Ash Princess (The Deviant Future #6) - Eve Langlais Page 0,83
I don’t mind. I’ve been searching for a hero for a long time.”
They didn’t make it far off the mountain before their pants were shoved down and he was inside her. It was a frantic lovemaking, full of harsh pants and faster thrusts.
He held her to him after as their hearts slowed and whispered, “I love you. I love you so much, Kay.”
She cupped his face. “If you ever leave me again, I will tell a dragon to eat you.”
He laughed. A happy sound. They returned to the valley and the others. The children, including the mature ones who would resent being called kids, cheered at the sight of them. They had strung out along the circumference of the field, guarding their means of escape.
Cam’s eyes shone as he was tackled in hugs.
Kayda hated to break it up, but she clapped her hands. “Everybody on that ship. It’s time we got out of here.”
“Yay!” The cheer might announce their presence, but she didn’t rebuke them. Let them finally rejoice at having hope.
Cam sat beside Milo, who piloted, but the advice tapered when he fell asleep.
The transport went as far as it could before the gas petered out. The landing proved bumpy. Their surroundings were less than promising. They were still in Diamond. A kingdom with clear skies now, but—as they learned that first night out in the wild— not all the dragons left when their king drake did.
A good thing they had Cam.
He had an uncanny sense when it came to detecting them. Often dispatching them before they even knew there was a problem. If only her father had a dozen Cams when he was trying to get them away.
She was starting to think they might just escape when they hit the impassable chasm.
Chapter 21
Cam could see the despair in Kayda’s gaze as she looked at the crevice. Too wide to cross. It was the last flake of ash that crumbled her.
She crouched down and hugged her knees, burying her face in them, rocking. He placed a hand on her back and felt her shuddering. Probably crying. No. She couldn’t be crying. She’d survived so much. He had to fix this.
“Someone get me an axe.”
“To do what?” Lila riposted. “None of these trees are tall enough.”
The splintered remains probably wouldn’t hold up as a bridge either.
“There must be a spot that’s narrower.” Cam wrangled them back into a march, following the line of the crevice.
They got lucky a few hours later when they found a fallen tree, big and solid enough for them to span the crevice. It gave them a bridge to the other side. Then two more days of hiking, which still didn’t bring them to the border. By then, their water had run out. Most of the food, too.
Their once shining optimism turned as gaunt as their features. Despite everything, they all grimly trudged on. So tough this crew. And yet, they couldn’t go on like this. Which was why Cam called a halt at the next abandoned village they found.
The younger ones didn’t argue and piled into houses, not minding the dirt or disintegrating sheets on the bed.
He pulled Kayda and the others aside. “We won’t make it like this.”
“What else can we do?” Gorri asked. “We can’t go back.”
“I can move faster on my own.”
“You want to leave us again.” Kayda’s voice was subdued.
He could see the fear in her eyes. He didn’t care who watched. He drew her into his arms. “I have to find us some help. We’re only a few days from the Marshes. If I can get there—”
Kayda turned and walked away from him, her pace rapid. He had to jog to keep up.
“Don’t be mad.”
“I will be mad if I want to. I almost lost you once, and now you want to leave me again.”
“I’m coming back.”
“My father said the same thing.” The anguish in that statement had him leaning his forehead against hers.
“I love you, Kay.”
“Then don’t leave.”
“If I don’t go, then everyone will die.”
“Stay at least until morning,” she pleaded.
As if he could resist.
They chose a house that had long ago lost any semblance of a bed, but they didn’t care. They were frantic in their passion and made promises that night. Declarations of love and, if they survived, they vowed to be together forever.
“I can’t wait to be your wife,” she whispered.
He had never wanted anything more in his life. Their bodies intertwined for sleep. A deeper rest than he would have expected given the hard floor.