she’d just referred to them as an us . He wondered if she even realized her slip of the tongue. And why did it make his pulse speed at the thought?
“Why didn’t you at least wake me? Maybe we could have figured something out?”
“Oh come on, Aeric, we couldn’t figure out anything just now, an hour earlier wouldn’t have made much of a difference, surely?”
But Rumpel, of all people. She didn’t know his history with the imp. How could she, they’d only just met. Fire churned in his gut and he snorted when he gazed at the fiery bridge, that right there should have told him everything. Stopping, he rested his weight on the bridge. The minor technicality that Aeric hadn’t known who the broker actually was wouldn’t matter. Not to the imp.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and he wanted to rail at her, but doing that wouldn’t make him feel better. It would only make things worse. All he could do now was give her a strained smile.
After a second, she twined her body through his arms.
Sighing, he couldn’t help but pet her spine. Marveling at the silky texture of her strange hued fur. Her body stretched beneath his touch and a vibrating purr rumbled through his palm.
He huffed. “I can’t deny that I’m angry. If I’d known who this belonged to, I would never have stepped foot on it.”
“Then you would have eventually died.” She shook her head. “And that’s not what you came here to do, Aeric. You came here to rid us of a scourge. I’m sorry, but I can’t say I wouldn’t choose to do this again.”
And when she put it like that, he could hardly argue.
“Then we may as well hurry up to where we’re going, because I’m not going to be catching anything while stuck here.”
“Indeed.” She nodded emphatically and took off at a gentle trot.
They didn’t speak again for a while after that. But now that Aeric was aware of their course, he kept his eyes peeled to the tree branches, waiting to see his notch. He didn’t have to wait long.
But this time it was above his head. They were definitely going down.
Filled with a mixture of both relief and dread he wondered about his companion. Why she continued to stay with him. This was not her quest. And yet, she was treating it as though it was. Did it have something to do with her being a guardian of the woods?
“Why are you doing this?” he finally asked when the curiosity grew too strong.
She didn’t break stride as she said, “I don’t honestly know. You’ve given me no end of headaches, and yet, you intrigue me human male.”
He barked a laugh. “I give you a headache? That is funny.”
Her brows dipped. “And what is so funny about that?”
“Only that I was thinking the same thing. This is not your quest, you did not have to come back and rescue me, you were free of the creature’s trap, now you’re stuck on this bridge with me going down to only the gods know where. You are neither a cat nor a woman; you speak of things like guardians of the woods and yet seemed as stunned as I am by all the twists and turns we find ourselves in. Who are you really?”
She cocked her head. “That is a very good question, and one I’ve never quite had an answer for. Am I spirit? Mortal? Immortal? Feline? Woman? Both? None? Was I even born?”
He stopped. “Born? Of course you were born, everyone’s—”
She sighed. “Maybe, maybe not. All I remember is one day I opened my eyes and there I was.”
“When was your first day?”
She shrugged. “Months. Years. Centuries ago. If I think back I can remember everything and nothing. I remember how the trees used to once look normal. They weren’t aggressive or sentient. They were just trees. Then one day, they weren’t just trees. They were wild and untamed. The monsters became bigger, the plants meaner.” She shrugged. “And it all just seemed to happen so subtly that I didn’t know what was going on until one day I stopped and looked and realized it was all
“Why didn’t you at least wake me? Maybe we could have figured something out?”
“Oh come on, Aeric, we couldn’t figure out anything just now, an hour earlier wouldn’t have made much of a difference, surely?”
But Rumpel, of all people. She didn’t know his history with the imp. How could she, they’d only just met. Fire churned in his gut and he snorted when he gazed at the fiery bridge, that right there should have told him everything. Stopping, he rested his weight on the bridge. The minor technicality that Aeric hadn’t known who the broker actually was wouldn’t matter. Not to the imp.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and he wanted to rail at her, but doing that wouldn’t make him feel better. It would only make things worse. All he could do now was give her a strained smile.
After a second, she twined her body through his arms.
Sighing, he couldn’t help but pet her spine. Marveling at the silky texture of her strange hued fur. Her body stretched beneath his touch and a vibrating purr rumbled through his palm.
He huffed. “I can’t deny that I’m angry. If I’d known who this belonged to, I would never have stepped foot on it.”
“Then you would have eventually died.” She shook her head. “And that’s not what you came here to do, Aeric. You came here to rid us of a scourge. I’m sorry, but I can’t say I wouldn’t choose to do this again.”
And when she put it like that, he could hardly argue.
“Then we may as well hurry up to where we’re going, because I’m not going to be catching anything while stuck here.”
“Indeed.” She nodded emphatically and took off at a gentle trot.
They didn’t speak again for a while after that. But now that Aeric was aware of their course, he kept his eyes peeled to the tree branches, waiting to see his notch. He didn’t have to wait long.
But this time it was above his head. They were definitely going down.
Filled with a mixture of both relief and dread he wondered about his companion. Why she continued to stay with him. This was not her quest. And yet, she was treating it as though it was. Did it have something to do with her being a guardian of the woods?
“Why are you doing this?” he finally asked when the curiosity grew too strong.
She didn’t break stride as she said, “I don’t honestly know. You’ve given me no end of headaches, and yet, you intrigue me human male.”
He barked a laugh. “I give you a headache? That is funny.”
Her brows dipped. “And what is so funny about that?”
“Only that I was thinking the same thing. This is not your quest, you did not have to come back and rescue me, you were free of the creature’s trap, now you’re stuck on this bridge with me going down to only the gods know where. You are neither a cat nor a woman; you speak of things like guardians of the woods and yet seemed as stunned as I am by all the twists and turns we find ourselves in. Who are you really?”
She cocked her head. “That is a very good question, and one I’ve never quite had an answer for. Am I spirit? Mortal? Immortal? Feline? Woman? Both? None? Was I even born?”
He stopped. “Born? Of course you were born, everyone’s—”
She sighed. “Maybe, maybe not. All I remember is one day I opened my eyes and there I was.”
“When was your first day?”
She shrugged. “Months. Years. Centuries ago. If I think back I can remember everything and nothing. I remember how the trees used to once look normal. They weren’t aggressive or sentient. They were just trees. Then one day, they weren’t just trees. They were wild and untamed. The monsters became bigger, the plants meaner.” She shrugged. “And it all just seemed to happen so subtly that I didn’t know what was going on until one day I stopped and looked and realized it was all
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