Page 23 of The Demon of the Wood

“Yes, certainly. After the snow clears and people make their way back into town. I can still fly us into Orc Haven to get supplies, but it would be difficult for you to pay rent, and of course, it’s free here.” His eyes landed on hers then, a fervency so deep it felt like a plea, and she wanted to answer it fully. “You can sell what you forage and save so that you’re in a good place and not starting out behind.”

She wanted to hug him, kiss his cheek as she had with Silenus, to jump for joy. Grabbing his arm, she asked, “You really wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not,” he said, a dazed expression on his face, his eyes darting from her hand on his arm back up to her face.

“I know I’m invading your space and—”

“It doesn’t feel that way. You’ve been so helpful. And it’s nice talking to you.”

They stared at each other for a long, charged moment and she thought maybe she would like to kiss him, though not on his cheek, instead on those lovely lips of his that said such kind things to her.

thirteen

Kaemon

Melinapulledthestringson the canvas bag of nuts and handed it to Kaemon.

“Do you think it’s enough?” she asked, chewing her lip.

She had been working tirelessly for the past two weeks, foraging for hours to get the nuts to sell. Kaemon had to admit that he admired her determination. She always kept half back for them and put half away to take to the market. She gathered crab apples the day before to trade as well.

Kaemon nodded. “Yes, I think you will fetch a good price for all of this at the market.”

She smiled and grabbed her cloak, tying it around her shoulders as she followed him to the front yard. Throwing the items in a large knapsack, he pulled it onto his back. He offered her his hand, and she stared at it, then at the sky, fidgeting. Giving him a tentative expression, she took it.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes?”

Kaemon laughed. “I promise flying is only scary at first. You’ll love it once you get used to it.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re the one with the wings.”

She gripped his hand tighter, then stepped closer. The soft scent of soap and pine drifted to him, the one he now associated with her. He pulled her into his arms and against his chest. Her hand braced there, and she burrowed in close, making his veins thrum from the contact.

With a springing step, he launched into the air, her hand gripping his shirt, her breath stopping until they broke through the tree line, and he was gliding. Her face nuzzled in his chest, her eyes clamped shut, her breathing resuming with ragged gasps. He stroked her shoulder, and she opened one eye, wild with fear.

“I didn’t die,” she whispered.

He smiled. “No, and you won’t. I won’t let that happen.”

She closed her eyes again. They flew for a while; the scenes passing below them, white with patches of brown or green from the trees punctuating it. Melina eventually gained the courage to stare at the sky in wonder.

When her gaze dipped down, she lurched against him, burying her face in his chest again. With her cheek pressed against his chest, he wondered if she could hear it race from her touch.

Kaemon laughed, and she let out a shaky one, too. He didn’t enjoy her being scared, but he did enjoy her pressing against him for safety. They had come a long way in the weeks she’d lived with him. Each day, the physical distance closing between them as the emotional distance did as well. With a blink, he’d gone from being alone to having someone that knew his quirks and how he enjoyed fixing his coffee in the morning.

“I was terrified the first time I flew this high as well,” he said.

“But you love it?”

“More than almost anything. When I was in the… when I was taken, I couldn’t fly for years. It took me a long time after to regain the strength to fly, and I’ve sworn I’d never let that happen again.”

She frowned. “It’s horrible what they did to you.”

Emotions roiled inside him. His mind flashed with the words they lobbed at him like arrows all those years. “Do you not think I’m a monster, Melina?”

“No,” she said without hesitation. “Do you?”

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