Chapter 18

I'm drooping, as wilted as that plant is sure to be by the time we make it up the damn mountain. My mind reels. Mina is in danger, Lana and Ras are on their way to her, Gisele's been taken by a pack of wolves, and I watched a giant serpent eat a the nasty creature straight out of my nightmares. Which, no doubt, will serve as new nightmare fuel.

Today has been… ridiculous.

My body sways against Lesath's as Molmith walks through the pines. Every time my back brushes against the chiseled plane of his chest, heat pools low in me. I bite my lip.

"I must ask you something," he says, his formal way of talking making a sudden reappearance, which makes me nervous.

"Hmm?"

"Are you hungry? We can stop here if you need to rest sooner."

"No. I want to make it to the caves."

"Good. The moons are at least providing enough light to see by. The caves will be safer. They shouldn't be much further."

"Danielle's told me about them," I reply, and I can feel him tense behind me. Shit. "Not that I don't mind hearing again, I just wanted you to know I knew a little."

I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling stupid.

We're alone, just me and him, and suddenly, unexpectedly, I want him to like me. I want him to know that I'm more than the mean resting bitch face queen I've been. I shiver, both with the chill of night descending and the knowledge of his body pressed against mine. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him.

Does he drive me up the wall sometimes? Yes.

Do I doubt that he was cursed, after all I've seen the past two days? No.

I thought what he'd done to me was unforgivable. I thought he was a monster.

I think I was wrong on both counts.

"Why didn't you tell them we were going to Donnora? Finding out I'd blown some secret this morning… that made me feel terrible, Lesath. I don't want—" I stop myself from continuing, because I don't want to tell him that what I don't want is to draw a wedge between us. What I want is for us to move on. Together.

I'm scared. I'm scared of the strength of feeling welling inside me for him, the extreme force of my attraction, and I'm scared that admitting any of it will change everything for me. I'm tired of change.

His hand slides from my waist, resting on the pommel of the saddle. He blows out a breath, and it cascades over my ear and neck. I shudder slightly, feeling his muscles bunch as he shifts behind me.

"I did not intentionally keep it from them. I meant to tell them, but we were busy speaking of the blood drinkers and the new Starbound women, and then I found you with Brock and you were injured and?—"

I feel him shrug.

"I didn't deliberately mislead them. It simply didn't come up."

"But you were so angry."

Another breath cascades over my skin, delicious and warm. "I was angry with myself, because I'd upset you, again. It seems that no matter what I do, I constantly disappoint you. I should have better control of the animal rage in me, of my other form. Which is why we go to Donnora."

"I believe you now." I clear my throat. God, this is so awkward. "About the curse, about it all. I've been a real shithead. I know I apologized the other night, but I'd been drinking, and I wanted you to know I meant it."

"You do not need to apologize, my Ali." His hand resumes its spot against my waist, and desire washes over me, impossibly strong. Resisting it, resisting him, is swimming against a riptide. I'm wearing myself out fighting, and I'm nearly ready to succumb.

His hand stretches out across my stomach, his thumb smoothing against the vest, just under the swell of my breast. Then his hand is dipping lower, tracing down my stomach, hovering over the band of the leather leggings.

I bite back a moan.

He doesn't do anything else, just strokes those tricky fingers across my stomach, until I'm melting into him. The forest passes by, and my body winds tighter and tighter, anticipation and wariness growing together.

"We're here," he rasps, his voice low and husky. "I'll put you down."

He slides off the horse easily, then lifts me from Molmith's back as if I weigh nothing at all. It's hot. I'm into that.

He sets me on the ground, and I nearly crumple as soon as my feet touch dirt.

"Ugh," I grunt, half-squatting. "Oh." I'm sore as hell.

"Poor little huntress." He tsks, pulling Molmith's reins free and holding them in one hand. With the other, he picks me up and puts me over his shoulder, fireman style.

"This really isn't necessary," I argue. "I think I can walk."

"But you're not sure," he replies softly. "I can carry you."

"I don't want to be a burden," I say, my voice muffled against his back.

"You are a gift," he says, and this time, his hand strays from where he clasps my thighs, reaching the swell of my ass.

"Lesath," I say, and I'm not sure if I'm admonishing him or asking for more.

"Ali," he growls, and my stomach clenches in feverish anticipation.

We fall silent, me hanging over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, him swaggering inside the cave like he owns the place.

Light flares around us as we enter, and he makes a small, satisfied noise. "Wards are intact."

"What are wards?"

"It's a type of magic triggered by our kind, ancient magic. They'll seal the caves so we can sleep safely tonight."

"That's a neat trick."

"The knowledge of how to set them is long lost to our kind."

"Oh, that's too bad." I furrow my nose. Why is this awkward all of the sudden? Why have I forgotten how to make conversation? The horse's hooves clop against the stone floor.

"Lana mentioned spending time in a cave like this, too."

"The cave Ras took her to was near the Alsewood, but yes, they are all similar. Hot springs, wards, and supplies left for traveling Starbound. These systems were sacred to our people. Some of the gates, the ones Danielle studies, are located in these systems."

Strange symbols glow in the cave walls, a purplish blue that pulses slightly.

Then I hear it—the sound of rushing water.

Lesath continues on, trudging through the cave, though he must be as tired as I am, considering he fought the harbinger while I cried and whined for help.

Whined for help.

Something clicks in my mind.

"The wild huntress…"

"Hmmm?"

"What does that mean? And what he said about calling for help?"

"That is the question, isn't it, pretty one?"

My stomach does a silly flop at his casual compliment.

Here," he lets go of Molmith's reins, "sit down and rest, and I'll make sure the horses drink and tether them outside for the night. We can talk once you're fed and relaxed."

Can't argue with that logic. "Do you need help?"

He puts me down gently, and I clamp my lips shut, trying not to whimper in pain.

"You will rest. It will be faster if I do it myself."

"Rude," I say, mostly out of habit. To be perfectly honest, I am fine sitting here. I crane my head up. The cave is more like a cavern: huge, domed ceiling, smooth and free of stalactites. I frown. Or stalagmites? I can never remember the difference. The symbols give enough light to see throughout it. There are vining plants in the back, and a small waterfall trickles from a back corner, leading to an equally tiny pool. A small rivulet flows from the pool, and Lesath unsaddles the horses as they drink their fill.

My gaze swings back to the pool, where tiny curls of steam dance on the surface. Big enough to hold one person, it's calling my name. Lesath sets a saddle bag near me.

"There's soap in there." A second bag lands next to it. "Food in this one." He hefts a third bag of Dazgan, the gray horse. "A small bedroll and blanket in here, and I think I packed a towel with the soap and healing ointment."

"Oooh," I moan in appreciation. A hot soak and some of Danielle's ointment sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

Lesath's gaze is fixed on me, and there's no mistaking the desire in it.

I gulp.

The horses shift, apparently done guzzling water.

"I'll tether them outside. I suggest you bathe now if you don't want an audience." His mouth snaps shut, and he turns on his heel.

Leaving me to myself, lust winding through me, wondering if maybe I did want an audience, after all.

After I return to my senses, I bathe quickly, despite the delicious heat of the water, knowing Lesath will be back any minute. Moving near the speed of light, I towel off, throwing on a loose shift I found in the bedding pack. My leather pants get a quick rubdown with a damp towel, and then I hang them to dry.

By the time Lesath returns, the bedroll and blanket are laid out. I've set out a few different types of food, all dried and wrapped in parchment and twine. Starving, I tear into a hunk of bread Dabin packed for us, closing my eyes in bliss.

"Tastes good, hm?"

I crack an eye open, and carefully swallow.

"It's all right. There's plenty." I hold a piece out to him, and his fingertips brush across my skin as he takes it.

"Thank you." His smile could melt rock. Suddenly, despite my wet hair, I'm hot.

"I saw stuff for a fire, but I don't know how to make one. And I'm not Danielle, so…" I stop babbling and let the words hang in the air, worried he'll be irritated. When did I start worrying I would irritate him? Hasn't that been my entire raison d'être for the past few weeks? I frown.

"This is perfect, Ali, thank you." His gaze devours me, skating over my half-dry hair and down my body. Where, I realize, my hair soaked through the simple shift, causing it to cling to breasts and waists.

"Er," I say, shifting, then grimace, because moving? It hurts.

"You're in pain." His hands clench at his sides before he crouches to retrieve some food, taking a small bite.

"I can handle it." Mostly.

"Why haven't you used the ointment yet?"

My cheeks heat. I didn't use it yet because I didn't want him to catch me rubbing lotion all over my ass and thighs. My mouth opens, then closes.

I'm not real sure how to say that out loud.

He stands, and I freeze. There's a predatory grace to him, the way he moves, the way he holds me in his sight like he's afraid I'll slip away. My heart beats faster against my chest, my nipples tightening as desire winds tight within me. The force of it takes me by surprise.

It's the mate bond, I know it's the mate bond, but it doesn't matter to me like it used to. I don't want to fight it. I want to see where it takes me.

"I see," Lesath says, taking another bite of food, his gaze trapping me, raking over my body and lingering on the tight points of my nipples.

A flush rises on my chest and cheeks. "I'll save it for when we really need it."

His jaw flexes as he chews, tilting his head to study me. His throat bobs as he swallows, and I'm completely absorbed in watching the lines of his face, of his body. "How does your ankle feel?"

"It's stiff, but really, it's much better."

"Hmmm," he takes another bite of food. "We'll see about that."

I'm not sure what that means, so I shove some more food in my mouth, too.

"I will wash up before joining you."

"Oh." God. The way he says that, joining me, with that low rasp, sends a shock wave of desire right between my legs.

And with the cocky half-smile on his face? I think he knows exactly how I'm feeling.

In one fluid motion, he tugs his shirt off, leaving me slack-jawed. The soft purplish-blue lights of the cave dance across his sculpted chest and abs, and my mouth waters. A deep V of muscles leads directly into his pants, and what's a girl to do but look where it leads?

I follow the line of his hips lower, sucking in a breath as it becomes clear that I'm not the only one affected by our bond, by our proximity. His cock bulges under his pants. I bite my lower lip, rubbing my hands over my thighs to give them something to do besides reach for him.

His hands slip over the waist of his pants, and he slowly unfastens them. My eyes get rounder, and everything clenches low and hot within me.

When he turns around, walking slowly to the small hot spring, I rip my gaze away from him. But not before I get an eyeful of the muscled curve of his ass and the backs of his thick, powerful thighs.

I lean back against the pallet, taking deep, cleansing breaths. Cleansing. Yup. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to imagine what Lesath looks like right now, all that muscle dripping wet. Deep breath in. Just like the yoga instructor ordered, belly first. Instead of staring up at a gym ceiling though, I open my eyes to stare at the inside of a cave. I fan my face gently, trying to cool the lust currently throwing a sex hormone parade.

Bet my yoga instructor never had to breathe through that.

"You asked about calling the wild." Water splashes, and I nearly peek over, but avoid temptation at the last minute, every muscle in my body twitching with the force of my will.

"Yep," I squeak out. Breathe in, breathe out. Easy peasy.

"It seems your powers, the powers of House Orion, are manifesting early. I'm no scholar, but one of the great abilities of your line is that of the wild hunt."

The need to see him grows, the drumline of my internal let's-have-sex-parade becoming harder and harder to ignore. I can hardly focus on what he's saying. I grit my teeth. "Wild hunt. Yeah."

"Orion was a mighty hunter, the founder of your house. He was rumored to have three abilities: to create weapons out of thin air, to convince animals to give up their lives for him, and to heal grievous wounds."

"Grievous," I echo, barely hearing him over the ridiculously overwhelming need to jump his bones. "Wait." I turn on my side, propping my head up. Rational thought and questions glitter through the fog of lust.

As soon as I catch sight of him, I realize my mistake.

But it's too late to turn away. Water slicks over his skin, his back to me as he washes. Thick muscle works as he soaps himself up.

"Oh god," I mutter. If I keep watching, I'm gonna get all sweaty.

"What's wrong?" He glances over his shoulder at me, frowning slightly. And catches me staring. A smile slowly curves his lush lips up, and I swear to god, I think he flexes some more.

I roll back onto my back and throw an arm over my eyes. That was poor judgment on my part. "Okay," my voice is husky and low and totally giving away all my secrets. "So Lana has the weapons thing, which is really cool, I should add?—"

"And you can command the animals, the wild." He sounds proud, but I refuse to look. For obvious reasons. My eyes are nice and safe under my arm. "Your sister, Mina? She might have the healer's touch. Which will serve her well should she be…"

His voice trails off, my imagination filling in all the gaps he left unsaid. Should she be tortured by the vampires. Hurt. My lust disappears like a popped helium balloon.

"Poor Mina," I say, my chest tightening.

"She has many Starbound riding to aid her, sweet Ali. As soon as we fulfill this oath, we will join them." His voice is serious. "I have faith in them, and in her. You and Lana are fearsome opponents. I doubt the oldest sister of you three is someone who surrenders easily."

"That's true." Mina is the toughest of all of us. She can be downright scary when she wants to be. My arm flops to the side, the knot in my chest loosening a little. "Why would they take her?"

"The blood drinkers have long thought to harness the power of our Starbound women, by mating them themselves and binding them to them. It's why our women left. They did not wish to be anyone's puppet, even if that meant they could never return."

"Oh, that's not good." Mina would hate that. Mina would absolutely wreck shit if anyone tried that. "Mina wouldn't put up with that."

"If she's anything like you, then I suspect the blood drinkers have bit off more than they can chew."

My nose crinkles. "That's kind of a gross phrase, considering."

He huffs a laugh, and even though I'm worried as hell about Mina, I know he's right. I also know my sister, and she is one tough cookie. I have to believe she's okay, that they're going to get her out of there, or I'm gonna lose my mind. So I return to my belly breathing, trying to push all the terrible what-if scenarios out of my head, and hone in on what he already told me.

"So… I can talk to animals."

"It would explain your affinity with Molmith. Who, I might add, tried to bite me this evening." His reluctant chuckle makes me smile. "Not to mention the serpent that came to aid us."

"That was ah, surprisingly helpful, even though I nearly peed myself." I shiver at the memory of the serpent's dull green scales, its coils crushing the life from the harbinger.

A husky laugh fills the cave, and more water splashes. He's getting out. I could turn around and see the full monty. And then what? Give myself lady blue balls? Get down with the dude I've been a total ass to for the last month? All bad choices, all of them.

"What confirmed my suspicions most, though, Ali, was the arrival of House Lupus."

I can still hear the echo of their howls, see Gisele shuddering beside the pack. "And Gisele."

"Yes, her too. Your power is potent. Again, I don't remember much of what we were taught about our people, our history, but I do remember the tale of Starbound women like you, who could touch their power before they were mated."

"Oh yeah. Was that the story you were going to tell Gisele and me tonight?"

Quiet footsteps draw nearer to me. The quiet rasp of towel against skin punctuates the silence. He's probably drying off, running it down that firm muscle, his skin clean and warm, his warrior's body naked.

Shit. My imagination is working overtime trying to sketch out the image to accompany the sounds I'm hearing, and while I can close my eyes, I can't turn off my ears.

"I was," he finally answers. "The three sisters. We named the moons after them."

"Three sisters," I repeat, my brow furrowed. "Well, isn't that a strange coincidence."

"If I remember correctly, your sister could not tap into her power until she was mated, though. So not that much of a coincidence."

"Oh. Right." I vaguely remembered that, too. My stomach growls, and I sit up with my hands over my eyes. "Is it safe to look now?"

"It's always safe to look, Ali," he all but purrs, and I peek through my fingers. The damp towel wraps around his hips, and he's helping himself to some more food.

"Here." He holds out a piece of dried meat, and I take it from him.

Suddenly ravenous, salty flavor explodes on my tongue, and I chew thoughtfully, thinking over what he's told me.

"The three sisters are the most famous myth of Starbound women. Their power was unmatched, and they didn't need mates to draw on it, though they later took them. They were defenders of the gates and helped establish the warded caves for weary travelers. It's said that they still watch over us, from the sky every night."

I help myself to some more food, turning over his story. "So I wouldn't need to take a mate?"

A long pause greets my question. "No. You appear to be accessing your powers already."

"Ah," I say noncommittally, then I take a huge hunk of cheese and wedge it in my mouth to keep from saying anything else. Because what I want to scream is hey, I think we should bang it out anyway, all systems are go for banging.

Even though I've warmed up to Lesath, even though I can admit he's not the massive asshole I thought he was, fucking him means forever. There aren't any take-backsies. There won't be a fun, sex-filled one-night stand.

Sex with Lesath will be all strings attached, and I have a feeling he will ruin me for all other men.

So I chew my cheese, my cheeks stuffed full, and let silence unspool around us.