I stand slowly to my feet as I breathe, “You’re right. We do make a great team.”
He looks away from me, shaking his head with a dry laugh. “Yeah, except for the fact that you don’t listen to orders.”
“Orders?” I scoff, “I’m not one of your soldiers, Kai.”
“You’re right, you aren’t.” He strides towards me, and the sight of him so bloody is suddenly intimidating. But I force myself to stand my ground when he halts before me, close enough now for me to see his smoky eyes turn to ice. “My soldiers don’t mean anything to me. They are expendable and easy to replace.” His chest heaves, his eyes locked with mine. “So, yes, Gray. You aren’t one of my soldiers.”
I open my mouth, but no words come out of it. He closes his eyes and sighs deeply, only opening them again when he is back to his cool and collected self. All traces of the frantic, ruffled male are gone. I can sense him shifting back into his cocky, casual self as he attempts to lighten the mood.
Spinning slowly, he takes in the carnage around us and simply says, “Well, looks like we won’t be going hungry tonight.”
I play along, but my voice is weak. “Good to know that we didn’t survive a wolf attack only to die of hunger.”
His eyes darken as they snap to where my wound lies bleeding beneath my clothes. “Your stitches. Did they—”
I lift my tank and peek under the folds of the bloody bandage. Relief floods me when I see the thread still pulling my skin together. The excursion of the fight only stretched the stitches, causing the wound to bleed but thankfully not tear. I suppose I would be in a much worse state if they had.
“No,” I breathe, “they didn’t tear.”
He runs a hand through his hair before sheathing his sword, but I don’t miss the slight wince the action causes due to his torn shoulder. I point to the stump behind him and say, “Sit.”
Now I’m the one giving orders.
He humors me, smirking as he sits down before I come to stand over him yet again. “You’re covered in blood,” he remarks far too casually.
“And you’re dripping blood. But, lucky for you,” I smile sweetly, “I can make just the right salve for this.”
He blows out a breath, shaking his head at the sky. “Of course you can. You and your salves will be the death of me.”
“You know,” I mutter, examining the bite closely, “I’m beginning to think that you enjoy getting hurt, if only so you can have my hands all over you.”
He lets out a low laugh. I can practically feel his gaze gliding over me as he says, “Oh, I’m not making you do anything, darling. You can leave me to bleed out if you must. Because I only want your hands all over me if you want them to be.”
My eyes snap to his gray ones already pinned on me.
I am playing a very dangerous game.
Walking on a sharp blade and hoping I don’t get cut. Playing with fire and hoping I don’t get burned. Swimming in a dangerous current and hoping I don’t drown.
He is dangerous.
And even with that one thought echoing in my mind, I hold his gaze and put my hands on him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kai
It’s been three days since a wolf took a bite out of me. Three days since Paedyn put her hands on me after I told her to only do so if she wanted to. And I don’t think I’ve been able to catch my breath since. Every time she looks at me, I feel like I’m gasping for air. I hate it.
Liar.
It’s been three long and boring days. The most profitable thing we’ve managed to do is find a shirt for me to wear—another gift left for the contestants. The creek and small circle clearing around it has become our base, though we don’t spend much time there during the day. Our riveting routine consists of splitting up into the forest and scouting for any other opponents. And yet, our efforts to collect more bands have not only been futile but also unbearably boring. I’d rather not split up, simply because I’m far more entertained when Paedyn is with me, but she insisted that we’d cover more ground separately.
A lot of good it’s done us so far.
The sun is sinking rapidly, and stars splatter the sky as it begins to disappear for the night. I trudge back towards the camp, taking out my frustration on the plants littering my path by slicing them with my sword as I walk.
Nothing. Neither of us has come across another opponent yet. The only things we’ve managed to find are snakes and lots of them. Those, along with coyotes, have been the only visitors we’ve had to fight off as of late.
I hear the bubbling creek before I even see it. The small clearing comes into view and so does Paedyn. She sits on a stump, twisting that thick, silver ring on her thumb as she stares blankly at the fire, her hair blowing in the soft breeze.
I grab some kindling and make my way over, throwing it on the fire before sitting down on a stump across from her. “Well, I don’t see any fresh wounds, so no luck, I’m assuming?”
“I’m offended that you think I couldn’t come out of a fight unscathed.” After giving her a skeptical look, she finally grumbles, “No. No luck today.”
I watch her closely, assessing how she bites the inside of her cheek, spins the steel on her thumb, bounces her leg.
She’s a mess of pent-up energy, anxiety eating away at her. But I let her think, giving her time before I pry for answers on what it is that has her so tense. So we sit in silence, me gnawing on stringy rabbit while Paedyn gnaws on the inside of her cheek.
The sun has dipped to the horizon, painting the sky with deep oranges and soft pinks when I finally break the silence with a sigh. “All right, what’s wrong? Out with it.”
“Hmm?” She looks up from the fire, meeting my gaze before deciding that the flames are more interesting to look at. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
I almost laugh. I’ve learned the hard way that those are words you never want to hear a woman say to you, and it’s obvious that she is anything but fine. I stoke the fire as I sigh, “You’re a horrible liar, Gray.”
She finally dares to look in my direction. And then she’s laughing loudly. I hold my breath, watching the way her head tips towards the sky, her silver hair cascades down her back, her eyes crinkle with amusement. She looks back at me too quickly, and I hope I’ve wiped the look of wanting from my face fast enough.
She’s so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her.
What the hell is wrong with me.
“I’ll have you know that I am a great liar.” She can barely say the words without snorting like she’s told a joke, and I’ve missed the punchline.
“Hmm.” I pop a piece of meat into my mouth. “I’m going to have to disagree.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really.”
She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Enlighten me, prince.”
Good. Let me distract you.
My lips twitch into a smile. “You have a tell, darling.”
“Do not.” She’s not laughing anymore and I almost regret saying anything at all.
“You tap your left foot when you lie, ever so slightly.” She gapes and I grin. “I started noticing it when you said you hated my dimples. And obviously, we both know that is a lie.”