Page 30 of The Dragon King's Curse
“I wish I knew. The further we get from the castle the harder it will be for the guards to find us. Maybe they’ll give up entirely, thinking the forest will take care of us.” I set her back on the ground, hating the way she quickly put space between us.
She was right to do so. Getting too comfortable with one another would be a mistake.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can go without resting. My magick is drained, and I’m exhausted. Atlas has been keeping us barely fed. It’s taking a toll.” Raising her sword, she held it ready as we continued on our horrific journey.
She struggled along for another hour it seemed before tripping over a tree root and falling to her knees. “I’m done, Noxx. I can’t take another step. I need to rest.”
With the moon high above us and the night in my veins, I felt energized. A creature that was more nocturnal than diurnal, I felt more alive at night. Scooping her up in my arms, I kept moving.
“This is your solution? Are you going to carry me to the border? Eventually, you’ll need to rest too. Tiring ourselves out will only slow us down. It will make us vulnerable.” Despite her aversion to me, Feryn looped her arms around my neck.
“We’ll keep going until we find a safe place to stop for a few hours. We need to be able to stay hidden.” Determination drove every step. We’d already come so far. I wouldn’t do anything that might result in us going back to that prison cell or worse.
The thought of Feryn being forced to wed Lyre Rein was enough to keep me going. It should’ve meant nothing to me. She meant nothing to me. And still the thought of letting the fae prince get his hands on her made my blood boil.
While I carried her, Feryn did her best to swing her sword, keeping the foliage at bay. It was more aggressive in some areas than others. We tried to veer away from the areas that seemedmore problematic. At one point, a bird began to dive bomb my head.
“Kill it,” I snarled, ducking it’s attack. “Annoying little shit.”
“I’m not going to kill it.” Feryn sounded absolutely disgusted. “This is his home. He doesn’t know any better than to protect it. We are the trespassers here. Besides, he’s too little to actually hurt you.”
When the bird managed to clip me in the forehead, she burst into laughter. I had half a mind to scorch the little jerk with a fireball. Feryn’s musical laughter cut through my irritation. A pleasant sound I could listen to endlessly. Did she have to be so fucking perfect? Couldn’t she possibly have one trait that turned me off?
Eventually, the bird ceased it attack and returned to its nest. We’d probably come too close, setting off its aggressive behavior. I had to admit that I could use a break myself.
“We need a safe place to stop for a while,” I said. “Any ideas?”
Feryn glanced around at the trees, the flowers, and the various types of plant life. “What about over there? That tree has a thick trunk. If I have enough strength left, I may be able to get that brush in front of it to cover us.”
I set her down and she made her way to the tree she’d pointed out. Reaching out with both hands, she closed her eyes and spoke to the forest. I watched in fascination as the brush and surrounding plants came together to create a makeshift shelter. A tent of leaves and limbs that we could hide beneath. Anyone passing by would have no idea we were inside.
The space was just big enough for the two of us. We crouched down and crawled inside, resting our backs against the tree trunk. It felt fucking good to sit down.
“You should get some sleep,” I said. “I’ll stay awake and keep watch.”
“When was the last time you even slept? I don’t know a whole lot about dragons but I know they need to sleep sometime.” She shot me a pointed look.
I shrugged off her concern. “Yeah, well, you’re the one who’s exhausted. You need your strength if you’re going to convince the land to let us cross the border. Don’t worry about me.”
The elf princess wasn’t one to accept a brush off. She turned to better face me. “We both need to be at full strength if we’re going to be of any use to each other. Dealing with the land is only one problem. If Atlas sends more guards after us, we need to be ready for a fight. Pushing yourself to the breaking point won’t help us get out of here.”
“Trust me, princess, I’m nowhere near my breaking point.” I stifled a laugh when she glowered. “Sorry. Let me rephrase that. Trust me, sugarplum.”
There was no holding back my laughter when her expression changed to one of sheer revulsion. She smacked me hard in the upper arm.
“There will be no more of that. I know for a fact now you’re trying to drive me crazy.”
I quirked a brow. “So it’s working then.”
Feryn ducked her head as she tried to hide her smile. “One of these days I’m going to slap you.”
“I look forward to it. Now get some sleep. We shouldn’t stay in one place too long.” Warning bells went off in my head. I was enjoying her company far too much.
I was suddenly all too aware of how close she sat. How the end of her long braid brushed against my arm. How our thighs were only inches apart.
She knew how my curse could be broken. Information she kept to herself. This woman didn’t give a shit about me.
“You need to sleep too,” she insisted. “I’ll ask the trees to alert us if anyone comes close.”
