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Still, she did what he’d asked. And once the fire was going and they’d settled in on the blankets with swords in their hands, Bree finally felt her body relax. Eurig mysteriously pulled some meat from his bag, and Bree did not want to ask where it come from. Because deep down inside she knew. He had killed the half bird creature who had attacked, and he’d prepared the meat while she’d been resting. Together, they got to work on roasting the bird, and Bree hesitantly reached out through the bond towardTaveon.
She loosed a sigh of relief when he was waiting there for her on the other side, just as vivid and as real as he’d felt back at the castle. So far so good. Their bond still stood tall, keeping them linked together even across thisdistance.
“Bree,” Taveon whispered down the bond, his voice caressing her frazzled nerves. “Where are you? Are you okay? Have you healed after theattack?”
Bree smiled at him, hoping he could read her expression. “I know you don’t need to ask me those questions for you to know the answers. I’m fine, Taveon. Our bond kept me safe. So did Eurig. He killed the beast before it could do any moredamage.”
“I want you to come back. This is far too dangerous. I do not want you risking your life forme.”
“Taveon,I…”
“That is not a request, Bree. It is in order. From your King.” Taveon’s voice was hard and full of ice, a tone he’d rarely used since revealing the truth of himself to Bree. It was the tone he liked to use when he wanted to hide his true emotions from whoever he was talking to. He’d used it with Bree when she had first arrived in Underworld, hoping that his harshness would push her away. But he should have known better by now. He was not harsh, he was not hard, and he was not cruel. Behind his words, she could feel the truth of his emotions through thebond.
He was scared as hell, and he did not know how to help Bree other than to use his status as King, hoping she would listen to hisorder.
“Taveon,” Bree said gently. “You know I’m not going to turn aroundnow.”
“You do not even know if you are going to find answers in this village. Come back to the castle. If you insist on trying to help, we can form another plan. It is not safe for you in thatforest.”
“It is already past the set of the moon, Taveon. It would be more dangerous to trek back now when it’sdark.”
“So then come back first thing in themorning.”
“We will reach the village tomorrow. We must press on.” Bree reached out a hand through the bond and tried to wrap it gently around his, feeling his essence underneath her fingertips. “I know you’re worried about me, Taveon, but nothing can harm me as long as we arelinked.”
“You know that is wrong,” Taveon said. “Yesterday, the beast harmed you. You may be immortal, but you can feel pain just as easily as anyone else. Just like me. And I know how terrible the pain can be. If the wrong beast got ahold of you, it would tear you to shreds and continue to do so until your soul left your body. But your soul would remain. The pain would just continue and continue andcontinue…”
Fear churned through Bree’s gut, but she did her best to hide it from Taveon. Indeed, it was a terrifying thought, but one she refused to dwell on right now. There was no turning back now. Not only for Taveon but for Rafe and Dagen and the entireCourt.
Taveon must have felt her determination through the bond because he fell silent. Moments passed with no more sound but the flickering fire as Eurig leaned over it, turning the wood over the flames. But then Taveon’s voice sounded loud once more in her ear. “Very well. But you will return to the castle as soon as you discover what has happened in the village. Ride through the forest as fast as you can. No more camping there. I will not allowit.”
Bree had to smile. He might not be the true-born son of King Midas, but he was a King all thesame.
“You look like you’re in some kind of trance,” Eurig said when she moved to his side after throwing up a slight wall between her and Taveon. “Were you talking to my old friend,then?”
“Did I really look like I was in a trance?” Bree asked. She never considered her expression when speaking to Taveon through the bond, but Eurig had a point. It probably looked weird, seeing Bree doing nothing more than staring off into space with eyes distant and mind somewhere completely other than where she currentlywas.
Eurig gave a nod. “I hope everything is still well at thecastle?”
“It would seem so. But who knows?” Bree sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them close to her chest. “He tried to order me to go back. He is not a big fan of the two of us spending the night in theforest.”
Eurig let out a low chuckle. “That’s because Taveon is not an idiot. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the two of us spending the night hereeither.”
“Do you think one of those creatures will attack us again?” Bree asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She didn’t want Eurig to know just how terrified she was to face another monster, especially if she was not able to face it in her own beastly form. Even though they had struck up something akin to friendship, she still felt the need to put on a show of strength in front ofhim.
Eurig rubbed his jaw, causing Bree’s gaze to snap onto the chiseled curves of his face. The firelight illuminated his sharp cheekbones and the full jaw that jutted out like a towering cliff. “Unlikely. That said, we need to be on our guard. It is never a good idea to relax in this forest.” He cut his eyes her way and the ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. “Are you actually admitting that you’re nervous? The great, braveBree?”
Bree shot him a scowl. “Of course I’m not nervous. I’d just rather get some sleep than have to deal with a monstertonight.”
“If you say so.” The smile didn’t drop from Eurig’s face. That smugness. That righteousness. It irritated the hell out ofBree.
As the night deepened, Bree and Eurig took turns keeping watch over their makeshift camp in the middle of the forest. But even during her stint on the ground, with her cheek pressed against the cool dirt, Bree could not find a single moment of blissful slumber. Everything about the night had her on edge. She was all too aware of every crack in the forest. Every hoot of an owl. And every whistle of wind through the trees. And, she was far too aware of Eurig’s presence. She could hear his every sigh and smell the intoxicating scent of him every time the wind brushed past him. Mint, cinnamon, and sea. Her body was tense, and she wanted nothing more than to jump from the ground and pace back and forth until the moon rose high in thesky.
Not that she could let him knowthat.
When dawn finally came, Bree’s eyelids felt heavier than an elephant’s hoof. Her body ached from exhaustion from that tightly held tension that had kept her awake every moment of the night. Eurig, on the other hand, looked irritatingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. When Bree stood and brushed the dirt from her leathers, Eurig gave her a full-length gaze, and then he raised hiseyebrows.
“You look as though you’ve just spent the past eight hours on horseback instead of resting on the ground. Are you still recovering from theattack?”
