Page 29 of The Dragon King's Curse
Her hands were gentle, careful not to cause me pain as she expertly tied the tourniquet. The sudden urge to lean into her, to enjoy her, made me jerk away. I pretended not to notice the glare she shot me.
“Choose a direction, princess. Let’s move.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?” Her scathing tone was enough to make me do a double take.
Something about the scowl she wore brought me genuine joy. I snickered. “What should I call you then?”
“My name.” With an eye roll, Feryn shook her head in exasperation and crossed the clearing, disappearing into the trees on the other side.
Not wanting to lose her in the forest, I hurried to keep up. “Where’s the fun in that though? It doesn’t bring that scowl to your face or that pissed off glint to your eyes.”
Feryn stopped and turned back to face me. “Every time I start to think that maybe you’re not so bad, you remind me exactly who you are. Thank you for that.”
“You have no idea exactly who I am. Would you like to find out?” Unable to resist, I looked her up and down and winked.
“Are you always this much of a pain in the ass? Or are you simply trying to drive me crazy?” She waited for me to get closer before she started walking again. I guess she didn’t want to lose me either.
“Probably a bit of both. I can’t help myself. There’s something about you that brings it out of me.” I wiggled both brows in a facetious manner, loving the way she groaned in response.
That sound took my mind to a filthy place. To thoughts of her beneath me, groaning as I lost myself between her gorgeous thighs. Her eyes narrowed as if she knew what I was thinking. Somehow, I tore my gaze from hers.
That would never happen. It couldn’t. We were from two different worlds. Not only that, we were enemies. Only a shared foe in the Fae King united us now. Once we escaped this land, that union would be over.
As we continued on, Feryn used her magick to speak to the forest. Asking it to help us. To guide us and protect us. She had to keep up a continuous flow of magick, working hard to break through the fae’s hold on the land. Every time she let go of the flow or tried to take a break, the forest turned on us. Eventually, she began to tire.
After what felt like hours, Feryn dropped to her knees. “I can’t keep going. I need to rest.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOXX
“We really need to keep going. We need to find the border of the Shadow Realm. Otherwise, we’re never getting out of here.” Night had fallen, bringing with it only the moonlight to guide our way. Although I now had access to my magick, I didn’t want to use fire unless necessary. I didn’t want to run the risk of it drawing the fae right to us.
Feryn clutched two handfuls of earth, peering up at me. “I can’t keep tapping into the forest. The magick is so strong here. It’s draining me.”
Taking hold of her arm, I helped her back to her feet. “Then we’ll have to do whatever it takes to make our way through. I’m pretty sure if we continue on this way, eventually we’ll reach the border.”
“Which border though?” Feryn stared up at the moon, searching the stars to figure out which direction we were headed. “The last thing we need is to emerge near the Blood Realm or end up at the sea.”
“No, of course not. Ideally, we’d like to find ourselves close to the Fire Realm.” Based on the position of the stars, I figured that we were headed south, which was exactly what I wanted.
“Yeah, that would be just fine for you. What about me? I doubt an elf would fare well in the land of dragons.” Pushingon next to me, she pulled free of my grasp, stubbornly trudging through the trees.
“No harm will come to you as long as you are with me. It will be faster to go south anyway. If we can make it to my land, we can send word to your family. I’ll make sure you get home safely.” I listened to myself make a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep. What was it about this woman that made me say such things?
Feryn scoffed. “Why should I trust you? You of all people have no reason to help me. You needed me to help you escape. You need me because you think I can break your curse. What do I really have to gain from this arrangement?”
I couldn’t argue her point. She was right. More than anything I needed her to break this godsforsaken curse her people bestowed upon me. Maybe I thought she owed me.
“You’re alive, aren’t you? Right now we benefit each other. No need to argue the details. Not until we’ve left this place behind.” Avoiding her inquisitive gaze, I strode ahead, hacking at a tree as it tried to grab me.
I sensed the watchful eyes of many forest creatures. Like my last visit, I suspected the presence of a dragon kept them from showing themselves. I knew there were wolves nearby. I’d caught their scent a while back. They seemed to be keeping their distance.
Feryn let out a little shriek. I turned back to find her battling with a vine that had wrapped around her middle. The vine yanked her off her feet, pulling her up toward the tree tops.
Spreading my wings, I launched myself upward. Drawing my sword, I sliced at the vine that held her. Several times I brought down the blade before finally severing the vine. Before Feryn could drop to the ground below, I caught her in my arms.
She gave a tired sigh and said, “This entire ordeal is rather tiresome. How much further until we reach the border?”
