There was no reason for her to do this, no bond like he’d shared with Aleron. Yet, she’d instigated this, and had gifted him the first moment of peace he’d felt in weeks by doing so.
There was also another emotion taking shape within him. It was small, barely a flowering blossom, yet it reminded him of the affection he felt for his kindred.
After a long passage of time, something rumbled between them. It wasn’t the first time her stomach had informed them she was hungry, but it was definitely the loudest.
“Quiet, Emerie’s stomach,” he grumbled, demanding it leave them be.
Her burst of laughter was so strong it shook his arms. It was the most enchanting sound he’d ever heard, even more so since he’d been able to experience it by touch as well.
“Sorry, I can’t help it,” she answered with a dying giggle. “Are you feeling better yet?”
Ingram gave her an unrelenting squeeze, and it forced a small choke from her. “No. I wish to stay like this.”
Perhaps until the end of time, he would have liked to hug Emerie’s yielding and lush form.
“Not so hard,” she said with a wince. He loosened his hold a little. “I’m really sorry, but I need to eat... among other things.”
Then she repeatedly petted the back of his hard skull and a shiver tore through him. He almost crushed her again in reaction.
The fact she was being kind and gentle to a place on his body he knew to be fatal if destroyed... caused a tender ache to swirl behind his exposed sternum. Demons and humans alike had tried to destroy him, and here was this little female petting him.
“A little longer?” he pleaded, unwilling to part from her just yet.
“Fine,” came her muffled whisper. “Just a little longer.”
Emerie was aware she’d sleep-drooled on the Duskwalker’s back when she woke up. It was hard not to when she was face down with her cheek squished against his scales. Her arms and legs dangled down on each side of him, and her empty satchel and thin sleeping bag were doing a poor job of truly making this comfortable.
Her breasts and stomach were soft enough protection against his spikes. It was mainly her bones she needed to shield.
Sleeping on the back of Ingram was horrible, but he was adamant he didn’t want to stop moving throughout the night. Honestly, it was her exhaustion and the rhythmic sway of their bodies that eventually pulled her under for a few short hours here and there.
Rubbing her face against him with a groggy moan, she peeked open her eyes. It was still night, but the sky was grey as though the sun was beginning its creep over the horizon.
Emerie pushed up to sit on him, and lazily blinked.
It’s been four nights since he’s slept.
Ingram had not stopped walking since that first night, ferrying Emerie almost the entire way. She asked to be let down a few times to stretch and shake out her aching legs. It was tiring work doing absolutely fuck-all.
She wouldn’t have been so worried about his state of rest if he wasn’t slowing down little by little. The big guy, for some reason, didn’t want to stop. Even now, when she could tell his steps were languid, and a little wobbly.
After their long cuddle the previous day, one that had been just as therapeutic for her as it seemed to be for him, she’d decided she would make him rest once she’d done so herself. One of them needed to keep watch. Since he’d been able to hold out a little longer, she’d made him wait so she could be fully alert.
When he was walking through a decently sized gap in the trees, she patted his neck. “Hey, can you let me down?”
Without saying a word, he lowered himself so she could safely slip off.
“We should stop here and let you rest for a few hours,” she told him, hoping her firm tone would make it definitive.
“I do not wish to stop,” he argued.
Why did I have a feeling he’d say something like that? It was like he wanted to walk himself to death.
Rolling her eyes, she made her way over to a log that had conveniently fallen most of the way through the clearing. She sat down with her legs crossed, leaned her back against it, and folded her arms.
“You will sleep, Ingram. I’m not getting up until you do.”
With an annoyed huff, he stomped over to her. Just as he reached out to pick her up himself, likely so he could toss her over his shoulder, she lightly backhanded his hand away. She sternly pointed at him with her index finger.
His orbs flashed white momentarily as he darted his arm back. Then he gave her a light growl with red flaring.
“No growling or grabbing. Lay down, close your... eyes? And go, the fuck, to sleep.”
“Why must I? I am not tired,” he grumbled, turning his raven beak away.
“Do not lie to me, Duskwalker! I can see your arms shaking as we speak.” She pointed to her left to gesture to the clearing. “Lie down!”
With a snarl, he spun away and plopped down two metres away from her. Giving her his back, he curled into a ball on his side.
However, after a few moments, his tail tip tapped against the ground. She squinted her eyes into a glare at it.
“You better be sleeping, Ingram.”
A huff snorted out of him before he got up and crossed to the other side of the clearing. He was a little further away now, giving her his back once more. The second his tail started tapping, he was back on all fours. He spun in a circle and kneaded the ground with his hands, like he was trying to make himself comfortable, then plopped down again.
This time, he faced her, and she had a funny feeling his purple orbs were focused on her. She stared back and raised one of her brows, so he knew she was watching him.
Minutes passed, and she thought he’d finally given in. It was odd to watch the glow in his orbs grow smaller, like that was a Duskwalker’s version of their eyelids becoming heavy.
Just before the glow disappeared completely, they flashed brightly like a spark of white fire, and he was on his damn feet again!
Why is he so restless? If she’d been walking for four days straight, she would have fallen asleep as soon as her head clonked on a pillow.
As he crossed the clearing once more, it was obvious now that he was sulking. He did lay down, much closer to her than before.
His orbs were quicker to grow smaller before they eventually disappeared. When his head tipped to the side to reveal the underside of his beak, she knew he’d passed out.
Fucking hell, finally.
Listening to her surroundings, she inspected the forest.
All was quiet, although that didn’t necessarily mean it was safe. I’ll likely hear a Demon coming. That she knew for certain. But if a snake or a predator comes along, they’ll be harder to spot.
Then again, she was with a Duskwalker. Hopefully just his presence kept everything dangerous from approaching.
Emerie had been on watch for many missions for the Demonslayer guild. They all knew rest was important to stay alert and strong, and she had no qualms about taking the latest shift – which was one most tended to hate.