Page 41 of A Soul to Guide

“Then why did we come here?”

With a deep snarl, Merikh threw the fish into the water, doubtful they would survive after being exposed to the air for so long. She flinched in surprise at his snarl and the splash, before her knees knocked inward self-consciously.

Merikh sat back on his haunches and palmed his skull in frustration.

I thought she would be like taking care of a human.Merikh had never taken care of a human before. He’d only ever observed and read about them so he could pass off as one without suspicion.

He was their death and destruction. If he took one in like some sort of pet, it’d be like fattening up a pig for slaughter.

This just got a lot harder than it needed to be.

“You should have told me first what food I should have been looking for, rather than making the assumption I had any idea,” he growled out, just as he rose to his feet. “How the fuck am I supposed to know what you can or can’t eat?”

“Well, you didn’t think to ask me either.” She bit at her bottom lip before wiping her hands on her dress. “You’re not going to eat them then?”

She looked wary of him. Then again, she always looked torn between being wary or warm. Her ‘friendliness’ was likely nothing but a façade to placate the monster she was travelling with.

Which meant he hated it when she showed him even a smidge of warmth. He’d rather she glare like everyone else who knew what he was.

“No, as that would be utterly pointless. No amount of food satisfies a Duskwalker’s hunger. I amalwayshungry, always on the cusp of starvation, with no end in sight.Thatis my curse.”

“Well, that sounds terrible,” she muttered with a forced pout, and he bet she thought she looked cute, yet it only soured him further.

He looked at the water, sparkling gold from the bright sunlight. He had half a mind to toss her into the river.

“Tell me about it,” he scoffed.

Cupping his hands in the water, he collected a large amount so he could dump it on the fire he’d made for absolutely no reason.

“It will take us an additional day to get to the temple, but there is a small farm town we stop at. I will get you food you can eat.”

He was not above torturing her if she truly intended to back out on her end of the deal, but he had no interest in starving her. He didn’t want to make the rest of their – hopefully – short journey unbearable.

He bet she’d whine and groan and bitch at him. That was normal... right? He was sure the humans had coined a specific word for it,hangryor something. Starving her would only torture himself.

“Any other requirements I should know about?”

“Nope.” Then, she had the gall to bat her pretty, fluttery eyelashes at him before she dipped her big toe into the water and swirled it. “So... about that bath.”

“No,” he bit as he collected all the fire and fishing tools he’d prepared for her uneaten meal so he could place it all back in one of his satchels. He also donned his shirt. “For wasting my time, you can suffer.”

Honestly, he was just feeling more irritable than usual, and she had truly wasted their time.

“I promise it’ll only be five minutes.”

Merikh folded his arms when he stood, prepped and ready to go. “Another five minutes lost.”

Without a shred of warning, she bounced to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. “You know what? I don’t have to ask for your permission.”

When she began undoing the ties at the front of her dress, Merikh let out a deep growl.

“I said no! Dusk is beginning to colour the sky, and we have left our scents here for too long. This is how you endanger yourself.”

Raewyn lifted her chin stubbornly. “I guess you’re not as strong as you claim to be,” she sang, just as she lowered her dress past her shoulders.

With his growl growing fiercer, Merikh turned before he could see any more of her body, surprised she was willing to strip in front of him just for a bath. Weren’t most women shy about their nudity?

“You have five minutes,” he snapped as he walked just past the trees and bushes. “Or I’ll leave you here.”

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