Free Web NovelChapter 83: Journey Out I
"I’ll come with you!" I exclaimed immediately. I knew this was the opportunity I had been waiting for to sneak away to find Lydia, but I had to ensure Blaise’s welfare. He was my fated mate― if he died at the hands of vampires, then I would have suffered for nothing.
Surely Lydia would understand. She was my best friend, and once news got around, she would be smart enough to draw the correct conclusions. And with Damon gone, she could breathe more easily in Fangborne.
Blaise was a bigger worry.
My trembling fingers found the bracelet and rubbed against the jewels desperately; was Blaise injured for long after he sent this gift to me?
Was he lying about being uninjured to make sure I wouldn’t worry?
"No, you’re too weak," Damon insisted with a scoff. "We haven’t started training you for real. You’ll be a burden, and I can’t― we can’t afford it now. Speed is of the essence, and you’ll drag me down."
I couldn’t run as quickly as Damon, which meant that he would have to carry me the whole way there. I was light, but there was no denying that Damon would run faster without me on his back. He wouldn’t need as much rest as I did either.
But I couldn’t simply stay behind and twiddle my thumbs, knowing that Blaise was in trouble.
"If you don’t bring me along, I’ll sneak away after you," I threatened. "You’ll never keep me from going after Blaise, so don’t waste your time otherwise. And I won’t be a burden."
"You already are."
"Sleeping with me would give you a boost to your powers. If you bring me along, I’ll... I’ll sleep with you. That way, you’ll be able to become stronger and get to him faster. You’ll be able to help him," I offered, desperation in my voice.
Damon paused and smirked. "You’ll offer to do this for Blaise? You, who claimed not a week ago that you would never sleep with me again? Would wonders ever cease?"
"Don’t flatter yourself, desperate times call for desperate measures," I said, bristling at his smug tone. "I need to see Blaise as soon as possible. If sleeping with you is what makes me get to him faster, I’ll do it. Just think of me like a human battery for you, if it makes you happy."
"First a vacuum cleaner, now a battery. Maybe the reason why you have no wolf is because you’re full of nonsense," Damon grumbled under his breath.
Before I could take offense at his words, he continued.
"I doubt my brother will be happy about you whoring yourself to me to save him. Do you not care about his feelings? Maybe he’d rather die than have you sleep with me again."
"He has to be alive to have his feelings hurt by my actions," I pointed out, my fingernails digging into the skin of my palms.
My gut curdled at the thought of Blaise being upset with my offer, but surely he would understand. I had lost too many things in my life for me to survive losing him.
"Besides, you’re his twin brother! The only one that would want him alive and well more than I do should be you!"
"Hmph," Damon huffed, but I spotted a glimmer of begrudging respect in his eyes when he heard my words. "Pack your things then. We’ll leave in half an hour," he ordered. freēwēbnovel.com
But before he turned away, he gave me one last look from the corner of his eye.
"And you underestimate me if you think that I would need to sleep with you out of all people to save him. I’ll save my own brother without your help."
***
We left for the borders. On my shoulders was a heavy rucksack containing my meager possessions; several changes of clothing, a long jacket for the cold that Nicole helpfully provided, along with some first aid, as well as bottles of water and rations, just in case. My mother’s old necklace was securely fastened to my neck, Blaise’s bracelet on my wrist.
I needed to be prepared for the worst, while hoping for the best.
Damon took one look at my rucksack and snorted. "Are you going on holiday with all this stuff? Why not take a piece of luggage with you while you’re at it?"
His bag was half the size of my own; since he would be traveling as a wolf most of the time, there was no point in bringing stuff meant for humans. Suddenly I felt embarrassed about my own ineptitude― if things were too heavy, wouldn’t Damon need to expend more effort? Maybe I could remove some things...
"Don’t bother repacking, we don’t have time," Damon said, interrupting my thoughts. "Pick up my clothes after I transform."
That was all the warning I got before Damon began stripping in front of me. I hurriedly closed my eyes, waiting for the tell-tale snap of bones breaking and popping back into place before I dared to open them again.
In front of me was Damon the wolf, his twin sapphire eyes staring imposingly at me while his human clothes strewn around with his tiny rucksack on the floor, wordlessly ordering me to get to work. I quickly shoved his clothes inside his rucksack and slung it over my other shoulder, before I mounted on his back.
With one last howl, Damon took off, and I could only hold on for dear life, burrowing my face in his fur to prevent myself from being buffeted by the cold wind.
If I thought he was fast before, when he brought me back to the packhouse after my first escape attempt, it was nothing compared to how quickly he ran now. I stared in disbelief as tracks of land vanished beneath his feet. He ran without stopping, his paws barely touching the ground before they kicked off again.
The scenery around us soon changed. No longer were we surrounded by the woods of Fangborne. Instead, what greeted my eyes were gravelly mountain paths.
Damon slowed down, his breath coming out in deep pants. The incline certainly wasn’t making things easier on him. Suddenly, I felt ridiculously heavy.
"Damon, do you need to rest?" I asked cautiously. "Do you need... me?"
