Page 17 of The Demon Crown

“Why are you up already?” he grumbled.

“Because you’re not healing,” she replied, her heart catching in her throat. “And we’ve run out of time.”

“If this is about last night—”

“You’re real arrogant. Has anyone ever told you that?” She stood, her leather armor already strapped onto her body and her coat over her arm. “There’s no more food, Greed. A woman can only survive on rats for so long and I’m not waiting any longer. You need a healer. I need to eat. I made the decision long before I woke up.”

His expression screwed up in confusion. “Rats? You’ve been eating rats?”

“What do you think I’ve been eating?”

Greed held out his arms and gestured around them, as though there was plenty to eat.

She took a deep, steadying breath and told herself not to argue. She didn’t need him to dig in his heels. She needed him to be a good little boy and stand up. “There is nothing edible in this cave, Greed. I don’t know what you need to eat or if you even do. But I need food. If you want me to bring you back to your castle, then you have to stand. I can’t carry you the entire way there.”

“You know the way?” he asked, and then pushed himself onto his feet. The movement was labored and new, bright streaks of blood splattered across his back.

She’d done that, Varya thought with a wince. She’d hurt him even more.

Greed knew where her attention was. He glanced down at a particularly red, now open cut on his chest and then grinned at her. “Ach, don’t beat yourself up about it, treasure. I might even let that one scar to remember who gave it to me.”

No, no, she would not listen to this nonsense. She couldn’t.

Varya narrowed her eyes at him and frowned even harder. “I see no reason why you’d want to keep a scar from a woman you knew for only a few days.”

“But I know you’re going to be with me for a lot longer than that, treasure. If you insist we move, then we move.” He glanced up at the holes in the ceiling. “What time of day is it?”

“After mid day. You slept for most of the time the sun was in the sky.” It would still be hot traveling, but at least they would be trudging through the sands toward colder weather.

She could only hope they were close to the castle. The man was not dressed for travel, and being shirtless without even a blanket would make the journey difficult for him.

And she shouldn’t be worried about him.

Damn it, again.

“You’re worried about our travel speed?” he asked as he strode up to her, looking like a man who had no cares at all. “Are you going to be excited to get rid of me?”

“Yes,” she replied instantly.

She would be very glad to get him out of her hair. She needed to figure out what she was thinking. Why she was so tempted by him? She needed to get home and bring the map back to them so they could all move forward into a brighter future. A future he should have provided them without Varya needing to steal and...

The map.

Where was the map?

She’d put it down when she changed her clothing, and she’d forgotten this morning to put it back into her pants. It had already been horribly sodden by her stupid decision to leap into the water after him. She had hoped that drying it out on a rock nearby would be enough so that it was back to legible, and it was this morning, but she’d meant to put it back into her pants and... and...

Greed had it in his hands. He was tilting it back and forth, trying to catch a sunbeam on the parchment as he stared down at it.

Oh no. If he realized what it was, would he try to take it back? Varya eyed the pool behind him. If he tried, she could kick him hard on his bad hip, and that would send him careening into the water. If she didn’t grab the paper then, which she was fast enough to do, then she could always follow him into the pool.

He was weak, and she was much stronger than he thought she would be. Surely that would give her the advantage enough to retrieve the map and run.

Where? She had no idea. The exit to these caves seemed as ephemeral as their entrance.

Greed tilted his head and the map at the same time before flicking his gaze up to her. “Where did you get this?”

“The Horde. You saw me steal it.”

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