Page 23 of Lies That Bleed
Tetra rolled her eyes at me. “I’m bonded now. I’m safe. Ariyel wants to go outside The Wilds. She’s been waiting her whole life. I’m gonna leave now.” With that, she picked up her cane and stood. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
She leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. I inhaled her lemon and honey shampoo just in case it was for the last time, and nodded.
Tetra pulled back and peered into my eyes, her mouth pressed into a firm line. “Come back powerful, future empress.” She mocked my father’s voice and saluted me.
I smiled. “See you soon.”
With that, she turned and limped out of TheWilds, and it felt like she took a hundred-pound boulder from my shoulders with every step she took.
“Let’s move!” Kian barked.
I spun around to find that Anika and her lioness were gone as well.
We were now an alliance of six.
Over the nextseveral hours we tracked three creatures. One was a rabbit so we let it go, but the others were decent, and Nikhil and Kian successfully bonded with a coyote and a rhesus monkey.
Alek, Roc, Dev, and I were all that remained and the sun was setting. We’d passed a few groups through the day, and sadly over two dozen dead bodies. We’d had to kill a handful of creatures that tried to attack us and were too weak or undesirable to bond. We were bruised, bloody, and battle weary. I felt the exhaustion of being awake the past few days pulling at me. At this point I wouldn’t mind the risk of dying if it meant I could get a few hours of sleep. Going into a third day tomorrow was not ideal for bonding. I’d be tired and slow, and I was regretting not taking on the lioness that Anika had bonded.
As we were scouting for a place to make camp, we stumbled upon Kohen and some of his alliance. It looked like they’d been whittled down to about nine people. Each one of them was in rough shape, andKohen was favoring his left leg. I hadn’t allowed myself to even think about what had happened in the woods last night, but seeing him and the bandage on his neck brought it all back to me.
I killed an imperial soldier. Not just one but two.
Kohen embraced Dev and they started trading stories. He inquired about Nikhil, Anika, and Kian, and grinned when he heard they were alive and successfully bonded.
I swayed a little on my feet and Alek reached out to catch me. “Whoa, you okay, Aisling?”
I widened my eyes, hoping the mere act would keep them open. “Just tired. I’ll make coffee. Why don’t you set up camp?”
Kohen cleared his throat. “You guys mind if we bunk together tonight? We could use the extra lookout. Sleep in shifts? A few from each team awake at a time?”
Alek and Roc flicked their gazes to me. Could this be an elaborate plot to get Kohen close to me while I was vulnerable and kill me? Maybe. But he had plenty of chances already and he hadn’t. My mind was fuzzy. I wasn’t thinking straight.
“I don’t care,” I said.
Alek nodded. “Just stick to your side of the fire,” he said, and stepped in front of me protectively.
Whoa. Okay. Didn’t expect that from him. It was kind of cute and funny at the same time. I coulddefinitely take care of myself. I wished Tetra had been here to see it.
“Understood.” Kohen had his team set up camp on the right side of the fire that Roc was currently building, and we set up on the left.
I started to brew some coffee when Alek walked over to me and took the thermos from my hands. “Let me take first watch, you need sleep.” He stared me up and down as if telling me I looked like a sleep-deprived zombie.
I feared if I didn’t get just a few hours of sleep, I wouldn’t survive the bonding to a powerful creature. If there was anyone in this group I trusted to watch my back, it was him, though I knew Elaine would have counseled me to trust no one.
My gaze flicked to Kohen and Alek lowered his voice: “I don’t trust him. I think he’s been tracking us by day to meet up at night.”
I’d considered that and I agreed with him. It was too coincidental he found us each night for camp. “Because he wants to keep an eye on his family.” I flicked my gaze to Dev, who was speaking animatedly to Kohen about Anika’s bonding.
“Maybe,” Alek agreed, “or maybe he wants something else.” He looked at me.
I sighed, too tired to care.
“I won’t let him get within ten feet of you,” Alek promised.
I nodded and rolled out my sleeping bag. I was inthe nauseated zone of sleep deprivation where I felt like if I didn’t crash soon I was going to hurl.
“Wake me in four hours. I’ll take next watch. Don’t let me sleep longer than that, do you understand me?” It was an order.
