Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Runa

I waited until the drizzle stopped before heading outside. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself out the door. I was on the mend, getting a little stronger each day, but apparently, that wasn’t fast enough for the dragon. He came by almost daily now, trying to convince me to let him call a doctor. I always refused. I didn’t want him or anyone else to know my plans. The winds didn’t speak to me anymore. I didn’t have to stay here. I just needed to get strong enough to leave.

I got about as far as the first row of trees before my legs gave out. I hit the ground hard, catching myself on my hands, but they shook just as badly as my legs and I didn’t have enough energy to get myself back up.

“Great,” I mumbled, using what was left of my energy to roll onto my back. At least the ground was dry under the trees. I stared at the sky through the trees, silently cursing the winds for leading me here. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get enough energy to get back to my cottage, but I couldn’t just lie here. If the dragon came to check on me again, he’d figure out how weak I truly was and call the doctor without my permission. I was done letting shifters make decisions for me.

I rolled back onto my belly, dragging myself towards the door. I couldn’t walk there, but I’d crawl on my hands and knees if I had to. I didn’t care what people said about it.

I’d only gotten maybe a few feet before I heard twigs snapping and leaves rustling. My spine stiffened. This was it. This was when the dragon finally clued in on my secret. I’d never get him to leave me alone if–

The footsteps halted suddenly, and an unfamiliar voice spoke a few meters behind me. “Are you okay?”

I rolled my eyes, answering with as little sarcasm as I could muster. “Peachy.”

I wasn’t used to having someone approach me and not know who they were. I cursed the silent winds, who’d always been in my ear since I came into my powers. Where were they now when a stranger approached? The last stranger to approach me alone kidnapped me and forced me to attack a dragon.

The footsteps came closer, and I tensed automatically, waiting for the worst to happen. He stopped again, and I waited, but when he didn’t move, I whipped my head around to glare at him.

“What?”

His expression was dark, wary, and he stood a few feet from me, but he didn’t close the gap.

“I want to help you, but I’m not touching you without permission.”

Well, that was refreshing. Since I got hurt, people were too busy being concerned to worry about how I felt about it. I considered telling him to go away, but I also didn’t think I was going to get to my cottage on my own. If someone was wandering about on his territory, the dragon probably knew and would come out here eventually.

“Fine. But if you try anything funny, I’ll hurt you.”

He didn’t argue or even laugh like most men would’ve. He took my arm, helped me to my feet, and let me lean on him as we walked back the way I came.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“Nathan Mackenzie.”

A name didn’t actually provide me with any information. I shot him an irritated look, but he was too busy looking around suspiciously to notice. I frowned at him.

“What are you looking for?”

“Nothing,” he replied gruffly. He said that, but his grip tightened ever so slightly when a bird flew low overhead, and he whipped his head around when a twig snapped. I didn’t need the wind to whisper to me to know what was wrong with this one.

“You’re afraid.”

He growled, pulling open the door for me and leading me inside. “I’m not afraid. I’m cautious. I’ve seen too much shit not to be.”

He helped me settle in the chair in front of the hearth, squatting in front of me as he looked around. He was making himself smaller, too suspicious to be merely cautious. I wanted to ask who broke him, but with no way to protect myself, it didn’t feel smart to provoke him. Instead, I gestured with a shaky hand to a cabinet above the sink.

“The bottle in there. Pull it out for me.”

He looked wary, but he did as I asked, pulling the bottle of brown liquid out of the cabinet. As he handed it to me, he asked, “What is it?”

“Rum,” I replied, popping the top and taking a deep swig. When I offered it to him, he shot me a questioning look, and I shrugged. “Helps with the anxiety.”

Huffing out a small laugh, he took the bottle and tipped it back, taking a heavy swallow. He grimaced at the burn as he offered the bottle back, but didn’t make a sound of discomfort like most would. I raised my eyebrows, impressed.

“You can handle your liquor.”

“I was in the military. If we weren’t on assignment, we were probably at a bar. Do you live here alone?”

“You know the answer to that already,” I replied dryly, taking another swig. The cabin was only one room, with the kitchen against one wall and my bed opposite it. The hearth and my chair were in the middle. Aside from that, it was mostly storage and hanging herbs. No electricity, I couldn’t be near it before now, but I didn’t mind it. The hearth provided plenty of light when I actually had it lit.

He hovered near the wall, ready for action at a moment’s notice. I offered him the bottle again, jerking my chin at him.

“I don’t have any other chairs because that would make it seem like I like visitors. Find a spot to get comfortable and sit awhile.”

Taking the bottle, he lowered himself to the ground next to the hearth, his face screwed up as he studied me. “If you don’t like visitors, why are you asking me to stay?”

“Because you’re not as annoying as the rest. Take that with a grain of salt. I don’t know you well enough yet to give formal judgment.”

He smirked, taking another drink before handing it back to me. We drank in silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth, but it was a relaxed quiet. Both of us seemed to need the quiet support without judgment.

Nathan broke the silence first. “So, do you live so far away from the compound because you don’t like people?”

I shook my head, the warmth of the liquor loosening my tongue a little. “No. I have an issue with electronics. It’s for everyone’s benefit that I keep my distance unless they want to keep replacing their devices.”

He snorted, his head resting against the wall and the half-drunk bottle between his fingers. “Bad luck?”

“Something like that,” I murmured, wiggling my fingers for the bottle when he continued to stare at me. He leaned forward to hand it off before he slumped back again, the tension that had been tight in his shoulders finally dissipating.

“What about you? Why aren’t you with them? I assume you’re in these mountains because of the monster that protects them.”

He huffed out a scoffing laugh, glaring at the direction of the compound. “Monster sounds about right. I don’t trust the fucker as far as I can throw him. I’m here because my old man came for a visit and I didn’t want him to go alone. The dragon is fucking shifty, though. He’s leaving out details.”

I hummed, my mind swimming from the effects of the alcohol. “What do you want to know?”

He blinked, turning to face me, his face a mask of suspicion. I shrugged.

“I hold no loyalties for the dragon. His son kidnapped me and brought me here to face the beast, all for greed. And when the bastard was finally put down, I was strongly encouraged to stay so the dragon could ‘watch over me’.” I made quotes with my fingers, but my limbs felt heavy, so they barely left the armrest.

Nate sat up straighter, listing a little as he demanded, “Are you here against your will?”

“At first, yes. But I also had nowhere else to go. The dragon’s bastard son destroyed my home. I was only able to salvage a few things that I had heavily protected. After a while, I stayed because the winds told me to. There was something I had to be here for. I regret staying as long as I did.”

“Did you want to leave? I can take you with us. I–”

I waved him away, a smile pulling at my lips. “You’re sweet. But no. I’m not strong enough right now to leave. I’m barely strong enough to make it to bed on my own.”

He turned to look at the bed. The room wasn’t that big, but I used up my energy walking around outside. I’d probably end up sleeping in this chair tonight. I should’ve known better than to push past my limit. I rushed because of my frustration. It was foolish of me.

Nate struggled to get to his feet, almost toppling a few times. I was glad neither of us was sober enough to light the hearth or he might’ve fallen into it. He steadied himself with a hand on the wall before offering me the other one. I frowned at him.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help you get to bed. Consider it a thanks for helping me relax.”

I smirked, lifting my eyebrows at him. “You’re so drunk you can’t stand without the wall’s help. What makes you think you can help me?”

He shrugged, listing to the side before straightening. “We’ll lean on each other. Come on.” He wiggled his fingers impatiently until I gave in and took his hand. I underestimated his strength, though, and when he tugged me, I fell into his arms like a swooning damsel.

“Shit. My bad,” he murmured. One arm went around my waist, helping me straighten a little more. I mimicked the hold, both of us clinging to each other as he pushed away from the wall. It felt a little like we were on a boat instead of in my cottage, the floor swaying beneath me. He wasn’t any better, swaying right along with me.

“I thought shifters were good with liquor.”

“Dad gave me a gummy before I left,” he slurred.

I wasn’t sure what that meant. My mind couldn’t seem to keep up with the conversation. We stumbled and swayed toward the bed, both of us collapsing against it with our arms still around each other’s waists.

Nate groaned, the noise sending a shiver up my spine. “Fuck, this bed is comfortable. Do you sleep on clouds or something?”

Snickering, I shook my head. “No. Are you going to be able to leave it, or is someone going to have to come get you?”

He opened his eyes and gave me a smoldering grin. “You kicking me out already?”

If I had the capacity, I would’ve rolled my eyes at him. I was too drunk for that kind of coordination, though.

“I bet that look works on tons of women. It won’t work on me, though.”

“You sure about that?” he countered, looking down pointedly. I looked down with a frown.

“Why are you so close?”

“I didn’t do that,” he replied innocently. “You’re leaning into me.”

I hummed, my eyes dragging down to his mouth like they had a will of their own. There was a little voice in the back of my head telling me to back off, but I couldn’t figure out why. And I couldn’t make myself look away.

“What is this?”

His hand on my waist tightened and drew me closer. “A little bit of magic, maybe?”

That was all I needed to hear.