Page 62 of Little Red Riding Hood
“Who did this?”
Red jerked away from his touch, and the rejection stung. “That awful man from the market led bandits to us. I wasattacked!” The accusation in Red’s scream pierced Wim deeper than any arrow could, and he deserved it. He’d failed to protect what washis. “They’re long gone now. Along with everything we had.” Red’s voice broke. “The golden arrow… mycloak…”
That red cloak—the damned thing his Little Red treasured above all else. Wim had thought the man’s obsession with it too much at first, but now he couldn’t imagine him without it, the fabric as much a part of Red as his sly smile or sharp tongue. Even when they slept, Red kept it close, fingers curled in the worn material like a child with a comfort blanket. To have it ripped away by those bastards… Wim’s jaw clenched. He’d track down every last one of them just for that alone.
Fresh tears spilled from those unique eyes he’d grown to adore, and Wim couldn’t bear it. He pulled Red onto his lap, relief flooding through him when his Little Red’s rigid body finally melted against his chest. He encircled Red with his arms, one hand stroking up and down Red’s arm while the other smoothed his tangled hair, breathing in their mingled scents.
“Shh, sweetheart. I’ve got you now.”
And I’m never letting you go again, he thought, even knowing he must. Even knowing that what waited ahead in the Dark Forest might change everything.Wouldchange everything.
Red’s tears slowed as Wim worked through the knots in his hair, letting his heartbeat steady against his chest. The warmth betweenthem chased away the chill of the night air. Wim’s nose caught the copper tang of blood from Red’s split lip.
“Your lip…” He brushed his thumb near the split, careful not to hurt Red further. “May I kiss it better? Wolf saliva has healing properties.”
Red blinked, tilting his head back to look up at him, and Wim’s breath caught at the trust in those eyes. “Are you making that up?”
“No tricks. I promise.”
Red gave him a small smile, and Wim couldn’t help but smile back, even as his heart ached. How many more moments like this could they share before his secret destroyed everything? Then Red nodded once, and the simple gesture of trust made Wim’s chest tight.
He pressed his lips to Red’s, feather-light, letting his tongue dart out to heal the wound. The metallic taste of blood mixed with lingering wine, and beneath it all, Red’s unique flavour. The beast inside him purred with satisfaction as the split began to heal.
Red pulled back, touching his healed lip in wonder. “I’m so sorry. I was just vile to you, when you’re hurt yourself.”
“You were scared and by yourself, sweetheart. Anyone would lash out.” Wim tightened his arms around Red, fighting the urge to shift and wrap him in fur instead. “God, I should never have gone. Should’ve been here to protect you.” He exhaled a large breath, ghosting across Red’s cheek. “Makes me want to tear something apart, thinking of you alone like that.”
His keen ears picked up the quickening of Red’s pulse as fingers traced the healed lip. “The golden arrow… without it, I can’t save the kingdom. The famine will continue, more people will starve.” Red’s voice trembled. “I’ve failed everyone.”
Guilt churned in Wim’s gut. But he couldn’t think about that right now. It wouldn’t help.
“Tell me something, sweetheart. Do you really believe all that?” Wim kept his tone gentle, curious. “That some fancy arrow’s going to turn the old witch to ash and fix everything?”
The conviction in Red’s tone as he wrenched himself from Wim’s lap gouged at something tender in his chest. “Of course I do!” Red spun away, and Wim’s arms felt empty without him. “You think I’d be out here marching through this bloody forest, freezing my ass off and battling bandits for the fun of it?” Those delicate hands shook as Red gestured wildly. “Children are dying! The crops won’t grow, the animals are sick—”
Frustration burned in Wim’s chest. How could someone so brilliant, so perceptive, be so thoroughly deceived by that viper of a queen? His Little Red, who was remarkably quick-witted, claimed to hate Queen Schön as much as Wim did, yet here he was, believing every poisoned word that woman had fed him.
But… then… what if it was all true? Wim’s certainty wavered. After all, he was following his own desperate quest, chasing a cure that seemed just as fantastical. Who was he to judge?
“Shh, sweetheart.” He caught Red’s flailing hands in his own, thumbs rubbing circles on those palms that wielded a bow with such deadly grace. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Red tried to pull away, but Wim held firm, tugging him closer until their foreheads touched. He breathed in their mingled scents, trying to ground himself.
“I know why you doubt it,” Red said bitterly. “It’s because you can’t believe the Queen would send someone so incompetent on such an important mission.”
“No!” The word burst from Wim’s chest. “Christ,how can you think that of me?” He cupped Red’s face between his palms. “Listen here, sweetheart. That queen of yours is poison through and through. I wouldn’t trust a single word from her mouth.” His wolf bristled at the mere thought of that woman’s influence over his Red. “But you? You’re something else entirely. Those slavers you put down with that bow of yours—fine, clean shots, barely wasting an arrow. And when you squeezed yourself through that cliff face, to save some stranger’s child from a snare? Nothing incompetent about that.”
He stared at Red, stunned by his own torrent of praise. But now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop. His hands cupped Red’s face, forcing those mismatched eyes to meet his. His wolf surged forward, demanding Red understand his worth.
“Look at me now. In all my thirty-two winters, all the lands I’ve walked, all the people I’ve known…” His thumbs traced Red’s cheekbones, mapping every feature. “Never met anyone who comes close to you. Brave and fierce and brilliant—and entirely your own person.”
The rapid flutter of Red’s pulse beneath his fingers, the widening of those beautiful eyes… Wim could smell the disbelief rolling off him in waves. Before Red could protest, before Wim could reveal too much of his own heart, he jumped to his feet, hauling Red up with him.
Right, enough of that.His Little Red needed his cloak back.
“Right then, sweetheart. If this arrow’s meant to save the kingdom, we’ll get it back.” His grip tightened on Red’s fingers, unwilling to let go. “Those thieves won’t have made it far, not with all that loot weighing them down.”
Red gaped at him. “You can’t be serious. We’re just going to… what… chase them down and take everything back?” Those delicate hands fluttered dramatically. “There were loads of them! And they all hadweapons.”
