Page 25 of Heart of the Cursed
She really needed to think before she spoke, especially around him.
“Unfortunately, we can’t return there, it’s not safe.”
“Yeah, I know,” she agreed.
Selene was going to miss the place. She’d been there for so long; it had become a home. Her first home, but hopefully, not her last.
“Do you have anywhere nearby?” she asked.
“I don’t personally, but I did pass an empty cabin on my way here,” he told her.
“Is it far?”
Arun shook his head. “A day’s walk at most.”
“Well, it’s getting dark, so I think we should make camp for the night.”
“Normally, I would agree with you,” he said, looking up at the darkening sky. “But we’re too close to your bunker for my liking. So, I think we should make a head start towards the cabin tonight. Until I know what we’re likely to be up against, I would rather not be caught out in the open.”
“Okay.” She held her hand out for him to go first. “After you.”
He gave her a look that said if she tried to run, he would catch her.
“I’m not gonna run.” Selene rolled her eyes. “We’re losing daylight, handsome, and I can’t see as well as you in the dark, so get a move on.”
Selene caught a glimpse of his smile before he turned away and began walking. Selene rolled her eyes again before following. No matter the species, call a male handsome and it goes straight to his head.
As if their egos needed a boost!
From what she’d seen, they were already big enough.
They walked in silence after that, until the last rays of light disappeared. When stars began to twinkle in the sky, she and Arun finally stopped for the night.
She didn’t know how much further they had to go, but she was happy with the distance they had covered in the short time they had been travelling. The main thing was, they weren’t near the bunker anymore, so it should be safe enough for them to stop for the night.
“How’s your eyesight in the dark?” Arun asked.
“As I said earlier, not as good as yours,” she reminded him.
“Okay, take a seat and I’ll get a small fire going.” When her stomach rumbled, he added: “And then I’ll sort something for us to eat.”
Selene nodded as she took a seat on a nearby fallen tree trunk. Deep down, she was grinning from ear to ear. It had been years since anyone had done anything for her. In fact, the only person to do anything for her was her mother, and she had died too many years ago to count.
Within minutes, Arun had collected enough firewood to last the night. He placed a few lumps of wood in a neat pile in the middle of a small clearing and then used his magic to set it alight.
She had to admit, she was impressed with how quickly he had the fire going. She didn’t get the chance to see other people using magic very often, and was never close enough to see what they did with their hands.
Normally, she was either running away, trying to hide, or too busy using her own magic to pay much attention to what other people were doing.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
Arun didn’t give her a chance to ask him where he was going before disappearing into the woods. She didn’t have to wait long to wait, though. He soon returned, carrying a dead rabbit in his hand and a cheeky grin on his face.
“I hope rabbit is okay,” he said, holding up the small animal for her to see. “If not, you’ll have to stick with nuts and berries.”
He held out a small bag, but she shook her head. “Rabbit is great, thanks.”
In fact, it was one of her favourite meals, but it wasn’t always easy to come by. The fluffy little things were a lot faster than they looked, and their burrows ran deep underground. Selene had tried setting traps for them, but she rarely caught anything.
