realm would trust her with important information about delysum. I sure wouldn’t.

Her body convulses in a bone-deep shiver, and I scan to ensure her skin is covered before crawling over her. My fur is usually thick enough to act as a barrier between me and others, but the fur on my stomach is thinner. I don’t want to risk the human accidentally touching me.

Her pulse picks up as I cover her with myself. It’s good she’s still reacting, and I force myself to remain quiet so she doesn’t get worked up and try to crawl away. Kie wasn’t joking when he told her I like a chase, and I don’t know if I can hold myself back if she tries to run from me again.

“I’ll get the cover set up,” Kie says, dropping our packs by the human’s feet.

I sure as fuck hope he will. I don’t have opposable thumbs in this state, so there’s no way I’m doing it. The human couldn’t have chosen a worse time to run away.

Had she been with us, we’d have stopped and taken cover before the rain got this bad. Instead, we were sent on a wild goose chase. I have to credit the human for how long she lasted before taking shelter, though.

Kie gets to work putting up our covering, his movements efficient. We brought a small one since we were planning on staggering our sleep and never intended to use it simultaneously, and it hardly covers the entirety of my animal form.

It’s better than nothing, though, and I let out a relieved huff when it’s up and I no longer feel the aggravating rain pouring down on me.

The human continues to shiver, and I hesitate before lowering my body further onto hers. It’s risky to let her be this close to my uncovered skin, but I can’t bring myself to sit back and watch her die. My body heat will warm her.

Kie shoves at my waist, pushing me aside so he can squeeze under the covering with the human and me. There’s almost no room for him, and his legs remain in the rain, but he doesn’t need the extra heat. Faeries can easily handle temperatures twice as low as this.

Minutes pass in tense silence. I spend the entire time listening to the human’s heartbeat, ensuring it doesn’t do anything drastic. I’m tired of her body trying to kill itself, first with the infection and now with the cold.

I should be pleased with the thought of her dying, but I’m struggling to feel the emotion. It’s bothersome.

“Should I make a fire?” Kie eventually asks. “It’s wet, but I have a fireball in my bag. It should still light.”

I shake my head, shutting down the suggestion. We’re too close to the shifter border. My people don’t typically cross into troll territory, but they won’t hesitate to investigate if they see smoke.

No troll would ever light a fire, and they’d know it’s us.

Besides, my body will warm the human faster than a fire will. My belly is my warmest part, and I’m pressing it firmly against her. She probably thinks I’m preparing to eat her.

I would never.

Shifters have no problemskillingevolved creatures, but we would nevereatone. Humans are too similar to us, and cannibalism isn’t our thing. If a shifter were caught eating humans or faeries, they’d be exiled from their group, and lone shifters tend not to last long in the forest.

We’re territorial people, defensive over what’s ours, including land. My father may be the alpha, but underneath his rule are dozens of smaller groupings of shifters. I faintly remember being taken around to visit them as a child.

It was important that I meet the people I was meant to lead once my father dies, but now that responsibility belongs to Kalix.My younger brother will be the next alpha. I share a mate with the great Prince Kieran, and my father ensured that my people would never respect me as alpha when he ordered me to live and grow up in Bellmere.

My allegiances are split, and it would be a disservice to the shifters.

Kie leans against my back, squishing my tail in the process. I have half a mind to wiggle and flick him off me, but I don’t want to jostle the human. She’s being uncharacteristically docile, and I’d like to keep it that way. Plus, I don’t want to risk her accidentally touching me.

---