Kira fumed. This whole thing . . . it was insane. Everything was insane. Especially her if she had to deal with this guy for one more bleeding minute.
She turned her back on him to face the creek, mindful of her ankle. In the dim light from the fire and brilliant night sky, she could make out ferns huddled on the banks with the occasional cerulean flower. The water’s generous width was enough to convince her that this was the Silvermead River, which ran south to Navarro. From there, it became the border between the Tribal Alliance and Malaano Empire all the way to the Rift Ocean.
If only it were deeper, I could just hop in and float down to Navarro. But it was so stagnant and dry that she’d barely registered crossing it when she’d stormed after Ryon. Even where the river snaked into a deep curve, it was probably only three feet deep. The rapids she heard downstream weren’t very conducive to that escape plan, either.
Lillian, please let Tekkyn be okay. She gazed up into the stars through a patchwork of leaves. Is Lee coming for me?
She glanced back as Ryon pulled his roast from the fire and tugged at one of the charred hind legs. He blew on it for only a second before ripping into it with stark white teeth.
Kira’s stomach lurched in two directions at once. Nope, I don’t care how hungry I am, she decided. I’m not eating that.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
Kira blinked in surprise, but Ryon reached for the bowl of eggs and slurped them down. He said nothing else.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Ryon grunted. “You’re a bad liar.”
Kira pursed her lips. “How long will it take to get to Jadenvive?”
“Depends on the pace.” Ryon stripped off a bite of meat from the rodent’s back. “Maybe two days. Probably three with your ankle.”
Her heart sank. “Please tell me you know of a cottage or something along the way.”
Ryon chuckled. “Nothing lives out here but d’hakka, balemba.”
There was that word again. It must be an insult—he was calling her weak or insignificant. Or maybe she was translating it wrong.
“Why do you keep calling me ‘butterfly’?”
“I’m not. Well . . . technically, yeah.” Ryon bit off another piece of meat. “But not really. Never mind.”
Kira frowned at him for a long moment. “Do you just sleep on the ground?”
“’Course not,” Ryon said as he tossed a bone into fire. “I’ve got a hammock.”
Kira’s stomach twisted. “A hammock? You want us to climb a tree when you can’t use an arm and I can’t use a leg?”
“Sleep in the creek if you want.” Ryon gave her a sidelong look. “We’ll take shifts. Unless you have a tavern stashed in your jammies.”
Sleep while he watched over her? The thought was pure lunacy. No way could she fall asleep . . . unless she was exhausted to the point of passing out. But she’d need to sleep if she wanted her ankle to heal.
Kira drew in a breath and strength with it. She lowered her voice and made it ring slow and clear. “If you try anything while I’m sleeping, I will kill you.”
Ryon swallowed but seemed to lose his appetite. He stared at the half-eaten roast for a moment. “Look, I said you don’t have to be afraid of me.”
Kira just squinted. Maybe his roguish charm was a front, but she’d known more than one guy who thought her attractive before, and his mannerisms seemed to fit the bill. He was the right age, too—probably only a few years older than her. Tekkyn’s age.
“Mmhmm,” she grunted.
He sighed and held the roasting stick out to her without meeting her gaze. “You should eat.”
Kira waved her hand. “No thanks. I appreciate it, though.”
Ryon’s silver brows rose. He stuck the roasting stick upright in the dirt, licked his fingers, and tugged at his pack. He withdrew a thick bundle of cloth bound with leather straps. It unfurled into a wide hammock with wrinkled blue patterns and thick knots on each end.
Something snapped in the forest. Kira whirled and found a pair of glowing green eyes bounding toward her at knee-height.
Terror lanced though her. She grabbed a stick from the campfire and shot to her feet. “Ryon!” Her ankle rioted as she wielded the flaming stick like a sword.
Ryon looked up as a fox bounded into the clearing. It stilled and stared at Kira with eyes like flashing emeralds. A brown rabbit dangled