Hunted by a Night Fae

Chapter 20

When I opened my eyes next, I saw the flickering light of the fire first. Its glorious heat brushed against my face, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the blissful sensation of being the warmest I had been in days. A blanket was over me, my once cold, damp skin so warm I was sweating as the fire filled the small cave with glowing light. Curved stone walls protected me from the icy wind and snow.

The next thing I realized was that a good part of the warmth was coming from behind me—where the fire wasn't. A hot, bare, male body was there. It was unmistakable from the muscular arms that wrapped around me, drawing me near. At first, I wanted to nestle into the warmth, but then my grogginess cleared. My entire body went stiff.

There was only one male body that could be.

I felt him shift, and for a moment I wondered if he was actually asleep. His breath brushed against my neck like hot flames licking my skin.

A shiver ran through me, and it had nothing to do with my fever.

But, before I could allow myself the pleasurable sensation of basking in his warmth, the realization of who—no, what—he was came flooding back to me. He was a faerie. And not just any faerie; he was violent, deadly—and a Night fae of the worst kind.

I jolted up, the cold air swooping back to my body in a rush, as if welcoming me back into its arms. Goosebumps broke out across my skin, but the cold wasn't strong enough to make me lay back down next to Ronan. I wrapped my arms over my chest, which was nearly exposed in my flimsy undergarments. Then I turned around, my head spinning, to see Ronan, red eyes open as he gazed up at me. One dark eyebrow arched as he perched up on an elbow, his languid pose reminding me of a recently fed cat.

"What did you do to me? Why am I—why are we—nearly naked?" My voice was shrill, and I looked around the room for my clothes. What had happened? He wouldn't... not when I was passed out...

Ronan's face darkened as if sensing my thoughts and he lifted his chin towards the fire. I turned to look at it again, this time noticing our neatly laid-out clothing. It was laying out to dry. I recalled how my clothes had been dampened by the snow.

"You said you needed warmth" he reminded me. "Wet clothes will only make you colder. I had to remove them from you so you could warm up." His lips turned down. "Though, from what I could tell, you are already quite warm."

I could still feel the sweat that glistened across my temples; only it was rapidly cooling as the frosty air reached out to try to regain its grasp on me. I wrapped my arms tighter around my body, trying to keep as far away from Ronan as I could get without being too cold.

"Yes, well—" I held out a hand to indicate his nakedness, "—that doesn't explain why you aren't wearing clothing." I felt the urge to look away in embarrassment, but I forced myself to keep my eyes trained on him.

Ronan's mouth curved up on one side, and he looked rather proud of himself. "Well, since you needed to be warmed up, I used my body heat." His tone was matter-of-fact. He lifted his exposed shoulder as he settled back on his elbows. "I am very warm."

Yeah, no shit.

I held in a snort, but then looked at him again. Though I could tell I was long from cured, my head felt clearer than before. I noticed a damp scrap of cloth that was also drying next to the fire. Had he been using that to try to maintain my body temperature?

I looked away, chewing on my lip. Despite the situation, I also knew he wasn't lying. But I couldn't trust him that easily.

"You know, this all could have been avoided if you didn't drag me through these mountains to begin with. You could have left me back there, in the Hunt, and solved all of our problems."

Ronan shifted, and even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his mood changing. A moment before he had seemed carefree, but it was like a shadow had taken its place.

"Leave you there?" he asked incredulously. "You whine and moan about not wanting to be here. Yet you would be dead in a matter of minutes without me. You need me if you want to survive. If only you would just shut up and do as I say. Stop being so difficult."

Anger simmered inside me, triggered by his sharp tone. "Why even bother? Wouldn't it be easier to just let me die? We both know you want me about as much as I want to be here. Just let me go," I sneered bitterly. "We'd both be better for it—"

Before I could even finish talking, Ronan's face filled my vision, my body pressed into the cold ground. Fiery red filled his eyes. His lips were pulled back into a snarl, his long fanged teeth only inches from my face. He may not have his weapons, but Ronan's body was deadly on its own. His muscular torso felt like it was chiseled from stone, each muscle coiled tightly, preparing to strike.

"You think I don't want you?" His voice was low, a growl hissing in the back of his throat. "Oh if only I could lie as a human could. Since when have I ever said such a thing? I haven't, because I can't."

I swallowed thickly. His clawed hands scraped against the ground on either side of my head from where he had knocked me down. I squirmed under him, trying to free myself. But he wouldn't budge.

I stopped trying to push him off, and glared up at him, lifting my chin so I could look down my nose at him. If he was going to kill me, here and now, I would not go cowering. I had already done enough of that.

"Then why not just let me die," I said through gritted teeth. "Why care so much, faerie?"

Ronan's eyes flashed, and I could almost see the swirl of flame emanating from within him. Where his chest pressed up against me, I could feel his heat rising to the point that new beads of sweat started to gather on my skin. I stopped moving, staring back at him with defiant eyes. But I didn't dare say another word.

It was like I was teetering over a tall precipice, and any wrong move would mean certain death. Several moments passed, my eyes locked on his bright red ones. 

But then something changed. 

He started to relax. His gaze slowly moved over my face, taking in my features, then traveled lower to where his chest brushed against mine. Though the heat had not vanished from his gaze, the threat in them had. I became acutely aware of every place my bare skin met his.

When he finally managed to gain control of whatever it was that was consuming him, Ronan's head dropped so his eyes were no longer on mine. His curled strands of hair brushed my face, and his body shuddered, tension leaving it.

"You're different, and because of that I couldn't leave you behind," he said quietly. "Perhaps it would have been easier. Killing you was the next obvious choice, but I don't seem to want that either." Ronan lifted off of me, the cold air rushing in between our separated bodies as he stood up. I had almost forgotten how icy cold it was without his heat.

I sucked in a deep breath, able to breathe easier without his weight on me. I watched him warily as he ran a trembling hand through his hair. I didn't doubt that I had glimpsed the threat Ronan posed—the one that Cath had warned me about.

But... somehow he contained it. The monster within Ronan had lingered there under the surface, so close I had seen it in his eyes.

"You still need some time to rest, and I need some more provisions to prevent this from happening again. We will have to make a detour." Ronan's face soured at the thought, though he still wasn't looking at me. "Even with Nea, it will be a few hours from here."

I sat up, feeling more alert as I watched him move away from me. He was changing the subject like he hadn't almost attacked me. But something had stopped him, and he had appeared just as surprised as me about it. Ronan, though still dangerous, was different than I had expected. Who was he, really?

His body shifted, and I realized Ronan was looking at me again. It looked like he was expecting a reply.

"Where are we going?"

His frown deepened, and he picked up his freshly dried tunic, concealing his body from view.

"Ashthorne Castle." He didn't bother to explain further. "We will leave in a few hours. Try to get some more rest." He grabbed his weapons, his eyes flashing a glowing red.

Then he hurriedly walked out of the cave and into the snow. Like somehow I was the monster he needed to escape from.