Instead, I eased myself down against a sycamore trunk, watching Adonis as he pulled something out of his bag. A blanket, it looked like—thick and woolen. I rubbed my arms for warmth, my breath forming clouds around my face.
“I don’t suppose you have more than one of those blankets? Since I didn’t know we were traveling all the way across the country, I had no idea I needed to pack a duvet or anything.”
He handed me the dark blue blanket. “I don’t need it. I’m going to be keeping watch for hostile demons. Or for Johnny.”
“You think he might come after us?”
“If he recovers his memory, he will definitely come for you. And that would ruin my plans, wouldn’t it?”
I swallowed hard, suddenly intensely relieved that Adonis would be staying up. “You don’t need sleep?”
“Sometimes.” He sat, leaning against a tree trunk. “Not as much as you.”
I lay on the blanket, then folded one half over myself, curling into a ball. I lay my cheek on the soft wool, hugging the blanket tightly.
In the shadows of the sycamore grove, my heart was beating hard against my ribs, and the darkness felt as if it were closing in on me. And in the shadows, those sharp, pointed memories—the dragon’s teeth in Marcus’s chest— Sharp teeth piercing an arm—
I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, trying to stave off the feeling that I was standing at the edge of a void. If I fell in, my soul would rip apart.
“I can hear your heart pounding.”
My eyes snapped open, and I met Adonis’s curious gaze.
“It’s nothing.” I loosed a slow breath. There was no way in hell I was telling him I was scared of the dark. “I just get a bit nervous being outside at night with demons roaming around.”
“You’ll be fine, Ruby,” he said quietly. “I’m the most dangerous creature for thousands of miles. And I’m on your side. Just relax.”
Somehow, I found that reassuring, and I tuned in to the strangely soothing feel of his magic, which kissed my cheeks like a night breeze.
Now, when I closed my eyes, a vivid memory lit up the hollows of my mind: I lay in a field, my arms spread out to the sides. White puffs of dandelions dappled the tall grasses, and from my spot on the ground, Hazel toddled over to me. She must have been two, and smears of chocolate ice cream streaked her chin and lips. She straddled my tummy, knocking the breath out of me, then reached for a white puff of dandelion by my side. She plucked it from the ground.
“Make a wish!” she commanded, holding to her mouth. Her dark curls framed her chubby cheeks.
“You’re supposed to make the wish,” I said quietly.
“Make a wish!” she shouted again, this time angrier, cheeks reddening.
I’d given in. I always gave in to her.
“I wish that you’d find another place to sit because you’re crushing my stomach.”
She touched the dandelion to her mouth, then blew. The filaments caught in the breeze, and some of the fluff stuck to her chocolate-streaked cheeks.
Slowly, sleep claimed my mind, and with it, the sun-drenched park of my memory receded, replaced by frozen, windswept fields. I dreamt of a barren landscape, and icicles gleaming from tree branches.
As I slept, I was dimly aware of the cold air piercing me to my bones, of shivering and teeth chattering. At least, until a blanket of warmth covered me, and my dreams shifted. A river rushed from a cavern, flowing over a cliff. It smelled of melted mountain water. At the base of the waterfall, banks bloomed with tall grasses and crimson flowers. The scent of myrrh trees coiled around my body.
When I woke in the dazzling, ruddy sunrise, Adonis was nowhere near me. He leaned against a sycamore trunk, watching as the sun streaked the sky with lurid shades of orange.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then slowly sat up. Adonis had covered me in his black cloak during the night. Maybe it was the smell of myrrh, but I had the strangest feeling that I’d been dreaming of something from his memories.
The full power of his icy eyes fell on me. “You’re awake. We have a whole day’s riding ahead of us. I hope your legs hold up today.”
I didn’t want to take his warm cloak off my body. “How’s your wing?”
“It’s healing quickly. In a few more days, it will be good as new.”
“Good.” I rose slowly, my body groaning, and I handed Adonis his cloak. “Thanks for the extra warmth.”
“The sound of your teeth chattering was driving me insane.”
I scooped up the blanket from the earth, crossed to Thanatos, and tucked it into Adonis’s leather satchel. The horse snorted, steam rising from his enormous nostrils. Then, he nuzzled my face. I smiled. It seemed Thanatos liked me better than Nuckelavee.
“Any chance you could tell me how much farther we have to go?” I asked.
“We’ll be riding until nightfall, assuming we can keep the same pace as yesterday.”
I suppressed a groan. Adonis’s healing magic had been helpful, but it wasn’t a panacea. I leaned over, rubbing my thighs. “Sure. All day riding again. No problem.”
He wrapped his dark cloak around him, and the shadows seemed to thicken in the air surrounding him. “This time, tell me when you’re falling apart instead of randomly screaming uncle, will you?”
Chapter 12
My pride took a serious hit that day. By sunset, Adonis’s magical attempts to soothe my muscles were no longer working, and I’d completely given up.
A cold rain had begun hammering down on us as we traveled, completely drenching my clothes. When the cold had me shivering uncontrollably in my saddle, Adonis had reared Thanatos to a halt. In the icy downpour, he’d pulled the saddle off Thanatos, loaded his satchel onto Nuckelavee, and scooped me onto his horse with him.
Now, I rode wrapped in his powerful arms, with his soothing magic pulsing through my muscles. Drakon soared above us, occasionally igniting the dark air with sharp bursts of fire.
Nuckelavee cantered on beside us, completely compliant, with only the help of Adonis’s orders.
Adonis’s body kept me warm, his feathered wings shielding me from some of the wind and rain. As we rode into the night, I hated myself slightly for the disturbing thrill that surged through my body whenever his arms brushed against my sides, just skimming my breasts…
Don’t fall for his charms, Ruby. He seduced every woman he met. Plus, that whole thing about him being a god of death, born to kill. It made sense that someone like him thought of nature as brutal and cruel—a paradise sown with seeds of destruction. The world around us was a mirror, reflecting our own souls back at us. And Adonis’s was savage.
When we got to his castle, I’d be doing a bit of spying. Mainly, I needed to find out all the things Adonis was unwilling to tell me, starting with—what the hell was a Bringer of Light, and why did he need me?
Exhausted, I leaned back against his muscled chest, and the feel of his warm body against mine sent my pulse racing. I could have sworn I heard a low growl rise from his throat as I did.