28. Midas

CHAPTER 28

MIDAS

I slam into the ground hard in a new forest, my head snapping as it bounces off the dirt. Tempest comes falling out a second later and I barely gather my bearings to catch her before she can hit the ground as hard as I did. The force of her hitting me still knocks the air out of my lungs for a second time.

"You'd think the merges could be a little gentler," I grumble as I help Tempest to her feet before climbing to my own. I rub my head where it hit, wincing at the bump that already begins to rise. Not even my crown could protect me from that hit.

"At least you're prepared," Tempest says, looking down at a wound on her arm I have no idea how she got. She puts her arm in the air. "Could you rip a piece of my shirt off to tie it around this?"

Instead of ripping part of her shirt off, I reach down to mine and tear along the end, dragging off a long enough piece that I'll be able to wrap her arm nicely. It leaves my shirt short enough to reveal a bit of my skin, but I don't care. She watches me carefully as I begin to wrap the bandage around the wound. It's deep, but it's not emergency deep.

"Make sure it's tight," she instructs. "I probably need stitches, but I can't really help that right now."

When I'm finished tying it, I study my handiwork. Part of me purrs at the sight of her wearing a piece of me. Part of me wants to also put my crown on her head and see her wear it and nothing else. Fuck. I'm going to have to evaluate what I'm doing here if I keep having such strong reactions to her. I need to get back to Under. I don't need to be thinking about how she'll feel wrapped around me, how it'll feel to have her whimpering my name.

"What do you mean at least I'm prepared?" I ask, forcing myself to step back and give her space.

"The first few times, I was clueless and nearly died," she answers, flexing her arm with a wince. It'll be sore, but at least she can move it. "Even almost drowned the first time I dropped into the world we left Puss in."

I shrug. "You seem to be doing alright."

She glances at me, a smile tugging at her lips. "Is that a compliment?"

"And observation," I laugh. "Nothing more."

We stare at each other with grins on our faces and something shifts between us. Tension hangs in the air, so thick, I swear I can see it. I don't understand what this is. Maybe it's all the trauma we've been through together now, but I think it's just her. Tempest is a force, a power I've never encountered. She's not trying to seduce me and yet she does. She's not trying to tempt me and yet I'm tempted. She's just who she is, and all that is, that's what I want. I want her. Fuck, do I want her.

But I can't tell her that. I know her well enough by now to know that's not the way to put her at ease. She'll run screaming for the hills, shut down on me, convince herself that I'm not telling the truth.

The truth is, I'm starting to like her a little too much.

Tempest doesn't belong in Under. She belongs in her world, and I have a role I can't abandon in the Underworld. We'd never work, no matter how much I'm starting to yearn for her, no matter how much my heart is starting to beat to the tune of hers.

"You two need help?"

Both of us tense and whirl, but there's only a man standing there with a basket of food. He's dressed modestly, in what look like handmade leather clothes, but he's clean. The laugh lines around his eyes tell me he's safe more than the way he holds up his hands does.

"Whoa! Hey. I'm not going to hurt you." His eyes look between us. "You two appear as if you've been through the mud. If you're looking for a warm meal and a place to clean up and sleep, you're welcome to come back with me."

"You're not going to sacrifice us to the cutie gods or something, are you?" Tempest asks him.

The man's face crinkles in confusion. "The what gods?"

"Nothing," she says, grimacing. "We've just. . . we haven't had the best experience with strangers."

"Ah, I see," the man nods. "This is Sherwood Forest. There aren't many great people here, especially when it comes to the sheriff, but us Merry Men are perfectly safe. We offer help to anyone who may need it."

Tempest's eyes round. "The Merry Men? As in Robin Hood?"

"Robin retired a while ago," the man replies fondly. "But we carry on his lessons."

"Well. . ." Tempest looks up at me expectantly.

"We can stay for a night," I nod. "Or until we're taken somewhere else."

The man smiles warmly. "Wonderful. Follow me."

Both of us follow in silence as the man leads us into the woods. We don't have to go far before we step through the trees and come upon a massive campsite. There has to be over a hundred tents here. Fires cooking amazing smelling food are peppered throughout the tents, making my stomach grumble. When Tempest's does as well, I'm suddenly reminded that we haven't eaten at all. I have no idea how she's still holding up. She should be eating more often than I do, and yet she's still standing and fighting her way alongside me.

"We only have one tent," the man says. "I hope that isn't going to be a problem."

Tempest opens her mouth, I assume to argue, but I nod and say, "one tent is fine."

She glances up at me with narrowed eyes but doesn't counter what I say. We're given a few bowls of stew which we both eat quickly, almost desperately. They give Tempest more clothing, but I decline what they offer. I prefer my own clothing. Once we have full bellies and have cleaned up, the man, who we find out is named Louis, leads us to a small tent barely big enough for the both of us. We stare at it as the campfires begin to die down and everyone starts to retire to bed, unsure how to go about this.

I gesture for Tempest to crawl in first since she's the smallest, and she does without question. Only when she says it's okay for me to enter do I climb in and turn to my back on the other side. Our shoulders touch, and my feet nearly stick out the end, but we manage just fine. We lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"Do you think I can control the portals somehow?" she asks suddenly. She's not looking at me, her eyes on the tent above us.

"Perhaps," I answer. "I don't think you can now, but I do think one day you'll likely be able to."

She hums. "How strange that would be."

"Stranger than ponies with knives?" I ask and we both laugh.

Her laughter is like sunshine to my soul, and the sudden urge to tell her all of what I am, all that I've done, slams into me so roughly, I have to clear my throat to speak again.

"Tempest," I say, and she looks over at me. Those bright big eyes of hers look at me expectantly, so trusting. It's going to hurt if that changes again. I want her to trust me.

I want her to love me.

Admitting that to myself is like an ice-cold bath and I force myself to look back at the tent material above us.

I hope against all hope I don't ruin the sunshine in her eyes when she looks at me. I've never seen someone so golden without a single bit of gold on them. But that's Tempest. Bright, beautiful, wildfire Tempest.

"I have something to tell you," I whisper, and close my eyes just in case I see the sunshine disappear.

I don't want to see it. Oh, Under, I don't want to see it.