Page 124 of House of Crimson Hearts
“Gods,” she says. “You’ll ruin me if you keep making me come like that.
“Here,” I say, picking up her trousers. “We need to go.”
“What’s the hurry? It’s my turn now.”
But I glance up at the horizon and shake my head. “There’s not enough time. Dawn is only an hour or so away, and now we don’t have the carriage we’ll need to find shelter.”
She gazes up at the sky. “Shit.” Then she’s speeding around the carnage, pulling her trousers back on and untethering the remaining horse. I dive into the carriage and pull our bags out.
“There’s only one horse,” she says, looking apologetic.
“Just get on it,” I roll my eyes, we’re way past me being difficult for the sake of it. The horizon is already a purple haze. “We need to hurry.”
I pull the map out and figure out where we are. “We’ll have to ride fast.”
She nods. “Especially since it looks like the rest of the group aren’t far behind us now.”
In the distance back down the path, I realise Gabriel’s righted his carriage and Dahlia’s drawn level with him.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter31
OCTAVIA
Isit Red in front of me and hold both reins in one hand so I can grip her around the waist with my other. This way, I can see over her head. Plus, I want her in front of me and not behind unprotected.
Not when this is the second attack we’ve faced.
The forest here is thick enough it could be jungle.
We find a half broken shack that’s just about sturdy enough that it will provide shade for the worst of the day.
We tie the horse up, giving it enough rein slack that it can move around and forage.
“I’ll take the first shift,” Red says.
“Like hell, you actually need the sleep, sit down and rest. I’ll keep an eye out.”
Red folds her arms and glares at me. “Gods, you’re so stubborn.”
I slide down the shack wall, and she nestles next to me, leaning her head against my shoulder. She’s asleep before I can even ask if she wants a jumper rolled under her head.
And so that’s where I sit for hours, waiting for the sun to set, nothing but the melody of her breathing and the song of the forest birds to keep me company. It’s the most peaceful I’ve been in decades.
* * *
By the time the sun is low enough in the sky and the tree canopies provide sufficient shade, I am itching to move.
We bring the horse with us, though this deep in the forest, we’re forced to walk it rather than ride it. We leave the shack a little too early though, and the odd dying sunbeam catches me. Thankfully, it’s not enough to do any severe damage. I only get one blister on my hand before the sun drops low enough to not be a problem. As the oldest vampire in the competition, I want to take advantage of the extra few minutes we’ll have.
“This forest gives me the creeps,” I say.
“Don’t the humans think you’re the monster they should be afraid of?”
“There’s always someone worse.”
The deeper we go, the more the forest becomes a dead zone. There’s no ambient noise at all now, almost like a we’re in a vacuum. The only sounds are the cracking of twigs beneath our feet and the horse’s hooves, the rustling of our clothes and the horse’s nervous breathing.
