Page 51 of Wolf Queen Ruin
“Vulnerable,” he corrected, shaking his head at the bottle.“And a liability rather than an asset to this expedition.”
“Meaning you’ll be more like me?The horror.”I took a long draw of water.
“Meaning I won’t be able to protect us as effectively if we encounter threats.Which, given our location, is certain.”
The admission—that he saw his role as protective—lifted my eyebrows.I remembered the good old days when our partnership was purely transactional: my tomb-raiding skills for his financing and connections.How had we gone from that to “so engaged that we could never take off our damn rings” to protective and stupid fluttery feelings so quickly?
“Well.”I cleared my throat and nudged his arm.“Good thing you’ve got me, then.I’ve been surviving without supernatural powers for years.”
“Yes, you’re right,” he said.“How do you sound so positive about it?”
“Because I’m not dead.”I took another swig and wiped my chin with the back of my hand.“No offense.”
“None taken.”He huffed a laugh and shook his head.“Only you could make me laugh in a situation like this.”
“Yeah, yeah.”I waved away the comment while I stashed the bottle into my pack once more.“We’ve established I’m a unicorn.Now start walking before I have to carry you.”
We continued in silence, the path gradually sloping upward as we moved away from the river.The jungle grew denser, forcing us to take turns clearing the way with machetes.Despite his weakened state, Damien’s cuts were still precise and powerful, though he was pacing himself.
By late afternoon, we reached a small clearing dominated by a massive ceiba tree.Its trunk was wider than a car, with enormous buttressing roots creating natural alcoves around its base.The canopy spread at least a hundred feet overhead, casting the clearing in green-tinted shadows.
“We should rest here,” I said, noting the increasingly labored quality of Damien’s movements.“The light will be gone soon anyway.”
He looked ready to argue, his jaw tightening in that now-familiar expression of stubborn determination.But then he nodded.“Fine.Travel at night doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Especially with my human eyes,” I said.
We established a basic camp in one of the root alcoves, without a fire since it would draw both human smugglers’ and supernatural attention.As I unpacked our supplies, Damien prowled the perimeter of the clearing, setting up small devices that beeped as they activated.
“Motion sensors?”I asked when he returned.
“And other security measures.”He leaned against the root wall opposite me, his movements betraying more fatigue than I’d seen from him before.
Despite this, he maintained a vigilant posture, scanning our surroundings.
“You should drink something,” I said, nodding toward the specialized containers in his pack.
Not like I’d been snooping, but I’d noticed them and had tactfully avoided commenting.
His expression tightened.“I can wait.”
“For what?Until you’re too weak to be useful?”I crossed my arms.“That’s not happening on my watch.Whatever you need to do, do it.”
He studied me for a long moment, something complex passing behind his eyes.“Most humans are disturbed by our feeding habits.”
“I’m not most humans, and we’ve already established that I’m not easily disturbed.”I turned away to give him privacy, occupying myself with checking our coordinates against Theo’s map.“Do what you need to do to keep functioning.”
After a moment’s silence, I heard him retrieving something from his pack.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.“I’ll be quick.”
According to our position, we were about three days from the crypt’s location, assuming direct travel, which rarely happened in terrain like this.I traced other potential routes with my finger, considering natural barriers and likely areas for the boundary protections Theo had warned us about.
“If we follow this ridgeline,” I said without turning, holding up the map and tapping it, “we might save half a day’s travel.”
“The elevation would provide better visibility as well,” Damien said, his voice already sounding stronger.“You can turn around now, Luna.”
I turned back, noting with satisfaction that some of his color had returned, which wasn’t saying much, but still.He looked better.Stronger.More him.
