Page 15 of A Soul to Guide

Complicated people were always the best to crack open. He would be a fun puzzle to solve, and Raewyn did love anything that was puzzling and difficult.

It was why she became a scientist to begin with.

She just hoped nothing bad happened to him by the end of this journey.

The first night of their travels, Raewyn discovered the ground was hard, cold, and dirty. She’d hated every moment, especially since she had topretendto be asleep the entire time.

Anytime she tried to sit up, he told her to lie down, and, in his words, ‘go the fuck to sleep.’

Perhaps he was angry with her because she’d begged for rest, even when he’d wanted to march through the night like an unstoppable force.

He’d added that she didn’t need to be worried and that he’d wake up and protect her if an enemy were to come.

She appreciated that he seemed to be saying this to soothe her, like that was the issue with her sleeplessness, but she didn’t need soothing – she was just hopelessly bored.

Even if she did have the same sleeping habits as a human, she doubted she would have been able to sleep. Starting a fire would be an unwise decision, which is why she’d never asked for one, so she shivered the entire night.

It was especially windy, and the one blanket she’d brought was nowhere near enough.

Merc never offered his own, nor his cloak, or for her to lie behind him to stay warm. Then again, why would he? It was summer; she was sure this was hot for him.

Most nights were spent like this, while their days were mostly filled with silence.

When they’d passed a freshwater lake, he offered her privacy while she bathed. She wanted to, more than anything in the world. He didn’t seem to be a pervert or attracted to her in general, but the white hair on her head was not the only place she had it on her body.

Even when he led her away from the lake, she had her nose turned to its fresh, inviting scent. The grass and plants surrounding it smelt livelier, and her heart soared with the idea of belly flopping into it if it meant she could also be cleansed.

At least it gave her fresh water to drink. Merc boiled it for her so it would be safe from bacteria. He’d grumbled the entire time, since she demanded he do so.

They’d also had an argument over it.

“I’ll leave you here. Don’t test me,” he threatened when she stamped her foot and folded her arms across her chest, refusing to leave until he set up a fire and boiled the water.

“We can leave, but you can’t complain when you have to carry me when I’m suffering from dehydration or because I’m sick with a fever, all because you wouldn’t spend a few minutes ensuring my safety.” Then she’d tapped at her lips and spouted, “What was it you promised me? You’d keep me safe? I didn’t realise you were a man who broke his promises.”

She’d tried, really tried, not to appear smug when he caved. Whenever she annoyed him, he threatened to leave her behind, but never stuck to his word. She had the feeling he wouldn’t, so she poked and prodded him as much as she could.

Two days had passed since they left Clawhaven.

She really tried to keep her spirits high, even when she tripped over a tree root, or smacked into a branch he ducked under. But there was one thing wearing her down... these silly shoes!

Her feet weren’t made to wear them, and they pinched. She had sores she wouldn’t have formed had she been barefooted. She’d almost started crying when there was a rock in her shoe she couldn’t get rid of until she realised it was actually inside her sock. She didn’t even know how it got there.

Oh, and what about when her sock got wet somehow? It was absolutely gross.

Raewyn had never been so thankful when the third night approached, and Merc managed to find them an abandoned cottage to stay in. The door was already open, and he kindly cleared away the spiderwebs and their creators.

His footsteps were usually quiet, but not even he could hide how the porch steps creaked under his weight. So, when he came back outside while she was holding onto the broken porch railing, she heard him approach.

She also smelt him, since he was covered in soot, as though he’d cleaned a fireplace or chimney out.

“Inside is safe,” he stated, while slapping his hands together as if he were dusting them. “There’s evidence of a Demon nest, but it looks as though it’s abandoned.”

Raewyn cocked her head. “Demons will build a nest inside old houses?”

“Of course. It’s perfect shade from the sun. Half the time, Demons will kill the people and take their place inside their home. It’s easier for them since they don’t have to go back to the Veil or the mountains to hide.”

A shiver coursed down her spine, one that even shuddered her shoulders. From what she’d learned of the Veil through her texts, it was similar to the forests of Nyl’theria – just with different vegetation.

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