Kalen slowed the horse into a gentle gait as we approached a cluster of small buildings just off the path. Blearily, I blinked at the ramshackle huts. Several of them were nothing more than burnt husks, but a few were still intact. Wind whistled through the small clearing.
“What are we doing?” I asked as he pulled the horse to a stop.
“We’ll camp here for the night,” he said. “You need to get some sleep.”
“Here?” I swallowed hard. Even the two buildings that had survived all these years were falling apart. The warped boards were rotting, and the roofs sagged. If the pookas attacked, those walls would not stop them from getting inside.
“It’s an abandoned village, which means no one will disturb us.” His voice held no room for argument. With a sigh, he dismounted and held out a gloved hand. Pressing my lips together, I took the offer. My fingers slid into his open palm. Something strange shot through me, an odd sensation that set my heart racing.
He helped me down from the horse and released his grip on my hand, like it was a sword about to slice through his skin. After tying his horse to a nearby post, he strode toward one of the buildings and motioned for me to follow.
“This used to be a home, and there’s a bed inside,” he called out over his shoulder. “It’s as good a place to camp as any.”
Frowning, I followed him inside the house. It had been completely ransacked. The front room had once been a kitchen and living space. To the right, a round wooden table had been tipped to its side, one of the legs snapped in two. I couldn’t see where the missing piece was, and I had a feeling I didn’t want to know.
Soot stained the floorboards in the living space. Chairs were upturned, stuffing pulled out. Someone had carved words into one of the walls, but it was written in a script I didn’t understand. Something about it seemed to reach out toward me, long fingers of darkness that scraped down my spine. Stomach twisting, I turned to the Mist King, wondering why in the name of light he wanted to spend a night here.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said as he leaned over one of the chairs and flipped it back onto its legs. “This seems like the kind of place where dangerous criminals like to stay.”
“Don’t worry,” he said in a low voice. “I won’t let them touch you.”
A chill swept down my spine. Kalen sat on the chair, placed his sword across his lap, and stared at the door. His jaw ticked.
“You’re just going to sit there all night?” I asked. “I thought you said we needed to stop for some sleep.”
“Youneed some sleep.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the half-open door leading into darkness. “There’s only one bed in there. You take it. I’ll keep watch.”
“Um.” My cheeks filled with heat as I turned on my heels and poked my head into the dark room. As he’d said, it held a small single cot. A pile of blankets were bunched up in one corner, and only a thin mattress covered the sagging frame. A window sat just above the bed, giving me a view of the unyielding darkness outside. I did not want to sleep in this place.
“Tessa.”
I jumped, my heart jerking up into my throat. Kalen had suddenly appeared behind me. I hadn’t even heard his footsteps. Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to settle my nerves.
His brows arched. “Are you all right?”
“This place creeps me out,” I admitted.
With lips set into a grim line, he pulled a small blanket from his pack. “I thought you might want to place this on top of the mattress. And then you can use my cloak as a blanket to keep you warm.”
Something in my heart clenched. That was strangely sweet. I might’ve been touched if it had come from anyone other than him. With a slight smile, I took the blanket and gave him a nod. “Thanks. Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
I didn’t know how to answer that without rubbing some salt in his wound, so I chose silence as the best option for now. “You’re right. Thank you for this.”
He leaned closer and brushed his thumb across my cheek, making my heart jolt. “You have blood on your face.”
Frowning, I reached up and felt my cheek. Dried blood caked on my skin around a tender spot—where the branch had scratched me. It felt so strange. I’d been wounded before, of course, but I’d always healed fast, thanks to Oberon’s protection. Most of the time, we didn’t get scars. No marks were left behind unless Oberon wanted them to be.
I still didn’t understand how he had the power to do any of that without his magic.
“I got cut in the forest,” I said. “I’m fine.”
He nodded. “Good. Now, get some sleep. I’ll be in the other room if you need anything.”
Kalen trailed out the door but didn’t close it behind him. From within the cocoon of darkness, I watched him retake his seat facing away from me so that his eyes were on the front door. His back stiff, he curled his hand around the sword resting in his lap and waited. For what, I didn’t want to ask. I’d already seen enough to know that we were in danger no matter where we went, and this little shack was far less safe than the cave had been. I would never forget what had happened there.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I spread Kalen’s blanket across the mattress and climbed on top, pulling his cloak across my body. And then I stared at the far wall with wide-open eyes. My whole body felt tense. The truth was, I didn’t want to be inside this room without him. I didn’t feel safe. The window just over my head seemed like the perfect place for a pooka to smash through, so that it could drag its claws through my skin…