close by, and they both freeze. Dev presses his back to our fronts as he holds his blade out. Kitty roars and leaps into the forest, chasing after the sound.
Oh God, please be okay!
We wait, time passes, and then calm as anything, Kitty strolls from the forest with blood coating his muzzle, his long tongue lapping at it. Okay then. Dev grins and pats Kitty in praise as we start walking again.
It’s been two days now, they blur together. My skin burns under the harsh suns, and my feet are cracked and bleeding, so Dev and Sev carry me when they can. We stop only when the sun is down and just for a few hours. This morning, we started off again early, all of us growing weary, even Kitty. Sev carries me again today, and I curl into his chest and nap, catching up on sleep with nothing else to do.
The hours pass with me drifting in and out of sleep, and my mates start to explain what some of the animals, flowers, and plants are as we come upon them. I learn what’s edible and what isn’t.
The suns begin to set, and Dev’s voice fills my head. Time to make camp, we should reach the city tomorrow.
Sev nods, and we search for a good spot, finding an area blocked on one side by a giant cluster of trees, completely impenetrable, while the other has a small stream at the base. Sev sets me down, and I stretch, bending over and touching my toes with a groan at my stiff muscles. When I straighten, they are both staring at me with hungry eyes. I almost stumble back, and they both turn away quickly, working together to make a fire in no time and roasting the meat on it.
I sit down on a fur they arrange for me and sip some water while Sev fills the other skins in the stream. When I’m finished, I realise I need to pee, so I jump to my feet and look around.
Behind the trees, I will keep watch, Sev offers softly. I follow his pointed finger and duck behind the trees, obscuring myself from their view as I squat and relieve my aching bladder. When I come out, I head to the river and wash my hands before sitting down just as the meat is done.
Dev breaks off some pieces and feeds me, making me smile widely. Babe? I can feed myself, I tease, and he blinks.
Why? I want to.
Well, shit, how do I argue against that? So I let him feed me, and once we’re done, we relax, with me leaning into Sev’s side as a yawn splits my lips. I don’t know how I’m still tired, but I am.
It’s been a long day, mate. Come on, let’s sleep. We have another one tomorrow, Sev murmurs.
I nod and scoot down on the furs, and Kitty lies near my head like a pillow as the brothers fuel the fire so it won’t go out. They settle down next to me, their large bodies obscuring me from anything or anyone that might try and sneak up on us. The fire warms my toes, and their body heat drives off the cold as they grab furs and drape them across us. Both hold their weapons close, even as their spare hands grab one of mine.
I thought I would struggle to sleep out in the open, but between them, I drift off almost instantly.
The darkness is familiar now. It’s the same darkness I visit every night in my dreams. Sometimes I hear him, sometimes I feel his pain. But tonight…tonight, I see him.
A spark starts up in the room, growing closer and closer, the blackness fading to grey, then lightening until I can see everything.
Until I can see him.
The light bathes him like flames, dancing across his dark green skin. He’s huge, like a giant, even bigger than Sev and Dev. His muscles bulge in the chains, some clamping around his biceps, wrists, neck, and legs, connected to a stone wall behind him. A wall covered in scratches and blood.
His face is square, his jaw locked and tight with two fangs pointing up from the bottom of his teeth, one with a crack running down it. His nose is flat and wide, his forehead broad. He shouldn’t be attractive, but I find myself unable to look away, he’s hot in a ‘I might eat you for breakfast’ type of way. His head is lowered, so I