Page 32 of The Hellbeast's Betrayal

“I think I need to get you some happier reading,” I told him, making him smirk.

“I hear smut ends happy,” he teased, making me burst out laughing. Something that ended abruptly when I saw where we were, or should I say…

Who was waiting for us.

12

WORRIES STRIPPED BARE

The second we saw the small army up ahead, Jared instantly put me behind him.

“What is the meaning of this, Koro?” he asked, all flirty teasing now replaced by a hard tone.

Koro, who was ahead of us, raised his arm up to the army, making all the soldiers lower their weapons as one. Men dressed in what looked like armored robes made from large scales of interlocking black plates. As if these pieces had been made from real life dragons, that at this point, I couldn’t say didn’t exist. Not after I had encountered so many unbelievable things since being down in Hell. And these guys were no exception, because it was like stepping into a dark fantasy novel.

I couldn’t tell if they were Elves or not. But with the way they dressed, each one matching in black leather and with their gleaming curved swords at their sides, they made an incredible sight. And let’s just say I wouldn’t have been surprised if they pulled back their hoods and I saw pointed ears.

As for the one who obviously led them, Koro turned back to us and made his way over.

“Be at ease, HellBeast, these men are loyal to me and also serve the Bloodstone Covenant. They are here to see us safely to my camp.”

Jared nodded, because clearly, due to whatever had happened before coming to save me, he now trusted Koro enough to nod his head. Of course, Jared had explained most of it, although I had no idea what the Bloodstone Covenant was.

But then, I wasn’t sure I needed to at this point. All I needed to know was that Koro was acting as a double agent and wanted to see Garmr’s end just as much as we did. That, and he obviously loved my sister.

As for Lerna, I hadn’t spoken to her yet, as I had needed time to process everything Jared had told me. Because naturally,it was a lot.And with the amount of nervous glances she had sent me when looking over her shoulder, then I think it was easy to say that she knew this. Part of me felt guilty for not just letting it go and speaking with her. But the other part of me felt hurt by all she had kept back.

After this, we continued on and I had to say, by the time the camp came into view I was ready to collapse in the first bed I was shown. From a distance, it looked like a ruined town that had been taken over by gypsies, and I suppose that was exactly what it was. Crumbling buildings, with entire walls missing, had been pieced back together with large sheets of colorful cloth. These half tents were pinned to the stone floor, half covered in rich green moss.

Huge squares of patched material hung like sails across broken roofs, offering protection from any chance of rain and wind. And I had to admit, it offered a certain charm to the place. It brought color to what would have been a lonely, lost, and forgotten town. One that had looked like it had been a casualty of war, because I could still see the arrows sticking out of the ground that littered the surrounding fields.

Obviously, my fatigue started to show the closer we got, and Jared suddenly swept me up in his arms and carried me.

“You don’t have…”

“Quiet, Red, I’m carrying you and that’s that,” he stated firmly, making me close my mouth because, in the end, I sighed in relief as I relaxed in his hold.

I soon felt my eyes closing, the comfortable sway of his walk easily luring me to sleep. Something that couldn’t have been more than ten-fifteen minutes tops. And the next time I opened them again, it was when I felt myself being lowered onto something soft.

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” I said, making him chuckle when I jolted as if my alarm had just gone off telling me to get my ass ready for work. However, one look around the place and I knew I was as far from my trailer as I could get…literally.

Although camping still seemed to be on the agenda… it was like I suspected from a distance, they had used tents against what had remained of the town. Which meant that the inside was a mix of half stone walls and lengths of red material that covered the rest. Poles were used to keep the tent part in place, with a flap that worked as a door.

As for the sturdier side, it became obvious that this had once been someone’s home. Some of its features were still on show from whoever used to own this house, like the fireplace. There were even stone shelves built into two corners of the room, that still held jars and urns on top.

The rest of the furniture had likely been brought in and added after, and there was a wooden framed bed, big enough for two against the stone wall. There were also trunks, a small table and chairs, and a few comfier looking seats next to the stone fireplace, telling me it was most likely still functional.

“Ssshh, it’s alright, just go back to sleep, love,” Jared cooed down at me gently. But then when he straightened back up, I quickly reached for his hand.

“Please stay,” I urged, making him look down at me tenderly.

“I am not going anywhere, Red, just getting you more comfortable.” Then he sat on the edge of the bed and started to remove my boots. However, the second he did, he hissed,

“For fuck sake, Red, you’re bleeding!”

“Am I?” I asked in a sleepy voice.

“Yes,”he gritted out, now taking my bare foot in his hands to look at my blistered feet.

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