Chapter 73 74
Lightning split the sky, and before I could stop myself, I grabbed his shirt and kissed him.
Hard. Desperate. Like the world was collapsing and he was the only thing holding it up.
He kissed me back like he’d been waiting his whole damn life — hands gripping my waist, pulling me flush against him, heat and rain and blood mixing between us. I moaned into his mouth, claws scraping his shoulder as thunder cracked.
Then he pulled back, forehead pressed to mine. His eyes burned. “If I mark you now, I won’t be able to stop.”
I breathed, trembling. “Then don’t.”
He growled low in his throat, his control fracturing — his fangs grazed my neck, hot breath against my skin. Every nerve screamed yes.
But the world had other plans.
Barbie shrieked from behind us, “Incoming! Like, twenty drones and thirty fang faces!”
Gregor hissed, jerking back, scanning the ridge. “We need to jump.”
“Jump? As in down there?” I gawked at the roaring ravine below. “Are you out of your—”
“Now!”
He grabbed my hand.
“Oh for the love of— BARBIE!” I yelled.
“Already flying, you maniacs!”
Then we both shifted into our wolves, I didn't even bother to remove my jeans and the rest of the tiny shirt.
The wind picked up, whipping my hair against my face, the storm swallowing the forest whole. And for a second, it was just us — two beasts standing at the edge of the world, bleeding, panting, alive.
And a very small fae, eating bugs ahead of us.
And before I could sass him again, we leapt.
The cliff vanished beneath our feet, the storm swallowing us whole — rain, wind, and chaos screaming around us as we plunged toward the river below, his arms around me, my heart beating like a war drum.
Because whatever waited at the bottom, one thing was sure—
I wasn’t losing him again.
So, fun fact: falling into a raging river hurts.
It’s not like in movies where you gracefully slice through the water like a majestic otter. No. It’s more like being punched by the Earth itself while drowning in what feels like angry ice cubes.
I hit the water so hard my soul temporarily left my body. I think I saw my grandma waving from the light before Gregor yanked me back under.
AND GUESS WHAT? HE WAS NAKED!
Damn hotness and abs.
“Hold your breath!” he yelled, dragging me through the current.
Me in my naked human body because apparently my wolf hated water she ended up shifted into my human form mid jump.
“Oh sure, let me just casually breathe underwater, fish-man!” I choked, spitting water as the river spun us like laundry.
Barbie was ahead of us, flailing and cursing. “I hate nature! I hate rivers! I hate all of this! My wings are soaked! I look like a depressed pigeon!”
“Depressed pigeon?” I gasped, clinging to Gregor’s shoulder.
“Don’t talk—swim!” he barked.
“Can’t—too busy dying!”
We crashed through waves, slammed against a rock (10/10 wouldn’t recommend), and somehow ended up clinging to a tree trunk drifting toward calmer waters. Gregor’s arm stayed tight around my waist, his grip firm, protective.
When the current finally spit us out near a shallow bend, he dragged me to the muddy bank. I sprawled out, coughing up enough river water to fill a kiddie pool.
Barbie, meanwhile, was sitting on a rock nearby, looking like a drowned cat with glitter. “I think I swallowed a fish.”
“Good for you,” I croaked, “extra protein.”
She glared, wringing out her wings. “If I die of salmonella, I’m haunting you.”
Gregor crouched beside me, eyes scanning my limbs with that intense alpha medic expression. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his jaw bruised, a fresh cut glistening on his collarbone.
“Anything broken?” he asked, voice rough, low.
“Just my pride,” I muttered. “And maybe a few ribs. But who’s counting?”
He gave me that look — the one that made my stomach do Olympic-level flips. “You’re still sarcastic. That’s a good sign.”
“Yeah? Then by your logic, I’m practically immortal.”
He huffed a small laugh and pulled me up. “Come on. There’s a cave nearby. We’ll dry off there before hypothermia kills your sense of humor.”
“Joke’s on you,” I grinned weakly, “I don’t have one.”
Okay, no use of being shy. Naked. Ha!
Gregor was trying his hardest not to look.
I tried not to look.
Barbie? Trying her best to cover her eyes, maybe mentally trying to erase us.
Then we trudged through mud and wet leaves, the forest eerily quiet except for Barbie’s nonstop commentary. “I can’t feel my toes.”
“You don’t have toes.”
“Don’t ruin my suffering, Marigold!”
By the time we reached the cave — a dark, jagged hollow carved into the cliffside — I was freezing, shaking, and trying not to look at Gregor’s abs and the thing downward, the wet water clinging to every muscle he owned.
He found some dry brush and lit a fire with a spark stone from his belt. The warm light flickered, dancing across his face, casting sharp shadows that made him look both terrifying and unfairly hot.
Then he found a plastic bag, with dry clothing.
Thank the Goddess.
Barbie buzzed toward the flame and sighed dramatically. “Finally, warmth! Sweet, blessed warmth! Remind me to file a complaint with the gods about rivers.”
“You can do that?” I asked, wringing out my hair.
“Please. I’ve been banned from Heaven’s suggestion box twice.”
Gregor smirked faintly but said nothing, just reached for my arm. His fingers brushed my skin, gentle but firm. “You’re bleeding.”
I looked down. Oh. Right. A deep gash along my forearm, courtesy of a friendly rock. “Great. Add that to my collection.”
He tore a strip from his shirt (and yes, I absolutely watched every muscle move when he did that — sue me) and wrapped it around my arm.
Should I tell him that Barbie’s blue redbull thingy could do more healing than werwolf saliva?
Nah.
“You should rest,” he said quietly. “We’ll need strength tomorrow.”
“For what? Running? Bleeding? Getting electrocuted by drones again?”
“For taking down the Queen.”
That shut me up.
He met my eyes — storm-dark, steady, burning with something that wasn’t just rage. “She’s the one behind the experiments. Behind connecting with ASA. She’s been using the wolves, the fae, everyone — as test subjects. To build an army she can control.”
My pulse spiked. “So that’s why Black Fang’s working with her…”
“She promised them freedom from their curse. But she lied.”
Barbie hovered closer, wings finally drying. “Of course she did. Queens always lie. Trust me, I used to work for one. She had ten husbands and still flirted with the gardener.”
I side-eyed her. “That explains a lot.”
Gregor continued, his voice gravel and steel. “She needs the serum.”
“What— what now?”
He sighed. “Marigold, you’re not just a survivor. You’re the key to breaking the curse.”
I blinked. “So basically, I’m a magical anti-virus in muddy boots?”
“That’s one way to put it,” he said, mouth twitching.
Barbie gasped. “Oh my god. You’re like, literally the chosen one. Again. Could you be more dramatic?”
“I didn’t choose this!” I protested. “I just wanted tacos and maybe a nap!”
Gregor’s chuckle was low, dangerous, and stupidly sexy. “You haven’t changed.”
“Yeah, well, someone has to keep your brooding self entertained.”
“Brooding?” He arched a brow. “That what you call strategy now?”
“Strategy, sure. You glared at a drone so hard it crashed. That’s not a plan; that’s a vibe.”
Barbie cackled. “She’s got you there, wolfman!”
He shook his head, eyes softening as they lingered on me. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet you keep saving me.”