Chapter 12

Brexl

Orsu’s den might be safe from animals, but what about the other dekes? I didn’t think they’d be foolish enough to come after us again, but Scaron was about as foolish as they came.

Besides, I was almost fully healed from my wound. If I wanted to fall asleep guarding the entrance, then I would do so.

I rested my head on the steps and listened for any signs of danger. Orsu’s den was below ground and much colder than our beach cave had been, which proved to be a problem as the night wore on.

I’d almost fallen asleep when I heard the clatter of Taylor’s teeth. She was shivering. Mot! I should have realized that she’d be too cold down here.

I didn’t want to rouse her. We couldn’t leave now, there were too many predators that roamed the forest at night.

I took a deep breath and got up to do the only thing I could think of. I laid down behind Taylor, under the blanket. Then I pulled her to my chest as I wrapped as much of my body around her as I could.

Her shivering stopped and the tension in her body seemed to ease.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You do not need to thank me. It is not a burden to hold you.”

The den fell silent again, as Taylor’s breathing evened out.

I marveled at how small she was compared to me. Such a smart, stubborn female in such a small body. I wanted to hold her like this forever. I wanted to keep her safe, and warm, and well-fed. I wanted...I wanted too much, much more than a cursed male should hope for.

We rose early the next day. Both of us eager to get home. I was happy to be on a familiar trail again. I’d walked this path many times as a hunter.

Taylor was unusually quiet today, and it worried me. Had I done something to offend her? Was she upset that I held her to keep her warm last night? Her silence had been gnawing at me all day until I couldn’t take it any longer. Our home mountain was in sight, and it wouldn’t be much longer before we arrived at the clearing.

“You are quiet this day.”

There I said it. If she was mad at me, I was ready to face her anger. I could handle her anger, it was her sadness that I feared. She’d shown no remorse from being bound to me through luminescence, but that didn’t mean that day wouldn’t come.

“Oh, am I?” she worried her bottom lip. “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” I did my best to keep my voice even, but it still came out more gruff than I’d like.

“Well, do you think Kayla or Drovo told the dekes about us luminescencing?”

“I am not sure. Drovo is very talkative,” I admitted.

Was Taylor ashamed of being bound to me? I had cut her off before she could fully explain why she didn’t want to mated. I assumed it was because I am a scarred monster, but was there more too it?

“Yeah that’s true. Kayla isn’t so much, but I didn’t tell her to keep our bond a secret.”

“You do not wish for the dekes to know.” It was a statement, not a question. Taylor had made that clear the night we glowed for each other.

“I...” she looked at me with an odd expression on her face. Was that longing?

“I’d hoped we’d be able to keep it between us for now.” She started to chew her nails which was unlike her. I did not like how nervous she was.

“I wish to also keep our bond a secret,” I lied. This was obviously bothering Taylor, and I wanted to do all I could to put her mind at ease, even if it pained me to lie about how much I really did want to be mated to her.

“You do?” she looked relieved. “Okay, then we should come up with a plan then.”

“A plan to keep a secret?” Taylor was very smart, so I’d trust her judgment on this, but I’d never heard of anyone making a plan to keep a secret before.

“Yeah, if Drovo and Kayla didn’t say anything, then we can go on living just like we did before we left. And then at the next full moon we can make up an excuse to leave for the night, and then come back the next day like nothing happened.”

I shook my head. “I’ve never let anyone near me during a full moon before.”

As a young hunter, I struggled with getting used to my shifted form. I accidentally scratched Drondia with one of my bone spikes during a full moon, and vowed to never accidentally hurt anyone again. I distanced myself from everyone emotionally and physically, and I hadn’t spent another full moon in the mountain since.

“Hmm, we if we go on a trip that’s supposed to take one day and then stay an extra day. We can say that I wasn’t feeling well enough to travel, so we had to stay an extra day.”

“That could work,” I agreed. “What is your plan if they did tell everyone we luminesced?”

“I’m still working on that,” she chewed her bottom lip again.

“Maybe we can downplay it and say we luminesced, but that we’re not mated.”

“So, tell the truth?”

“Yeah,” she looked up at me with sadness in her eyes. It must be hard for her to know that of all the males she could have glowed for, she glowed for me.

She looked back down at the trail and we kept walking.

It wasn’t much longer before we approached the clearing in front of our home, but before we stepped through the tree line Taylor stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, while I patiently waited for her.

“Okay, I’m ready.” She was resolute in her tone.

We walked together to the entrance. Night had fallen, so everyone was inside.

I rolled the boulder away for her and replaced it once I passed through the entrance.

Our footsteps echoed down the corridor as we walked to the main cavern. The warmth and the light of the cook fire welcomed us, along with everyone who was relaxing there after the evening meal.

“Taylor? Taylor!” Fatima called out as soon as she saw her friend.

They hugged and Fatima wiped tears away from her face.

“They said you’d been kidnapped. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it back.”

“I’m back now.” Taylor assured her friend with a teary-eyed smile.

“I’m so glad you’re back!” Beatrice joined in their hug, and the other two women gladly opened their arms to her.

“Congratulations, my friend.” Tarak clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I am happy for you.”

Taylor froze next to me. Tarak’s congratulations could only mean one thing. They knew.