Chapter 44 Warmth Incarnate

Chapter 44 Warmth Incarnate

ATLAS' POV

We had been walking for hours and I noticed Lily's ankles were killing her, like she was wincing with every step she took, but we kept going because there wasn't really a choice unless she wishes to end back where she was held captive.

Lily was walking way too close to me, like almost entering my body kind of close. She had her arms wrapped around herself real tight, like she was trying to hold herself together or something, and she was shivering even though the night wasn't even that cold. And every few minutes she would jerk her head around to look behind us, jumping at nothing, just shadows and trees.

The sky was starting to get lighter as the morning was coming. You would think that would make her feel better, you know, easier to see and harder for anyone to sneak up on us. But she just kept flinching at everything.

"Fuck" Boar let out a loud curse that got us unaware, resounding around the forest.

Lily practically jumped out of her skin and she moved toward me so fast she almost tripped, and her hand grabbed onto my sleeve as if I was the only thing between her and whatever she thought was coming for her.

I glared at Boar but he didn't even notice because he was too busy slapping at his arms and his neck.

"These fucking bugs," he was hissing and slapping himself. "They're everywhere, I'm telling you. It's gotta be from that ditch I fell in. They're crawling all over me and I can feel them in my—"

"Shut up," Raven said from behind us. He had Anya draped over his shoulder but she was still unconscious, and his voice was all flat and tired sounding.

Boar turned around and he was still slapping at himself. "You shut up. You didn't fall in a ditch full of—"

"Boar."

He stopped and looked at me and saw my face.

Then he looked at Lily who was still holding my sleeve and still shaking.

He actually looked embarrassed for a second, which was something. Then he gave this little bow, all sarcastic and over the top. "My apologies, Princess. For disturbing your peace with my very real and very painful suffering."

Raven literally went ahead of us to kick him in the back of the knee and Boar stumbled but caught himself.

"Just walk," Raven said.

Boar muttered something under his breath and I caught the word "kill" and something about throwing Raven in a ditch. But he walked.

Lily stayed right there next to me. Earlier I had tried to put some distance between us, just to see if she would be okay on her own, but she had gravitated right back without even seeming to notice she was doing it. Like I was a burning bush drawing her to my warmth.

Wonder where she thinks I'm a warmth incarnate.

I didn't really know what to do with that.

I wanted her to say something to me, to hear her voice. I wanted her to look at me, her attention only on me, not just stare past me at whatever ghosts were running around in her head.

I don't need to ask for that stuff for it to happen.

Lost in her thought, she didn't see the tree. A big trunk with a low branch that couldn't be missed. But her eyes were somewhere else and her mind was somewhere else and she just walked straight into it.

Her head hit that bark with this solid thunk sound and she stumbled back and lost her footing and went down hard on the ground.

I stopped and looked down at her.

She was sitting there in the dirt staring up at me with this real surprised expression on her face, as if the tree had attacked her personally.

"This," I said, "is exactly why you got kidnapped in the first place."

I thought she would glare at me or snap something back or get up and brush herself off with that stubborn pride she has sometimes.

But instead her face squeezed into an ugly expression, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over and she bit down on her hand real hard, trying to muffle the sound, but I could still hear it. These little broken sobs that came out anyway.

I froze.

I looked back at Raven. He had Anya over his shoulder and he was just watching me with zero help in his expression. He just shrugged casually, with a gaze that she was my problem.

I glared at him but he kept walking.

Then Boar's voice came from ahead. "Comfort her!"

I turned to him. "What?"

"Comfort her! You know, like—" and he was making these vague gestures with his hands. "Say something nice to her or put an arm around her or kiss her forehead or whatever."

"Kiss her?"

"I don't know, man! Kiss the tears away! That's a thing people do, right?"

Raven kicked him again, harder this time, and Boar yelped and tried to dodge, laughing even though he was getting beat on. "Stop kicking me! I'm just trying to help!"

"You can help by keeping your mouth shut, fried brain." Raven snapped.

"Mr Smart, what is your advice?" Boar spinned, moving backwards with his hands folded on his chest.

"We can leave her here and be on our way. Prince Atlas is not supposed to be in the royal business and saving a princess who is married to the crown prince is bound to cause a lot of issues." Raven said, anger filling his words, anger that was directed at me.

"Elliott is no crown prince. A douchebag and an asshole, yes." Boar laughed out loud, stumbling into a tree, but that didn't stop him from laughing as he slid down the tree.

" I wonder why I keep talking to you." Raven shook his head as he purposely stepped on Boar's foot.

I zoned them when Boar shouted on Raven, They were only going to keep on bickering

I crouched down to Lily's level. She was still crying and still biting her hand and still trying to be quiet about it, and her shoulders were just shaking.

I didn't know what to do. Nobody ever comforted me when I was little, so how was I supposed to know how to comfort somebody else? Plus this was weird.

So I reached out and poked her forehead with my index finger.

She looked up, all startled.

"Are you crying," I said, "because you need a hug from me?" I said in all seriousness.

That was my genuine question. Like, are you sad, do you need physical contact, is that how this whole thing works?

Lily just stared at me, then she abruptly began laughing.

It wasn't a nice laugh or a pretty one like she is. It was wet and snotty and half sob, but it was a laugh. She was laughing and crying at the same time, looking at me like I was the strangest thing she had ever seen in her whole life.

I looked back at Raven and Boar and they were both staring too, just as confused as me.

Boar shrugged. "Women," he said. "And their emotions. Don't even try to understand it."

Lily laughed even harder.

I stayed right there, crouched in the dirt, not understanding a single thing but I knew I wouldn't leave her alone.