Page 12

12

WORRIES STRIPPED BARE

T he second we saw the small army up ahead, Jared instantly put me behind him.

“What is the meaning of this, Koro?” he asked, all flirty teasing now replaced by a hard tone.

Koro, who was ahead of us, raised his arm up to the army, making all the soldiers lower their weapons as one. Men dressed in what looked like armored robes made from large scales of interlocking black plates. As if these pieces had been made from real life dragons, that at this point, I couldn’t say didn’t exist. Not after I had encountered so many unbelievable things since being down in Hell. And these guys were no exception, because it was like stepping into a dark fantasy novel.

I couldn’t tell if they were Elves or not. But with the way they dressed, each one matching in black leather and with their gleaming curved swords at their sides, they made an incredible sight. And let’s just say I wouldn’t have been surprised if they pulled back their hoods and I saw pointed ears.

As for the one who obviously led them, Koro turned back to us and made his way over.

“Be at ease, HellBeast, these men are loyal to me and also serve the Bloodstone Covenant. They are here to see us safely to my camp.”

Jared nodded, because clearly, due to whatever had happened before coming to save me, he now trusted Koro enough to nod his head. Of course, Jared had explained most of it, although I had no idea what the Bloodstone Covenant was.

But then, I wasn’t sure I needed to at this point. All I needed to know was that Koro was acting as a double agent and wanted to see Garmr’s end just as much as we did. That, and he obviously loved my sister.

As for Lerna, I hadn’t spoken to her yet, as I had needed time to process everything Jared had told me. Because naturally, it was a lot. And with the amount of nervous glances she had sent me when looking over her shoulder, then I think it was easy to say that she knew this. Part of me felt guilty for not just letting it go and speaking with her. But the other part of me felt hurt by all she had kept back.

After this, we continued on and I had to say, by the time the camp came into view I was ready to collapse in the first bed I was shown. From a distance, it looked like a ruined town that had been taken over by gypsies, and I suppose that was exactly what it was. Crumbling buildings, with entire walls missing, had been pieced back together with large sheets of colorful cloth. These half tents were pinned to the stone floor, half covered in rich green moss.

Huge squares of patched material hung like sails across broken roofs, offering protection from any chance of rain and wind. And I had to admit, it offered a certain charm to the place. It brought color to what would have been a lonely, lost, and forgotten town. One that had looked like it had been a casualty of war, because I could still see the arrows sticking out of the ground that littered the surrounding fields.

Obviously, my fatigue started to show the closer we got, and Jared suddenly swept me up in his arms and carried me.

“You don’t have…”

“Quiet, Red, I’m carrying you and that’s that,” he stated firmly, making me close my mouth because, in the end, I sighed in relief as I relaxed in his hold.

I soon felt my eyes closing, the comfortable sway of his walk easily luring me to sleep. Something that couldn’t have been more than ten-fifteen minutes tops. And the next time I opened them again, it was when I felt myself being lowered onto something soft.

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” I said, making him chuckle when I jolted as if my alarm had just gone off telling me to get my ass ready for work. However, one look around the place and I knew I was as far from my trailer as I could get… literally.

Although camping still seemed to be on the agenda… it was like I suspected from a distance, they had used tents against what had remained of the town. Which meant that the inside was a mix of half stone walls and lengths of red material that covered the rest. Poles were used to keep the tent part in place, with a flap that worked as a door.

As for the sturdier side, it became obvious that this had once been someone’s home. Some of its features were still on show from whoever used to own this house, like the fireplace. There were even stone shelves built into two corners of the room, that still held jars and urns on top.

The rest of the furniture had likely been brought in and added after, and there was a wooden framed bed, big enough for two against the stone wall. There were also trunks, a small table and chairs, and a few comfier looking seats next to the stone fireplace, telling me it was most likely still functional.

“Ssshh, it’s alright, just go back to sleep, love,” Jared cooed down at me gently. But then when he straightened back up, I quickly reached for his hand.

“Please stay,” I urged, making him look down at me tenderly.

“I am not going anywhere, Red, just getting you more comfortable.” Then he sat on the edge of the bed and started to remove my boots. However, the second he did, he hissed,

“For fuck sake, Red, you’re bleeding!”

“Am I?” I asked in a sleepy voice.

“Yes,” he gritted out, now taking my bare foot in his hands to look at my blistered feet.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have carried you the whole fucking way here!” he snapped angrily, making me sigh.

“Didn’t want you to worry.”

“Gods, Ella, I will always worry about you, baby, but this, this here was not out of my control to prevent,” he said, making me feel bad, which was why I tried to pass it off as nothing.

“Oh, but that started ages ago. I’ve been walking… er.” I stopped when he snapped his head up to glare at me.

“You wanna finish that sentence, sweetheart?” he asked in a serious tone.

“Not particularly,” I confessed wisely.

“Good answer. Now how are your bones, any aches, feelings of your illness?” I winced before telling him,

“No.”

“Is that a definite no or the type where you’re just bullshitting me so as not to make me worry more?” he asked with a pointed look. One I knew not to poke at.

“The first,” I replied, making him release a heavy sigh.

“Alright, love, well either way, it won’t matter for long.” His statement made me sit up straighter, although he wouldn’t let my foot slip from his hands.

“Why not?” I asked with a frown.

“Because I am going to give you my blood and heal you,” he stated, making me reply with a small,

“Oh.”

“Oh?” he repeated in question with that sexy raised scarred brow of his.

“Well, I just thought now we were here and alone and stuff, that it would… you know…” I rolled my hand around, hoping he got the hint from that.

“Would what?” he asked, telling me the hint whistled right over his head.

“Happen more naturally.”

At this his eyes turned tender before he said a simple,

“Baby.”

“But it’s okay if you don’t want to, I mean, it’s been a long few…” At hearing this he was on top of me in a second, effectively shutting me up now his whole body was just barely held over me. Then he groaned into my neck after first kissing me there.

“Baby, you’re killin’ me here.”

“What?” I asked, confused as to what prompted this.

“Quit being so damn cute before I lose my mind,” he replied, making me frown.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I didn’t say anything.”

“Ella sweetheart, I have thought of nothing but being in a bed with you, holding you in my arms, knowing you’re safe, and making love to you.” Ah… so clearly, I had missed the hint.

“Oh… erm, so what’s the problem?” I asked, making him groan again.

“The problem is that I am trying to be a Gods be damned gentleman here and you’re making that impossible with your fucking cuteness,” he told me with a frustrated growl to his words.

“I am?”

“Yes, sweetheart, you are,” he reaffirmed with heated eyes before shocking me to my core when he added, “Damn, girl, but I have even been having fantasies of getting you pregnant.”

At this all the air left me at once.

“What?” I asked in astonishment.

“I know we never talked about kids, and thank the gods it hasn’t happened yet, as fuck only knows how worried I would be if I had two of you to worry about…” I naturally tensed in his hold at this, something he didn’t notice as he continued on with his fantasy.

“…but when everything is settled and we manage to actually get past all this shit, then yeah, let’s just say it’s a conversation I wanna have.”

My mouth opened but no words came out. All I could now focus on was the main part of that statement…

When he thanked the Gods it hadn’t happened yet.

Part of me felt utterly crushed, despite knowing he obviously wanted kids with me and would be happy when the time came. But clearly… that time was not now. And couldn’t I blame him, absolutely not. Because he had been crazed with worry over me. Which meant if I told him now, then that would only mean doubling that fear. And I couldn’t do that to him. Because he would need to focus, make the right decisions, and what if telling him about the baby now changed that? What if it ended up putting him in danger?

No, I couldn’t chance it.

And besides, if the worst were to happen and something caused me to lose this baby, I didn’t want him to blame himself. I didn’t want him to carry that pain or that guilt that he didn’t do enough somehow. That wasn’t fair on him.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, jarring me out of my inner dilemma.

“Wrong?” I feigned, making him frown down at me.

“Got an expressive face, sweetheart, and I know my woman.”

I released a sigh and told him,

“It’s just a nice dream to have, you know? You and I having a family one day,” I told him honestly, because I didn’t want to lie.

His eyes softened, and he wrapped me in his arms.

“Yeah, it is, baby, and one day I promise, we are going to make it happen.”

I internally whispered to myself…

You already did, Beastman, you already did.

“Now let’s get you back to your perfect self,” he stated, now letting me go.

“Perfect self?”

“Your feet are a mess, babe,” he replied, making me look down at them over his shoulder to see as I lifted one up. Torn skin and dried blood covered most of my toes.

“Don’t suppose you would have a foot spa in this tent, do you?” I joked.

“Nope, but lucky for you, I have magic blood,” he replied with a wink.

“And here was me thinking you had magic hands,” I teased, referring to when he used to have to wash my hair for me.

“That too, now once again, quit being cute while I slit a vein.”

I chuckled at that.

“Wow, I think that’s the sexiest thing anyone ever said to me,” I joked while fake fanning myself. In response to this, he sat up and playfully teased,

“Smart arse.”

I laughed before he started to pull me up to sitting.

“I’m going to spread my legs…”

“That’s what she said,” I joked, making him groan before continuing on.

“…So you can sit between them and lean back on me.”

I grinned before nodding, letting him shift his big body behind me. This put his back to a part of the stone wall that was left. Then once in position, he wrapped his arms around me before tugging me close.

“Oh, but I think you can get closer than that, Red,” he hummed in my ear.

“Any closer and I will be sitting on your…”

“Dick? Yeah, I don’t have a problem with that, love.”

I laughed, wiggling my bum against him and making him groan.

“Quit being a tease and open your pretty mouth ready for me.”

Well, that was an offer if ever I heard one, making me comment,

“Now that sounds like you wanna put something else in there.”

“Not helping, Ella,” he groaned, making me grin.

“Waiting, Beastman,” I countered, making him tear into his wrist and bring it around to the front of me. The blood dripped on the bed, before it could then drip down my chin. A fact that made me latch on quickly, moaning the second I did.

“That’s it, drink me down, baby, take all you need,” he cooed as the first taste of his blood filled my mouth. The thought of which might have turned my stomach at one time, but that was before I met him and had my first taste. Because it wasn’t the tangy metallic flavor I would have once believed it would be. No, it was something else. Something solely unique, and it was all Jared.

And of course, there was the magic that started to happen that he spoke of. The blissful feeling of pleasure that started to rise within me. Oh God, it felt like it had been so long ago, it started to make me almost dizzy with the intensity I knew was going to hit.

“Just let it go, baby… I’ve got you… I’ve got you,” he told me softly, stroking back my hair with his free hand, making me feel treasured.

“Jared, I…”

“Come for me, baby, come for me now.” As soon as he said this, it was like a switch had been flipped, and I came screaming around his torn flesh, blood spilling from my lips.

“Keep drinking through it, come on, Red, I know you got more in you,” he challenged and he was right, as I continued drinking only to bring on the next one, making me suck him down harder this time. He groaned in pleasure behind me, the length of his cock hot and heavy at my back.

I could take no more as I pulled my lips from his wrist and begged him,

“Please… please, Jared… I need…”

His hand gripped my hair and pulled my head to the side, then he spoke right at my ear.

“What, baby, what do you need?” he asked with his voice thick and hoarse.

“You… I need you,” I told him, making him breathe me in deep.

“What part of me?” he asked against my neck, his tone full of masterful want and thick with lust. So, I braved to tell him,

“Your cock, I need your cock.”

“Good girl,” he praised before tapping my thigh and telling me, “Climb off and stand before me.”

“Why?” I asked in confusion.

Then I felt his lips back at my ear, shocking me as he told me exactly what he wanted…

“Strip for me, baby.”