Free Web NovelChapter 84: Journey Out II
Damon stopped moving and tilted his head as much as it could to give me one of the most scornful looks a wolf could give. I was sure that if he could roll his eyes in this four-legged form, he would have done so in a heartbeat.
"Well... sorry for caring," I muttered against his fur. "Let me know if you need to take a break though. I brought water if you need it."
Damon replied with a huff but continued to make his way through the paths. I supposed he wanted to cover as much ground as he could when the sun was still up. I looked up and frowned; the sun was much lower in the sky than it should have been back in Fangborne. We covered enough ground that we effectively ended up somewhere with shorter days and longer nights.
It wouldn’t be long before night fell, and we would have to make camp. The wind was also getting stronger. Suddenly, I was very grateful that Nicole had lent me one of her jackets.
Damon continued to walk, but his feet eventually came to a stop in front of a mountainside. I squinted my eyes as I tried to make out what was in front of me. Was the dark hole a cave, or simply just a long shadow caused by an oddly shaped rock?
By now, evening had given way to night, and I only had the light of a half-moon to illuminate the path in front of me. Damon’s fur had practically blended into the dark night.
Damon shook himself, nearly causing me to fall off in surprise.
"Alright, alright, I got it, you want me to get off," I said, hurriedly dismounting from his back.
Pins and needles traveled up and down my legs the moment my feet touched solid ground― I had not moved them since I had sat on Damon’s back. I hissed, quickly rubbing them to get some feeling back.
Then, I heard the sound of bones cracking once again. I looked up in surprise, only to catch Damon’s nude body illuminated by the light of the moon. At that very moment, he looked like the epitome of the Moon Goddess’s chosen one, her favorite child. The harsh contours of his muscles were softened by her gentle light, and his bright blue eyes reflected her luminosity as they shone with fervor, even as he panted to catch his breath.
"Give me my clothes," Damon said imperiously, holding out his hand. "Unless you want to sleep beside me when I’m naked."
Frantically, I rummaged through the rucksack to throw his clothes at him. I didn’t need to make such observations about Damon’s body! Thankfully, the light wasn’t strong enough for it to draw focus to his nether regions.
Damon put them on and then gestured at me to follow him into the dark space. It wasn’t a shadow after all, instead, it was a very narrow entrance to a hidden cave, tucked away in the mountainside. No wonder Damon had to transform back into his human form; if he tried to squeeze his way through the gap in his wolf form, he would be stuck with no way out.
The very thought made me chuckle lightly, but then I entered the dark cave and frowned.
There was even less light inside for me to see. I slowly made my way around, but then my toe got stubbed against the wall of the cave.
Beside me, I could hear Damon chortling with mocking laughter at my carelessness.
I hissed in pain. I hadn’t even walked a few steps before I hit the wall! I felt my way around and found my heart sinking in dismay; the cave was small, and it would barely fit the two of us.
"Damon, do you have a light?" I asked.
"No. Why would I give any enemies a beacon to our location?" Damon asked, sounding genuinely perplexed by my question. From his voice, I guessed that he was already lying on the floor. "Where’s the water you promised me?"
"In my bag. You’ll have to take it yourself since I can’t see past my own hand," I sighed in resignation. This cave was a perfect hiding spot for a singular werewolf at night― small, enclosed, and difficult for enemies to find. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Unfortunately, I was human and blind as a bat.
"Too bad for you then," Damon said, sounding very unsympathetic to my circumstances.
He snatched the rucksack off my shoulders and helped himself to a bottle of my water. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear how vigorously he inhaled it from his loud swallows. It wasn’t difficult to imagine his throat bobbing with every gulp.
"Done," Damon said and he threw the bottle on the ground. I heard it fall somewhere and sighed. Just great, Damon was littering in our shared space, and I couldn’t even see the bottle to pick it up.
"How are you feeling?" I asked. "And how much longer will we need to reach there?"
"I’m fine. At the speed we are going, probably three days or so," Damon said, his mouth full of something.
The smell of cured meat filled the air― Damon had also helped himself to my food without offering me any. I pursed my lips but held my tongue. I had done nothing so far, after all. Damon deserved to eat more than I did.
But I wondered what Damon packed in his tiny bag. No food and no water, possibly no clothes other than the ones on his back. I was traveling with a madman.
"Would be faster if I didn’t need to camp at night though," Damon added deliberately. "But then I don’t fancy carrying deadweight through the mountains at this hour, mate or not. That’s deliberately asking for any stray vampire to come after us."
"...Thanks for still agreeing to bring me along," I said because it was the truth. I sucked in a deep breath. "I... It’ll be fine if you want to sleep with me tonight to get stronger."
After all, Blaise and Damon looked so similar, and with my terrible night vision, it would be easy for me to pretend that I was spending time with Blaise on a romantic getaway.
Damon snorted. "So you’re fine with us fucking on a cave floor like wild animals while you’re half-blind?"
