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“Sleep? Here?” He laughed harshly. “You’re just asking for something to come and kill us. We have no idea what’s out there! We can’t just sleep. We need to move, find shelter and food, and find a way to kill that thing.”

“We have shelter.” Her face was growing redder by the second. He was treating her like a child. “We need to rest, or else we’ll burn out! Maybe you don’t know because you’re a black rank, but normal people have to sleep and recuperate! And besides, I doubt we can see anything out there with how dark it is.”

“Thenyoucan sleep. I’ll wait it out.”

“Gladly.” She turned away from him and lay on the ground, positioning herself so her back was to him.

“You can’t seriously be going to sleep.”

“I am.”

“We need to move!”

“No.”

He cursed again and then again. His words drowned away as she thought about Eyfura and the rest of the party. Where were they? Had they also been teleported here? Or were they still in the ruins? Wherever they were, how were they going to fare in the ruins without her? A jumble of thoughts streamed through her mind until she slowly drifted away to slumber.

14

“Help them. Please.”

The desperate, feminine voice startled Kolfinna awake. She jerked upright and then hissed in pain as her shoulder ached. She tried to grasp onto the ends of the dream, but it receded in the back of her mind.

Morning light spilled into the cave. How long had she slept? Beside her, Blár sat with his head propped against one of the cavernous walls, his eyes sealed shut. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. When he slept, he appeared younger and less harsh than his usual self. But even in sleep, his brows were twined together into a soft scowl.

So much for keeping watch. Hadn’t he thrown a fit about not sleeping since anything could attack them?

Kolfinna winced when she stretched her arms and legs. Her injured arm and shoulder were stiff, the padding seeped with blood. She felt a dry, crusty feeling on her back when she moved. Most likely her wound had opened during their run. She wasn’t as refreshed as she would’ve liked, but that could’ve just been the stress talking.

Blár didn’t move in the slightest, even when she drew closer so she could take a better look at his face. He was extraordinarily handsome, which was more apparent now that he wasn’t glaring, shouting crude things, or trying to kill her. His lashes were long and black against his pale skin, and his hair was silken and glossy. She wanted to run her fingers through it, but she didn’t dare. He was a beautiful monster, after all.

Before she could think anything stupid and unlike her, she tapped his face lightly. When he didn’t stir, she slapped him a little harder. He flinched and his icy eyes fluttered open in confusion.

“Wake up,” she said, her voice still gruff from sleep.

“Did you”—he rubbed his cheek—“Did you slap me?”

“No.”

He narrowed his eyes, but Kolfinna was already talking before he could ask anything else. “I thought you said we shouldn’t sleep.”

Blár frowned. “I said that, but I never said Iwasn’ttired.” He stifled a yawn before stretching his arms. He grimaced and keeled over his knees, his teeth gritting together. Like her, his wounds probably ached. He breathed out deeply and slowly straightened, his jaw tightening in pain. “You were out cold. Drooling and all.”

Her eyes widened. Drooling? “You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.”

Blár watched her with a raised eyebrow as a blush stained her cheeks and neck. How embarrassing! And she had been sure to position herself so he couldn’t look at her.

As if reading her thoughts, Blár spoke, “You rolled over and grabbed my arm.”

“No—”

“You were hugging me.”

Kolfinna thought her eyes would pop out of their sockets. Her whole body erupted in waves of fire and she shook her head. “That’s impossible!”

“Unfortunately, no.” He was calm—too calm. As if it didn’t bother him.