Page 35 of Undeniable

“Aye,” Alek says as if to just remind us of his presence. “We should all stay together whether we want to or not. My men and I have seen things out here that none of us should have to face alone.”

“Such as?” Nahla asks, appearing curious to find out what her fellow pirates faced after their escape from Midnight’s prison.

“Let’s just say, you don’t want to be the slowest one in the pack.” Alek’s cryptic statement makes me wonder if he’s already lost a man or two since entering the Barrens.

Damon doesn’t look happy about the situation, but he also doesn’t put up a fight. I think he was hoping to use Tripp as a good excuse to get rid of Simon and his men, but even I have to admit that we’re safer all together than split apart.

“We need to get ready to move,” Damon says, peering at our surroundings with caution. “The sooner we reach our destination, the better.”

Damon grabs one of my hands and pulls me after him. We walk behind the thicket of bushes. Once we’re out of sight of the others, he turns and wraps me in his arms while his lips find mine. His kiss isn’t exactly rough, but from the way his lips press against mine to the pressure his hands are placing on my back, his hunger for me is evident.

When the kiss ends, he presses his forehead against mine as we both attempt to catch our breaths.

“Good morning,” he says, causing me to giggle in response.

“If that’s the way you intend to say good morning for the rest of our lives, I’m all for it, King Damon.”

Damon smiles. It’s a rarity, but when it happens, my heart soars at the sight, especially when I’m the reason for it.

He lifts his head from mine and stares into my eyes.

“My intentions are to do that and more every morning I wake up next to you,” he says. “I can promise that you will never feel unloved or unwanted again. Everyone in my realm will adore you just as much as I do.”

“I don’t care about everyone else,” I say, twisting a length of his dark wavy hair around my index finger. “All I care about is you.”

“Then everyone else loving you will simply be a bonus because I’m obviously the real prize.”

“Obviously,” I say with an easy smile. “Now kiss me again before we have to return to the others.”

Damon eagerly obliges.

By the time we return to camp, most everything is packed up and ready to go. Boris, Simon, and the guards from Dawn have all taken on their wolf forms. Tripp is safely tucked in Oliver’s arms for the trek up the mountain.

“Without our horses,” Margaret says, grabbing her bag off the ground and throwing it across her shoulder, “the trip will take longer. We may not reach the summit until close to nightfall.”

“Then we better get a move on,” Damon says, grabbing his backpack and settling it over his shoulders. “Stay close, everyone. We have no idea what might face us on this journey.”

Only Jack and I know that the trial for humanities worthiness to survive has started, and neither of us are allowed to help no matter how much we want to.

The trek up the mountain is pleasant at first, but after a few hours, the dust and slippery rocks begin to make us all a bit grumpy. We only take a short break for lunch because we all want to reach the summit before nightfall. Unfortunately, our plan doesn’t quite pan out like we hoped. By the time the twilight hour approaches, we’re only three quarters of the way up the mountain. Damon makes the decision for us to make camp when we happen to come across a large cave.

“This is not what I signed up for,” Nahla complains as she sits down next to me on a three-foot-high boulder outside the cave entrance.

“I don’t think any of what we’ve experienced so far is how we thought this trip would go,” I tell her.

“Aye.” She nods in response. Her attention drifts off in Jack’s direction.

“So, what’s up with the fae?” she asks. “Vamir, right?”

“Yes.” I follow her gaze. Jack has distanced himself from the rest of us and chosen to sit all alone a few feet away from the cave up the mountain.

“I don’t think he’s said a word all day.” Nahla arches her back. I hear it crack, causing her to sigh in relief. “Did the two of you have a fight or something while we were trapped in that cave?”

“No.” I don’t trust myself to say much else, but if Nahla has noticed the change in Jack’s behavior, then there’s a chance others in our party have as well.

“Yeah, I don’t believe that,” she says with certainty. “Something happened. Why don’t you want to talk about it?”

It’s obvious she isn’t going to let this matter go unless she gets a truthful answer.

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