When I was sure the flames wouldn’t follow into the path we’d taken, I gripped her by the hand and led her forward slowly, leaving the heat behind. I had to be more careful now than ever.
Saleos had planned this route for me, that much I was sure of now. What worried me now, was what was at the end of his path?
“Axel, what’s going on?” Cosima pressed.
I didn’t stop to explain. I didn’t have the time and I needed all my senses narrowed in on the dangers around us. She scoffed but didn’t argue.
“Stay close to me,” was my only response. She listened, although hesitantly.
For another mile or so, I detected nothing. There still wasn’t a single sign that my brother had been here, not a hint of his scent or a footprint in the dust on the ground. Nothing.
How?
I couldn’t figure it out. What did he want?
If he was leading us right to him though, it wouldn’t really matter. Then, it would turn into a life or death match between the two of us.
I debated just going on ahead without her and finishing him off, but I was afraid he’d set mo
re traps, that I wouldn’t be able to protect her. I also knew that she likely couldn’t find her way out of the caves on her own if he killed me. I shook my head, dismissing the thought immediately.
Up on ahead, I heard something scratch against the walls.
I narrowed my eyes and slowed and heard the telltale sound of my brother’s laugh, cruel and sadistic, only it seemed to be fading away, like he was running out of the caves. Cosima stilled and I did too.
We continued on our journey for a few more hours, until I was sure the sun was probably setting in the sky. Neither of us showed signs of slowing and I knew it would be some time before we settled in order to get a few hours’ rest.
It was quiet for a while, the only sounds the dripping of the water on the rocks around us. It was eerie, and I knew it put us both on edge.
“I want out of these caves,” she whispered.
I turned and met her eyes.
“I do too,” I replied.
In silence, we wandered off down the rocky path a while further. In places, the rocks narrowed, and she easily slipped through, whereas my frame had to contort to make my way through. I stayed calm, but I could easily see the panic simmering deep in her eyes. I brushed my hand against her shoulder and she paused, looking back at me.
“My brother is forcing the two of us together, hellcat and I can’t have you around us when that happens. I need you to run and get away, when the time is right. The moment we find him, you need to go as far as you can. I’ll kill him, and you’ll be safe,” I murmured.
Her eyes dropped to the ground, at first with sadness before she lifted them to meet mine once more. Her jaw tensed, and I saw fire in those eyes.
“I won’t leave you,” she countered.
“You’re going to have to. I’ll kill you if you don’t,” I warned, and she gritted her teeth in response.
“The fuck you will,” she replied, before taking off down the caves herself.
Chapter Seven
Cosima
I shouldn’t have said that. Ever since he’d found out I’d run into Saleos yesterday, he’d been more withdrawn, cold and it unnerved me. He was becoming entirely too detached, and it was frustrating me. I understood that there was danger, and that his brother was taking the need for revenge too far, but still. Axel scoffed behind me and eventually followed, but the pathway was strangely quiet. No sign of his brother anywhere, at least not that I could hear or see.
I struggled to push away my emotions, feeling strangely upset over the fact that he wanted me to leave him to fight his own battles. It was then I realized how much I’d grown attached to the strange beast over the past few days. Sure, he was strong, uncontrollable at times, and alpha by nature in all things. He’d fucked me hard and I hadn’t been sure I wanted that, but the more I thought about it, the more my thighs pressed together with desire for it.
Much to my initial reluctance, I realized that I cared for him.
It tore my heart apart hearing about what he went through growing up, being the product of constant scientific testing, not having a life of his own or someone even to care for him. He hadn’t told me everything, but he’d told me enough to know that he had his childhood torn away from him, that he’d been forced to grow up far too quickly. He’d never had a family or someone to care for him before.