Page 73 of Forging Bonds: Part Two

I am surrounded and literally protected on all sides, and despite the situation that we find ourselves in, I feel safe. I know that the guys won’t let something happen to me.

The Draconian team is already snoring apart from Coen, who is still sitting up with his back against the cave wall and looking at the pile that the rest of us are in with longing.

I don’t need to gain his attention since he’s already looking at me, so I mouth the words, “Get some sleep.”

It’s a risk, the cameras could catch it, but quite frankly, in this moment, I don’t care.

Coen shakes his head, and I frown as shadows cross his features. I don’t like that, I don’t like it at all. What I dislike even more is that there is fuck all that I can do about it right now, so instead, I tap my hand on my stomach as nonchalantly as I can and once I know he’s looking, I tap the sign, our sign, Coen and Dimitri’s.

For the second time today.

Coen’s eyes fill with emotions, but he looks away. Sitting up, he pulls out one of his blades and his sharpening stone that he always carries with him,and starts to sharpen his blade. As I’m about to look away, he taps the reply. His reply always involved his knife because he always had one in his hand, just like Dimitri’s reply always involved his sword. It was his favorite weapon.

I try not to smile, as I look away, and I catch Doc’s eyes, he looks at me curiously, clearly having picked up on the exchange. Smiling, I nudge him gently with my foot, and he grins, moving his hand so that it’s resting on my leg.

“Get some sleep,” he mutters quietly. It’s not what he wants to ask, but he can’t exactly ask that question right now.

I nod and settle down, closing my eyes. I’m grateful that I’m surrounded by my men, my head on River’s stomach, so that I can see Raiden and Evander sitting by the entrance to the cave and talking quietly. I can’t help but wish that Coen were over here with us, but he’s closer than he has been for a long time, and I’m grateful for that.

Sleep is not going to come easy for me. We’re in an unfamiliar place, the enemy is nearby, we’re in danger, and thanks to the guys spoiling me, I am now not nearly as good at suppressing my hunger as I used to be.

It’s been a long time since I fell asleep on an empty stomach, and the thought makes me smile.

We may be in an unfamiliar place, but unlike when I have been in this kind of situation in the past, the most recent past anyway, I’m not having to handle it alone, and that makes a massive difference.

∞∞∞

Someone is watching me, I can feel it. The voices are muttering in warning and have woken me up ever so carefully, so I don’t jump. It doesn’t feel like good attention, and the longer I keep my eyes closed, the more scaredI am about what is watching me while I sleep. I haven’t been asleep for that long, I know that much, because I’m still really tired.

The voices rise again, and I force my eyes open.

“What the fuck!” I yell, waking everyone else up in the process.

Kylen is standing near where Doc was lying by my feet, leaning over him with his eyes locked on me and his hand reaching for me, his expression filled with hatred and malice.

My scream has all of the guys up and on guard. Doc’s hand snaps out and grabs Kylen’s ankle with such force that he snaps it in two. He ignores Kylen’s scream of pain as he launches to his feet, pulling Kylen down as Doc’s fist aims for Kylen’s face, and Kylen starts to fight back. River pulls me behind him, backing me up against the wall as he lets out a terrifying growl and shifts into his kitsune form.

My heart is beating a mile a minute, and I can’t do anything but watch the chaos in front of me unfold. Feeling so much safer with River’s giant kitsune form in front of me, I thread my shaking hands into his soft fur. He must feel them shake because he lets out another terrifying growl.

The guys move to hold back the Draconian team as Doc and Kylen carry on fighting for a few more minutes before Doc has Kylen pinned beneath him.

“You can’t kill him,” Coen says, and I know that it’s for Doc’s benefit and not Kylen’s.

“He’s right, man,” Reed reluctantly agrees.

Doc doesn’t move his hands wrapped around Kylen’s throat as Kylen struggles uselessly beneath him, and slowly starts to turn purple.

“Camden!” I yell. “I’m good, you taught him a lesson. I need you over here.”

Doc glances over at me, his golden eyes scanning me, and I know that he’s checking for injuries. When he doesn’t find any, he releases a now passed out Kylen.

Standing up, he throws him at the feet of the Draconian team, “If he comes near Neith again, I will kill him.”

Rupert nods, seeing the seriousness on Doc’s face. “Understood.”

Coen stays glued to the spot, his eyes on me, and I know that he wants to come over here and make sure that I’m okay. He can’t risk it though. Lifting my hand from River’s fur, I tap out the sign to say that I’m okay. Coen’s eyes narrow, but Rupert calls for him to help move Kylen, and he reluctantly turns around. The guys all gather around me.

“Are you okay?” Van asks. Unable to get any closer to me because River is still in protection mode. Van glances down at him, his eyes widening, “Fuck, Neith don’t let go of him, you are the only thing keeping him calm right now, and stopping him from killing Kylen.”

---