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That thought alone made me nauseous. I didn’twantto be dependent on her for my sanity. How fair was it toherto have that responsibility on her shoulders? On top of our realm’s fate resting in her palms.

It wasn’t.

I couldn’t do that to her. Not now. She already had too much to process. In the meantime, I’d work to block out her emotions to preserve her privacy.

“We need food.” I scanned the woods, listening for any disturbances in the nearby wildlife.

Gray’s stomach grumbled in agreement, causing a small smirk to twitch on one side of my mouth. “So, we hunt,” she said.

“I’ll hunt. You rest,” I said without thinking.

“Excuse me?”

Gray stood to my left, her notable scowl casting an icy glare at me, the one that always sent a thrill racing through me. “Problem?”

“I can hunt just fine.” Her words were clipped through her clenched jaw.

I raised my brows, my smirk growing. “Oh, you think this is because you’re a woman that I automatically assume you can’t hunt, hm?”

Gray continued to glare at me.

“Well, I’d hate to burst the horrible image you have concocted of me in that brain of yours, but you need rest. You haven’t had a chance to recover since the redfern poisoning.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth, either.

Gray scoffed and relaxed her stance. “I’m fine.”

“Are you? Because the dark circles under your eyes beg to differ,” I quipped, raising a brow. With each encounter, I watched exhaustion wear her down further and further.

“I’m not too tired to kill an animal.” A visible wince on her face said it all. She didn’t want to kill an animal—even for food.

My face fell from the softening in my heart at the realization. She was trying to prove herself to me, even though she had already far surpassed any expectations I’d ever held for her.

In a tone softer than I typically used, I said, “I know you could if you needed, but I’m offering to take the load off you. So, let me.”

Gray wrapped her arms around her midsection as she probably fought an inner battle of wills with herself on whether she ought to push the issue with me or not. But at last, she dropped her shoulders with a nod, “Okay,” she muttered, and the weight of the exhaustion pressed her down in defeat.

After Gray and I set up a temporary, makeshift campsite in the small clearing, I set off deeper into the woods, creating markers to find my way back. I knew where we were—as I chose it strategically—to be close enough to the rendezvous point, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful.

If all went well, Onyx should be waiting for my arrival. We weren’t far from the Hollow, only another half-day trek on foot before reaching the town of Perry. The plan was routine.

When we left for separate missions, we usually met up at specific checkpoints at designated times, to ensure both of us remained alive, while also gathering any new information that could be useful along the way. I missed the last checkpoint due to Gray tailing me, so I could imagine Onyx’s relief upon seeing me at this particular one.

Approaching the deadened pine tree marked with two pieces of metal pinned into the trunk in the shape of an X, I spotted my friend leaning against the bark, his back facing me.

With intention, I stepped on a stick, causing the snap and rustle of leaves to sound beneath my boots. Onyx spun around, his dagger out and aglow. “Holy shit.” As expected, his shoulders sagged in relief, and a smile pulled at the edges. “Thank fuck.”

Suddenly, big arms snatched me into a hug, patting my back, to which I returned. I was genuinely happy to see him, especially now that I remembered the valuable friendship we shared. A brotherly love for my friend swarmed my chest as a grin broke free. Relief washed through me, realizing I no longer ran on autopilot. I could actuallyfeel.

“Dude, where were you back in Covington?” Onyx released me and took a step back to examine my state.

“I got caught up. Had the princess tailing me for three weeks in preparation to kill me on the king’s orders. I couldn’t lead her to you,” I explained.

Onyx cocked his head to the side. “And where is she now? Do you have her? Is she alive?” Uncertainty laced with an edge of fear crept into his voice with each word.

“She’s alive,” I assured, then chuckled at his hysterics. “She’s back at the campsite resting. It’s been an ordeal for her, so I insisted on hunting down dinner for the night.”

Onyx nodded in understanding and relief. “Good. It’s been years since I saw her last. It’ll be cool to have another familiar face around the Hollow.”