Chapter 131
Kara
The morning air was thinner here, high in the mountain valley.. I adjusted the black hood over my head and walked faster, my boots crunching on a frost-laced path that stretched between stone and ash trees.
I didn’t want to cross paths with him ever again.
But of course, fate had a sick sense of humor. Because there he was, leaning against a crooked pine like he was born to annoy me. Arms crossed. That same infuriating smirk curving his lips.
“What the hell,” I muttered, not slowing.
“I thought we established I was too pretty to be this angry,” he called out, straightening from the tree.
I didn’t respond. I didn’t even blink. Just kept walking.
He jogged a few steps to catch up beside me. “You’re limping.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “Are you following me?”
“Technically, you’re walking in my direction.”
“And technically,” I snapped, “I can actually kill you right now.”
He raised both hands. “Feisty. I like it.”
“You talk too much, thinking I must be joking,” I said.
He grinned like I’d handed him a compliment wrapped in gold foil. “Most people say that. Then I grow on them.”
“Like what? Fungus?”
He chuckled. “You’re funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
“Even better.”
I cursed under my breath and walked faster. My body still felt strange, stronger, more attuned, but there was a constant sound under my skin, like my blood was trying to outrun itself. The fae magic hadn’t fully settled, and I was still learning how to breathe without it clawing at the edges of my thoughts.
Elijah didn’t push the conversation. Just kept pace with me. Quiet, for once.
After an hour, I realized he wasn’t leaving. We descended toward a lower clearing where an old, abandoned fire pit sat cold in the dirt. My stomach twisted. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday.
Elijah rummaged through his backpack, unwrapping something wrapped in brown cloth. Bread, jerky. A flask of water.
He didn’t say anything, just placed it gently on the flat rock near the pit and walked a few feet away, sitting on a fallen log like a sentinel who wasn’t trying too hard.
I ignored the food for as long as I could. My pride lasted a whole ten minutes.
I ate in silence. Fast, still tensed. Watching him like a hawk, hoping he won’t turn and see me chewing.
“You’re welcome,” he said without looking at me.
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Didn’t need it either, I’m sure.” He smiled at the ground. “But people die alone up here.”
“I’ve died before,” I said coolly.
He looked at me then, really looked. “No, you haven’t.”
I stared back. Didn’t blink.
We didn’t talk after that. But he stayed nearby. Not hovering, for…. close.
…
Later that day, I caught the scent too late.
A rogue. Fast and a male. Too much aggression, not enough stealth.
I twisted to dodge the blur of fur and teeth that lunged from the right. My shoulder took the hit, knocking me hard against the dirt. I rolled, already shifting halfway, claws emerging.
The wolf snarled, circling me.
Then a quick movement—Elijah.
He tackled the rogue mid-leap, slamming him into a tree with a snarl that was far too clean for a mere spy. I blinked, momentarily stunned.
He wasn’t just some scout. He was trained.
The fight ended quickly. Elijah’s blade slid cleanly beneath the rogue’s ribs. The body slumped to the ground, unmoving.
I stood, panting, brushing dirt from my palms.
“I had that,” I said.
He looked at me, a small cut above his eyebrow bleeding freely. “I know.”
“So why jump in?”
He shrugged. “Reflex.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of scout fights like that?”
He ignored my question, then stepped closer. “You alright?”
“I don’t need you.”
He didn’t flinch. “I know that too.”
The silence between us stretched out. Heavy with tension. My pulse beat in my ears.
…..
By nightfall, I settled into a wide cave mouth, hidden beneath a ledge that shielded us from the wind. Elijah had followed me, of course, and spread out a worn blanket, keeping his distance as I sat opposite him, sharpening one of my blades.
He was staring into the flames when he spoke. “You know, when I first saw you… I thought you were going to kill me.”
“I still might.”
He laughed. It was honest. “I think that’s what makes this fun.”
I raised a brow. “What does?”
“You. Not knowing what to make of me.”
“Seriously. You’re getting on my nerves.”
“You said that already.”
Elijah turned his head toward me, smiling, the firelight catching in his eyes. What’s funny? What an idiot!
I threw a rock at him.
He dodged it easily and laughed harder.
…
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
His words lingered too long. His grin, stupid and soft, flashed in the dark behind my eyes.
I shifted on the blanket, restless, rolling to my side.
And I dreamed. Not of death, or the Fae realm that still haunted the back of my skull, but of him.
His hand brushing mine. His voice. That stupid smirk melting into something sincere. His lips, closer than they should’ve been.
I woke with a gasp, heart pounding.
What the hell was that?
I sat up, wiping sweat from my brow.
Across the fire, Elijah slept, one hand tucked beneath his jaw, peaceful and unbothered.
I hated that I was staring.
And worse, I hated that it didn’t feel wrong.