“It’s not that cold. I’m going to find some moss.” She slowed down. Good!
He choked out a laugh. “Moss? What the fuck do you plan on doing with moss?”
“I’ll use it to cover myself.” She picked up the pace again. Fuck!
“Moss is cold and damp. Good luck with that.” What a fucking waste. She would be dead by morning. He only hoped he was wrong about that.
“Thank you.” She turned and continued walking.
“Fire would be better,” he yelled. “Can you start one, sweetheart? Do you even know where to begin?” He didn’t wait for a reply, he could already guess her answer. “What about water? Do you know how to find some?” he yelled.
“We’re in the mountains.” She looked around them, she’d stopped walking for a moment. Her tits were great too. He really shouldn’t be looking right then, but hey. So fucking plump. “There’s bound to be water about.”
“Okay…if you say so.”
“I do!” she snapped.
“You’re a very positive person. I can tell.”
“So?” She frowned.
“So, you’re always looking for the rainbow. You really believe you’ll be okay. You’ve convinced yourself of that fact but it’s bullshit. You’re no longer in Kansas, sweet-cheeks.”
“I’m not from…” she huffed, then stopped. “Nice one! A Wizard of Oz reference. I already asked you to stop with the stupid names. I told you what mine is…use it”
He nodded. “I will if you come back.”
“No!” She took another step away.
“I’m being serious. You really shouldn’t go out there.”
“You would say that. If I leave you won’t have a woman to hand to…your friend.” She widened her eyes.
“Ekon…the rightful king of the Feral. He’s a good male. You’ll like him.”
“I don’t think so.” She turned and continued walking yet again.
“Don’t go, Claire! Don’t do it!” Magnar didn’t know what else to say to her. He’d already warned her about the wild animals. She might just die from exposure or dehydration. “What about food?” he yelled.
“A person can go days without food, I will be rescued before I starve,” she yelled back. More of that positivity bullshit. Granted, there was a chance she might be rescued but these mountains were vast. It might not happen. Not in time, at any rate.
“Stay!” he yelled after her. “Let me keep you warm. Let me protect you.”
“You’re injured,” she shouted. “You can’t even stop me from walking away, can you?”
Actually, he could, but it would mean using up his last reserves of strength, which he might need later. Magnar would bring her back, only to watch her leave again. His last reserves would then be depleted, and she’d still be gone.
It wasn’t worth it.
“Hope you can run, sweets,” he half-heartedly threw at her retreating back.
She didn’t respond.
Magnar closed his eyes again. His shoulder burned. He needed a couple of hours of shuteye and then he’d go after her. He could only hope that she didn’t kill herself between now and then.
First, he needed to keep himself alive and actually get some rest. This wasn’t a great position though. It left him vulnerable. With difficulty, Magnar moved to his knees. He groaned, breathing deeply to try to stave off the pain and dizziness. It took a few seconds for him to normalize…at least to the point where he could move. Feeling like a day-old chick, he crawled, moving slowly and steadily until he reached the cliff-face. Magnar put his back to the rock. Not exactly comfortable but it would work. This way, he had a good view of—
Tits.
Beautiful and bouncing. Wow! Was he dreaming? Despite all the blood loss, his prick tried to take notice. Then he realized that she had blood smears all over her. The female. The human. Gorgeous! She was utterly breathtaking. Those breasts. Lord help him! Wait a minute! She wore an expression of…of…pure terror.
She was running towards him. Her arms pumping…her breasts…he needed to not look at those right then. Especially since she was being pursued.
Fuck!
Adrenaline surged. Lots of adrenaline. It hit his veins and lit him up. Thank fuck, because he needed the strength that coursed through his body as a result. Magnar jumped to his feet, feeling absolutely fine. Top of the world. “Get behind me!” he shouted, as he ran for her.
* * *
Claire ran like she had never run before. She could hear them behind her…gaining steadily. It wasn’t like she was the fastest runner to begin with, but barefoot, it was almost impossible.
She glanced behind her, wishing she hadn’t. They were going to eat her. Rip her apart and eat her. They’d probably been attracted by the scent of blood. They were frenzied. They sounded frenzied with their yips and barks. She screamed, then wished she hadn’t because it had taken too much oxygen. It affected her running. The lack of oxygen that is. She stumbled, trying hard to keep from falling.
The shifter asshole just lay there, eyes on her. Make that all over her. No, make that, on her boobs. What? He was checking her out with a pack of wolves on her tail. This had been a mistake. Trying to get back to him had been the wrong move. She should have climbed a tree. Although climbing wasn’t really an activity she was any good at. They probably would have had her if she’d tried it.
Thankfully, shifter-boy seemed to have noticed the wolves. That was something, at least. He was frowning, so maybe he had noticed them chasing her… about to kill and eat her. He was still lying there. Why was he lying there? At least he was frowning instead of ogling her now.
Claire was sure she felt something touch her leg. A paw. A claw. Who knew. It was almost over for her. Should have risked the climbing thing. Her only consolation was that she had led them to him too. This way they could eat him once they were done with her. He deserved it. Asshole. Dickhead. Abducting loser cost her her life.
It all happened really quickly. One second he was on the ground, looking like he might die, and the next, he was on his feet and sprinting. Moving so fast he looked like more of a blur. He shouted something she couldn’t make out. Then his back was to her and he was making a loud noise. It was high-pitched and ear-piercing.
The wolves stopped dead. All…she tried to take a quick tally…god, there were a lot of them, more than she had even realized. Maybe seven or eight. He made that noise again. It seemed to be coming from the back of his throat. His muscles were bunched. He was slightly crouched, knees bent. His hands were tight fists. She couldn’t see his face, but she was sure it was fierce.
The wolf at the head – the leader ‒ sniffed the air. Probably picking up the scent of blood. He whined, looking uncertain. The shifter took a step forward, his muscles seemed to grow. He appeared to grow taller. The loud, screeching growling noise he made was louder this time. She put her hands over her ears.
The leader wolf turned tail and leaped away at a run. All of the others followed, one after another until she and the shifter were alone in the clearing. They watched for another half a minute. The wolves had all out sprinted. They would be long gone.
The shifter staggered.
“Oh…oh god!” she mumbled, running to grab him before he fell. She had to strain to keep him upright. The guy was heavy. It was clear that he’d been putting on a show. Pretending to be fine when he wasn’t. Thank god it had worked.
“Lie down…” he muttered. “Must…” Then he fell to one knee. He was far too big for her to hold up. “Warm…stay.” He grabbed her in a hold that was surprisingly strong, his eyes were closed. His breathing labored.
“Okay…fine. I’ll stay.”
He pulled her down next to him. The ground was stony and hard. Cold too. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep on this surface.
She gasped as he pulled her flush against him. Then turned onto his back so that she was lying on top of him. Warm and much softer than the hard, cold ground.
“Wait. It’s f
ine. I’ll—” she tried.
“Sleep,” he pushed out. “Just sleep.” Then his head fell to the side as he passed out.
“Um… What if they come back?” She didn’t want to wake him but… What if the wolves came back?
She was met with a soft snore.
“Hey…” She realized that she didn’t know his name.
Claire could get up and leave right then if she wanted to. He was dead to the world. His chest rose and fell as he breathed deeply. His wound had stopped seeping. He was covered in congealed blood. She looked down. Then again, so was she. It was definitely no surprise the pack of wolves had been drawn to them. Other creatures could be too. He’d mentioned bears and cougars. She shivered. Claire could see how pale he looked in the moonlight.
Making a face, she sighed. He had technically saved her life. She couldn’t just up and leave him while he was down. She had to stay…to protect him. Safety in numbers and all that. The thought of heading out into the unknown also terrified her and she wasn’t afraid to admit it.
Claire got up and picked her way around the immediate vicinity until she found what she was looking for.
Chapter 16
Magnar groaned. He put a hand to his shoulder. It throbbed but it was a good kind of pain. A pain that told him he was healing.
His back ached. He had a stone digging into his left butt-cheek. The sun was low, telling him that it was still the early hours of the morning, and it was cold. His bones ached. The female wasn’t with him.
Magnar sat up, groaning, he gripped his shoulder. The knitting flesh protested at the sudden movement.
“You’re up,” she said in a croaky voice. The human sat ten feet from him.
There was gooseflesh on her arms and she was shivering. He also noticed that she was holding a long branch in her hands. He bit back a smile. “Have you been sitting there all night?”
“Y-yes.” Her teeth clattered.
Something warmed in him. “You’ve been on the lookout?”
“Y-yes.” She turned her head a little. “Someone had to keep an e-eye o-out with those w-wolves out there. They m-might have c-come back.” She hugged herself tighter. Her body looked like a ball of limbs.
He didn’t say anything. How could he? Magnar wasn’t sure what he felt. The little human sat vigil all night to protect him…the male who had dropped her into this shit in the first place.
“Don’t you d-dare laugh a-at me!” She turned her head a little more, looking him in the eyes. “I r-realize I wouldn’t h-have been able to d-do much, but I w-would have t-tried.”
Magnar released a breath through his nose. “Thank you! I mean it. I wouldn’t laugh at you. Come to think of it,” he reconsidered, “if I was going to laugh at you, it would be for your lack of running ability.” He chuckled. “You can’t run for shit.”
“Hey!” She snorted out a laugh, quickly catching herself and turning serious.
“No really.” He felt a lump grow in his throat. It was thirst. It had to be that. “I appreciate it.”
“I stayed for myself, actually.” Her voice was stern. “Safety in numbers.”
Not that he would have been any use, but hey, she could stick to that theory if it made her feel any better.
A shiver racked her body. He saw her visibly shaking.
“Come here,” Magnar coaxed. “You’re freezing.”
She pursed her lips; he could see her mind working.
“I’ll warm you up. You look like you’re about to pass out from the cold.”
“I’m f-fine.”
“You’re not fine. You have blue lips. You’re shivering.” He made a noise of frustration. “I won’t look at you. I won’t act like a…pig. I won’t react to you in any way, I swear. I want to help you. That’s all! I’m still in pain.” He glanced at his shoulder. “I’m weak as shit. I’m hungry and thirsty. Sex is the last thing on my mind. When I made that comment about testing the merchandise…” he shook his head, “I didn’t mean it.”
He watched as the tension eased from her. Her shivering increased. The human finally nodded. “No funny business.”
“I swear.” He held up his good hand.
She pushed out a breath, as if sitting anywhere near him would be akin to torture. Magnar couldn’t really blame her. He’d be pissed if the tables were turned.
“I won’t even look,” he added.
Magnar watched as she covered herself as best she could but turned his face the other way before she got up, trying to prove to her that he meant what he had said. “You don’t need the stick anymore. I’m well enough now to stand up to anything that might come our way.” So long as it wasn’t one of Leukos’ males. Then again, one keythong he could most likely take. A flock of them…not so much.
With that in mind, he got up before she reached him and headed to the shelter of a nearby tree.
“Where are you g-going?” she asked from somewhere behind him.
He kept his gaze averted and sat down, leaning against the trunk. “Somewhere more comfortable.” A half-truth. At least they wouldn’t be so easily spotted. “The ground is softer. No rocks. My left butt-cheek might just be dented for life.”
She snickered, quickly stopping herself.
“You just pictured my left butt-cheek with a dent in it, didn’t you?” Magnar found that he was smiling.
“Stop it!” She sat down next to him.
“What?” He tried to sound innocent.
“We’re not friends. I don’t like you.”
“Noted and understandable.” He glanced her way, sure to catch her eyes. “You’re not going to get warm sitting way over there. You need my body heat…sweeth—Claire.”
He placed his feet on the ground and opened his legs slightly. “You should sit right here.” He pointed at the ground directly in front of him.
“U-um…no…” He glanced her way and saw that she looked horrified.
“That way I can envelop you with my body. Close you in with—”
“Envelop m-me with your body and o-other things t-too.” He heard her teeth chattering.
“Come on. You need this. Look at you – you’re blue. My dick doesn’t bite,” he countered. “I told you I wouldn’t do anything out of line, and I meant it.”
“I don’t want to b-be anywhere n-near that thing…and I can’t t-trust you.”
“I saved your life.”
She frowned. “You brought m-me out here i-in the first p-place. You—”
“Okay, point taken. You protected me the whole night, now it’s my turn. Let me do this for you.”
“Let’s get s-something s-straight.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “I was p-protecting myself, n-not you.”
Yeah right!
That’s why she had sat a few feet in front of him, on the cold, hard, stony ground, instead of finding somewhere nearby that was more comfortable. Safer too. He didn’t raise these points. Magnar got the feeling she wouldn’t like to hear them.
“Okay…fine. Get your ass over here, princ— Claire, please. I don’t want you dying of hypothermia or getting sick on me.”
“You don’t want the merchandise damaged.” Her eyes blazed. They were a beautiful blue color.
What the fuck? He normally didn’t notice shitty things like eye color. Then again, right then, he wasn’t allowed to look below the neckline, so who could blame him for noticing her eyes. It was all he had. Pretty blue eyes and a sassy mouth. He smiled. “Something like that. I don’t want you damaged or hurt.”
She rolled her eyes. “F-fine.” She shivered. “I’m only doing this because I’m desperate. Don’t look at or touch me in any inappropriate way. If that thing so much as twitches, I’ll pretend it’s a snake and kill it. Are we clear?”
Magnar choked out a laugh. “Loud and clear.”
“Also…a-and don’t t-take this t-the wrong way…” Her jaw clenched for a moment. “W-what is your n-name? I keep referring to you as ‘the a-asshole’ o-or ‘t-the dickhead’ in m-my mind.�
�
He laughed again. This female. Fuck! If Ekon didn’t take her, he might just be tempted to keep her for himself. Of course, there was no way his king wouldn’t want a gem like this.
“D-don’t misunderstand m-e,” she went on, “I t-think you deserve t-those names b-but it might be easier i-if I knew y-your actual n-name.”
“Magnar. My name is Magnar. Now please can I warm you up already?”
Her jaw tightened but she nodded once.
Magnar had to force himself to look away as she stood up and then sat back down. She still tried to cover herself but without much success. The human sat a good couple of inches away from him. Magnar reached out, gripped her hips. He pulled her against him. Her back to his front. She gave a squeal but stopped as soon as their bodies made contact.
“Cross your arms over your chest and put your hands under your armpits.”
She complied as Magnar wrapped his arms around her and did the same with his legs. He could feel her heart beating wildly. She was also breathing hard. The female was crapping herself. “There. Not so bad, is it?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Once we have you warmed up, I’ll go and find us some food and water.”
She didn’t say anything. He could feel that she wasn’t shivering as much as before. That her heart-rate had slowed down to a more normal rhythm.
“Please can you take me back? There is no way I will feel anything for this Ekon guy.” Her heart started going nuts again. “Please, I don’t want to be forced into something with someone I don’t want.”
“You haven’t even met him yet, so how do you know you don’t want him?”
“I know my feelings for Leukos. We may not have known each other very long, but I think there might be something there.”
Magnar had to bite back a snort of derision. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. “You aren’t mated yet, which means you can spend time with other males before making any final decisions. Didn’t Leukos tell you about our customs?”
She scrunched up her nose. “He did say something along those lines. He said that a woman can sleep with different guys and pick the one she wants. That’s crazy. It’s not the human way of doing things. Once we’re seeing someone and it’s serious, sleeping around is considered cheating.”
Hate Awakened: Book 3: The Feral Page 12