Page 82 of A Hunt Bound in Blood

Cammon took hold of the map and pulled it away from me, his large body closing in. “He only made these signposts in case he forgot where he buried it.” His lips dragged over my neck. “He likely thought he had good odds of being able to take a fucking ship straight there.”

He nipped the skin over my pulse, and I turned to catch his mouth with mine. We made love in the darkness while the cooking fire went out, taking things slow, both of us exploring and testing. By some miracle, maybe because it was only the two of us in this tunnel, my barriers had stayed down, allowing him to play however he wished. He also left me space to do the same. I might not have been able to find a way to the signpost that cut around dragon territory, but with him, I played cartographer and learned every valley and hill of his body. I discovered the areas that drew the most addictive reactions from him. The taste of his skin, the sounds of his pleasure. By the time we finally fell asleep, exhausted and sated, my only thought was that the rhythm of his heartbeat under my cheek was becoming as familiar as my own.

On the fourth day, he told me about his non-traitorous siblings, the ones who’d teased him and played with him throughout his youth, keeping him humble even as he trained to be their future king. His middle sister, Kassandra, was obviously a favourite. He spoke of her the way I spoke about my father, with the softness of someone who believed they would never see their loved one again. I told him about Ashara, he told me about Syrus, and in those friendships, we discovered the commonality of a found sibling, the one person who kept us fighting when the rest of the world challenged us.

I told him about the foibles of the advisory council, how it was full of mages who believed they had the answers to every problem in the world when half of their solutions only benefited them. Cammon told me about his treasure hunts, taking me on journeys beyond Golthwaine and filling my head with history and adventure—most of which I would have been tempted to disbelieve if not for the passion in his voice.

His stories cast my experience in a bland light, and I cut in with questions about cooking, aware of how dangerous my intrigue could prove to be.

Midday a couple days later, the air changed. The temperature dropped, and instead of the scents of rock, dirt, and the hint of sulphur, I caught a faint whiff of green. Trees, perhaps, or lush, verdant field. Images of deer and rabbits filled my head, and my mouth watered in anticipation of sinking my teeth into them. I needed to get out of this cramped space and stretch my arms, tilt my head back to take in the sunshine. Olodin, I wanted to see colours outside the spectrum of black, grey, and brown.

I found myself speeding up to see for myself what waited on the other side of this endless tunnel, but Cammon’s hand tightened around mine to hold me back.

I looked at him over my shoulder. “You know we can’t stay in here forever.” I tugged on his hand. “I’ve enjoyed our time, but if I have to go one more day without the sun, you might see a different side of me.”

He flashed me a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I can’t wait to see the sun on your skin, Buttons, but have you forgotten that a clear sky is not the only thing out there?”

The sweetness of fresh air turned acidic as reality caught up with me, and already that lightness, that temporary pause from my problems, was gone, leaving the world dimmer than it had been inside this grey, monotonous tunnel. My stomach dropped along with my heart, and my shoulders slumped.

Cammon was right, of course, and it wasn’t only the drakes we needed to be wary of. Our pocket of bliss had come to an end. I had to brace for the pain of leaving Cammon. Of more puzzles and more danger.

Resigned, I straightened my spine and lifted my chin. “I suppose I had. All right, how do you suggest we proceed?”

“I think we need to assume that the second we show our heads, we’re in for a fight.”

“Marvellous. My favourite way to spend a day.”

I summoned my strength and frowned when it was slow to come. Only then did I realize I hadn’t taken any blood since we’d left the fury, and even in the cavern, I hadn’t fully replenished what I’d lost during our fight with the mutts. I’d need to fix that tonight when we made camp.

Cammon adjusted his pack, and his body shimmered and shifted as he took on more of his demonic form. Enough to thicken his skin and sprout those sexy horns he loved when I touched. His nails lengthened, and his teeth grew sharp. His wings and tail remained tucked away, but I was sure he was ready to call on them if the danger proved serious enough.

I followed his lead, letting my vampiric nature come to the forefront. Weaker today for the lack of blood, but still a refreshing surge of strength in my limbs. Once my senses sharpened, I detected the sound of something scuffling within the tunnel, like thick, heavy nails scrabbling against the rock.

Based on Cammon’s reaction, he heard it as well. His shoulders tightened, and he stepped forward to cut between me and whatever approached. I rolled my eyes and wedged myself between him and the wall. There was no need for him to protect me, and we were stronger working together than apart.

He gritted his teeth but allowed me space. I extinguished the enchanted lantern and strung it to my pack, then side by side we pressed ahead, both of us hugging the wall in the hopes of taking this potential threat by surprise.

The scent of rotting meat and charcoal hit me in the face, and I wrinkled my nose. There was only one creature I could think of that carried the smell of burned food with them.

The drake’s eyes came into view first, like burnished gold in the darkness. Even with my night vision, I could barely make out the rest of it, the bronze-and-brown scales melding too closely with the stone walls of the tunnel. It huffed, and steam curled out from its nostrils as its tongue sampled the air. The scales around its neck flared out, making it look larger, and it pinned its hungry gaze on me. Its shoulders tensed and its back feet braced against the rock floor, preparing itself to attack.

I looked to Cammon, but his attention was focused on the drake. He hunched his shoulders, raised his hands, and launched himself at it. The drake had no time to react before the demon prince wrapped his thick arms around its neck.

I mentally cursed, having wished we could have discussed our plan before running in, but I wasn’t about to leave Cammon to fight alone. Mustering my courage, I flew at the drake’s face. Embers drifted from its nostrils, with a faint glow emanating from its throat. I slashed my nails into one of its eyes, and it screamed and thrashed its head, doing what it could to throw Cammon off.

Sweat dripped down my forehead as I went for the other eye, but it moved too wildly for me to pin it down. The glow grew brighter. If it released that fire in here, Cammon and I would have no way to avoid it.

I suddenly appreciated where Tersey had gotten his idea for the fire trap in the cave and hated him a little bit more.

“Get his throat!” Cammon shouted as he wrestled with the drake’s head. The muscles in his arms popped and bulged in his efforts to aim the beast’s maw away from me, trying and failing to dominate it and bring it to the ground. Cammon’s grip slipped, and he went airborne, slamming into the wall and tumbling to the floor. A scream lodged in my chest, and I started to move towards him to make sure he was all right, but the drake snapped at me, forcing me backwards.

Around the drake’s head, I spotted Cammon propping himself up on his arms, alive but dazed. The movement drew the drake’s attention, and everything in me demanded I defend him.

The creature’s cry of fury rattled my bones. The drake snapped at Cammon, missing him by a hair when Cammon thrust himself backwards with his heels. It was out for dinner, and as much as I might have hated killing a creature that was just trying to survive, I had my own survival to consider. Again that glow surged in its chest, growing brighter, radiating heat until sweat dripped over my brow. We were about to be toast, and Cammon was down. My magic woke, tingling deep in my blood, but I crushed it. To unleash it here would risk bringing the whole mountain down on our heads.

My heart racing in my throat, I tapped into my instincts and let my talons lengthen. Hunger made the process slow, but I wouldn’t allow that weakness to hold me back.

I didn’t let myself think of anything other than staying alive as I leapt at the drake. It fought to get rid of me, and I drove my nails between its scales to anchor me to its chest. When it threw back its head, ready to release its fire, I sank my teeth into its throat and tore it out. Blood sprayed over me, coating my skin and my borrowed leather scraps, and the drake collapsed, nearly crushing Cammon beneath its heavy form.