Tall, Dark & Apocalyptic (12 page)

The little gnome tugged on his unruly, gray beard and wrinkled his nose. His silver hat, taller than his head and pointed, slipped down his forehead and he tapped it with the tip of a long finger to set it back to rights. “I am working to locate the ambitious Joris now. He was last seen in the thirteenth world but Edwige spooked him into a time void. He is spinning from world to world, time to time in an effort to evade her spies. When he settles I will contact you. Do not move until I do.”

Yeira glanced at Audie before answering. “How long will that be, Watcher? I have no bluestone…no weapon…and the dead lands are beating upon this wood as we speak.”

The little creature’s scowl deepened. “Be glad you are there. It is only the masking spell from the dead nest that saves you from Edwige’s spies. But worry not. You will hear from me in a few days at most. In the meantime, search the southernmost point of the wood and you will find shelter and supplies. Your fellow reborn were prepared for all events.” He sighed. “Except the one where their own maker turned on them.”

He reached a gnarly hand through the spacial void and dropped something upon the ground. “Heed my words, children. Stay in this wood until you hear from me.” He no sooner finished speaking then the void contracted and disappeared with a small pop.

Yeira hurried over to pick up the items he’d deposited in the sandy soil. She quickly pocketed them.

“What did he give us?” Audie asked.

“A bluestone for travel, and an ionic sword.”

Audie frowned. “No steaks? Maybe a sweet cherry tartlet?”

She returned to pick up the wood she’d dropped. The hunter hurried to take most of it from her. Yeira nodded her thanks. “If we’re very lucky there will be something to eat in the caves at the southern edge of the woods.” She straightened, smiling. “But I doubt there will be a cherry tartlet there.”

Audie fell into step beside her, a hand moving to heat the base of her spine. “Then I’ll just have to find my own sweet to nibble.”

His words brought her gaze snapping around. Her belly tightened at the fire in his gaze. There was no mistaking the meaning of his words. Yeira glanced at the firewood he carried and frowned, a sinking feeling moving in to nudge aside the quick lust his words had caused.

She would have to make very sure he stayed away from the smoke.

In fact, maybe they should do without a fire. Just in case.

~
TD&A
~

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the hunter thoughtful and Yeira distracted. She was worried about their time in the wood. The magic was dying. Yeira could smell the stench of the dead lands filtering through.

To make things worse she had an unsettling feeling that they were being watched. A few times she’d been sure she’d seen movement in the trees high above them and once she’d heard a strange cry.

The hunter seemed curiously unaware. He’d moved through the wood with a heavy step, his gaze straight ahead and his blue eyes unnaturally bright. In fact, she’d begun to worry about him. He didn’t look well at all. His wide, handsome face was pale and, when he thought she wasn’t looking, he scrubbed at his sweaty face with a shaky hand.

“Why’d you come back?”

Audie looked up. “To the dead lands?”

“Yes. I told the Healer to send you back to the Authority.”

“So I could be there when your friends attacked?”

A quick flare of anger was forgotten under the horror of his words. “Wait, Sorceri Headquarters was attacked by Reborn?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know anything about that?”

She stopped, grabbing his arm. “It had to be Grimm.”

Audie shook his head. “It can’t be him.”

Temper flared again. “You immediately believe I could have done it but you don’t even consider it could have been Grimm?”

Audie opened his mouth and then closed it with a frown. “Point taken.”

Yeira started off again. “It wasn’t me, Hunter. I thought you’d be safe there while you recovered.”

~
TD&A
~

They found the supply cave close to the southern border of the wood. Beyond the short, steep ridge was a long stretch of barren land, shimmering behind a thinning wall of magic.

Audie had entered the cave moments earlier and was riffling through a pile of supplies. Yeira was outside, in the clearing at the face of the cave. She stared through the quickly growing dusk, feeling a deep sense of dread about the next few days. She only hoped the Watcher found Edwige quickly.

Turning as she heard the hunter’s heavy boots scuffing against the ground, Yeira noted the slight sheen of perspiration on his brow. “You okay?”

His response was a frown. “That’s the third time you’ve asked me in the last hour. I’m fine. I just need to get some rest.”

She nodded, unwilling to spur another argument. “Did you find your sweet cherry tartlet?”

His eyes sparked with pleasure. “No, but there’s dried meat and fruit and bread.” He lifted an empty jug. “I’m going to get some water.”

Yeira’s gaze slid over the woods, her chest tightening. “I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, woman.” He glowered down at her.

She glared back. “And I don’t need to deal with a big cranky baby…but it appears I am anyway.”

He stepped closer, angry color infusing his pale cheeks. “I’m going alone.”

Her temper flaring, Yeira allowed her pique to flash through her gaze. Shrugging she lifted a hand toward the hulking darkness of the woods beyond the clearing. “Suit yourself, Hunter. Hopefully you won’t drop dead along the way.”

The curve of his wide mouth was really more of a grimace than a smile. “There you go indulging in wishful thinking again, zo…reborn.” He flushed and turned away, striding into the woods.

Yeira watched him go, anger warring with concern in her breast.

A cold breeze sifted through the clearing and she shivered, rubbing her arms. Pushing aside worry for the hunter, she started toward the cave. Maybe after a good meal and another application of healing gel he would be in better spirits.

~
TD&A
~

His skin was on fire. Talons of agony scraped across his forearm and knifed down his thigh. A quick glance at his arm told Audie that the wound had become infected. Angry, red lines ran from the jagged wound, climbing up his arm. He’d tried to hide his worsening condition from the woman, but she had a keen eye and a sharp intellect. She knew something was wrong.

Audie hoped a dip in the cool water of the stream would bring his temperature down. Afterword he would slather more of that soothing gel on his wounds and hope it sucked some of the infection away.

The plan was good. But his legs felt so heavy it was everything he could do to keep one foot moving in front of the other. He figured he had to be close to the stream. He could hear the sound of water rushing over rocks and splashing against the shore. He slogged onward, seemingly forever, and the sound never seemed to grow closer.

He had to stop a few times to rest, panting and shaking from fever. His vision blurred and sleep called to him. Audie fought the urge to give in, but it took everything he had not to succumb to the warm embrace of unconsciousness.

He worried if he went to sleep he’d never wake up.

Some small part of him was aware that he needed Yeira. She not only soothed him with her calm presence, but she continued to surprise him with her resourcefulness. Besides, if he collapsed face first into the water, it would be nice if she was there to keep him from drowning.

But he’d seen the pity in her face…

Audie couldn’t abide pity. He especially didn’t want the woman he lusted after to see him as weak and needy.

He’d rather drown in the creek than let that happen.

Pushing forward again, Audie shoved through the dense undergrowth and finally came upon the broad, winding creek.

The edges of the wide creek looked deep and dark in the waning light, but the rising moon glistened like a silver streak across its center, making it sparkle invitingly.

He dropped to his knees in the sandy dirt at the water’s edge and dragged his shirt over his head, gritting his teeth when the movement pulled against his festering wound.

Fresh, warm blood ran down his arm, dripping on the ground as he struggled with the button on his pants. The thick, clingy leather fought against his efforts to drag them off and Audie was soon sweating and panting with the effort.

In his fevered state, the soothing call of the water beckoned him. He longed to immerse himself in its cool depths. He’d just about given up on the idea of stripping completely when a soft, cool hand touched his shoulder. Audie jumped in surprise.

The woman’s sweet, addictive scent slid over him, her touch a cool balm against his fever-touched skin.

“Here, let me help you.”

Audie bit back the poison of his pride and nodded, glad for the extra pair of surprisingly strong hands tugging the leather downward.

He cried out as the sticky leather caught on the dried blood from his wound and Yeira stopped. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I’ll have to rip the leather free of the wound.”

He looked into her bright, blue eyes, feeling himself falling into them as, despite the pain, his body tightened in a new kind of fever. “Just do it.”

She bit her lip but nodded, grasping the rolled leather in two hands and jerking it quickly to tear it from the dried clot over his wound.

Audie gritted his teeth against the pain and sighed with relief as she pulled them the rest of the way off. Cool night air swept over his heated skin, drying the thin sheen of sweat and leaving a throbbing heat in three places.

Two of those spots also throbbed with pain.

Yeira kept her gaze determinedly averted from his engorged shaft. “Let’s get you into the water. It will cleanse those wounds and soften the scabs so I can put more salve on them.”

Audie allowed her to help him into the water, sighing as the cool liquid slipped over his skin. His limbs heavy and weak, Audie soon realized he would sink to the bottom on his own. A moment’s panic slid away as Yeira settled herself behind him, cradling his body with her own.

“You’re burning up, Hunter. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He closed his eyes and let himself grow heavy against her. Her soft body felt delicious against his. The water doused the fever and dulled some of the throbbing pain in his lacerations.

Audie wished they could stay there forever.

His eyes snapped open a moment later when she sucked in a surprised gasp.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Her chest vibrated under a soft chuckle. Audie looked down the length of his body and saw the problem. The thick crown of his cock stuck out from the water, a droplet of water glistening at its tip.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Despite her censure, her voice pulsed with laughter.

Audie shrugged, too tired to move. His response came out sounding crankier than he planned. “It’s what you do to me. I’ll not apologize.”

Though she stiffened slightly at his angry response, she didn’t respond and, fortunately for him since he was helpless as a kitten, she didn’t drop him in the creek to fend for himself.

The trees above their heads rustled and Yeira jumped. Tension firmed the muscles holding him close and Audie imagined her glancing upward. She’d been tense since The Watcher paid them a visit. He’d seen it in the tightening of her slim body and the way her bright gaze slid constantly around.

He’d been aware of something himself since entering the wood. A slight feeling of menace had dogged him—a sense of being watched—which he’d attributed to the fact the wood was protected through dark magic.

Yeira settled and Audie dozed. He didn’t know how long he slept, but when she shivered against his back, Audie stirred. He pushed himself upright and turned. She was trembling uncontrollably. “Out. Let’s get you some heat.”

Yeira blinked. “Are you feeling better?”

He realized with amazement that he was. “The fever is gone and my wounds feel better.”

Yeira reached for his arm, grasping it in icy fingers before he could snatch it away. His gaze followed hers and he was amazed to see that the wound looked less angry in the silvery light of the moon.

“It does look better,” she murmured.

He stood up. “Come on, Yeira…” he reached for her hand but she didn’t notice, her gaze was locked on his half-hard cock. He couldn’t help grinning with pleasure. “Let’s get out of here and build a fire. Your teeth are clacking together.”

She blinked and looked up at him, finally nodding.

He left her sitting beside the creek, on a crinkly bed of fallen leaves, and went to gather wood. Audie arranged several fallen branches a few feet away from Yeira and summoned his guide magic to start the fire. A few particles of blue energy sifted toward him from the trees and sky, gathering in a weak but serviceable funnel above his hand. He fixed the image of a blazing fire in his mind and sent the energy toward the wood.