"What do we do? You're not in any condition to run," I frantically mentioned as Kade pulled me a couple of steps back. A few screeches were now accompanying the whooshes of air, obviously caused by gargoyle wings. Kade pulled away the arm that was still covering his stomach to reveal a deep, bleeding gash. I swallowed hard as the thought of how painful it was swirled in my mind.
His face twisted in pain and he groaned, seeming to realize the same thing. I quickly removed my jacket, exposing my skin to the chilling night air, and fixed it around his waist in a hurried attempt to at least slow the bleeding. Surprisingly, he didn't resist against my help but he did pull away.
"I should be okay to run for a bit. We just have to find a safe place. Going back to the hotel will put many people's lives in danger, including Odis and Maeve. Come on." He grabbed my elbow and pulled me in the opposite direction, immediately taking a sharp turn down a narrow street. I put my full trust in him and felt that he had the capability of getting us out of this situation. Although his running was awfully fast for a guy with a gash in his stomach, it didn't stop the gargoyles from catching up.
I turned to look over my shoulder and noticed six figures gliding through the sky, enormous bat wings flapping behind them. They all seemed pretty large, nowhere near Xur's size though, and caught up to us almost immediately. Kade continued with sharp turns and pushed past unsuspecting people, who didn't seem to notice the terrifying beasts looming above them.
My feet pounded against pavement as I struggled to stay behind Kade, my heart thumping furiously in my chest. I didn't know how he had so much momentum, but I didn't take the time to question it since the gargoyles sounded like they were getting closer. I was too afraid to turn around and check.
We suddenly took a turn down a slim street that led us to a dead end, cut off by a fence which separated the town from a patch of woods. Kade jumped it easily and turned around, as if thinking I'd need help. But I followed swiftly and pushed him forward with a shaky hand.
We then sprinted into the woods, dodging branches and jumping roots as the sound of breaking limbs echoed behind us. The screeches were louder but the whooshes were gone, meaning the gargoyles had taken to running across land. What other way was there to track somebody in the woods?
Kade was still leading the way, now guiding me by pulling me by my hand. I wasn't struggling as bad to keep up since something had me thinking that we'd be safer in the woods. But when the screeches and sound of breaking wood grew louder and dangerously close, that feeling diminished. I made sure to stay as close to Kade as possible.
He was doing a good job at zig-zagging through the trees to confuse the gargoyles, at least that's what I thought when there was a moment of silence behind us. But it soon started again and my worry grew. Were we ever going to get away from them?
The sound of running water suddenly hit my ears, almost exterminating the screeches still echoing from behind. Kade jumped through a patch of bushes which led us to the bank of a long, flowing river. The water was rushing angrily down a sloping hill which I prayed didn't lead to a waterfall. I couldn't help but panic when thinking of why Kade decided to come to it, unless he did it by accident. But by the look on his face, it didn't seem like it.
When a loud screech sounded not too far from the bushes, he turned towards me and grabbed my shoulders urgently. "They're tracking our scent. We have to do it," he said nervously as if knowing I'd argue. I glanced back at the water and felt my breathing grow shaky.
"Kade, we'll die if we jump in there! Are you nuts?!" I accidentally yelled. He placed his hands on my cheeks and held my head in place.
"I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Now come on!" He grabbed my arm and leaped before I could process what was happening. I splashed into the water and immediately felt the current pulling me downstream, while also still feeling Kade's tight grip on my arm.
My directions became disoriented and I couldn't tell where I was going, which meant I didn't know where to go for air. When I opened my eyes in the murky water, all I saw was blurriness and the occasional dip in the water level. My heartbeat started going in and out when rocks came into view and nearly hit me... or I hit them. I scrambled around as my sense of direction struggled to return. My thrashing only caused my need for oxygen to grow stronger. As I continued being washed downstream, I hit a shallow place that allowed me to surface and gasp for air, but it immediately disappeared and I was pulled back underwater, thrashing around once again for control.
As if my sudden wish for Kade's help was granted, I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me up, my head jolting through the surface of water again. I gasped for air immediately and saw his face come into view beside me, almost struggling for a quick breath. He met my eyes and nodded ahead. I followed his nod and realized he was talking about a long drop in the water, seeming to be a mini waterfall. My face twisted with fear when I silently looked back at him. As we neared the drop, he swam back over to me and pull me against him protectively, putting his back to it. I huddled as close as I could, finally realizing how cold the water was against my exposed skin. But at the moment, it wasn't very important.
Seconds later, the ground disappeared from beneath my feet and I felt us falling the short distance expected. But the rush of water still made it over my head when we hit the surface again and sunk beneath it. I held my breath as Kade didn't loosen his hold, but instead tightened it.
Adrenaline rushing through my body kept me from realizing that the excitement had actually died down a bit. The water had evened out and didn't rush as bad as before, but it still kept us moving.
Kade started pulling off to the side and fighting the current furiously. We eventually broke through the surface again and met land, him pushing me onto the small bank first. Surrounding it were seemingly endless patches of bushes and a narrow space of mud, which I collapsed in on my back, panting heavily.
Kade eventually crawled up too, halfway on top of me and halfway in the mud. He too collapsed tiredly, covering a majority of my body which I didn't mind since it blocked out the cold. His wet hair tickled my cheek as his surprisingly warm breathing coated my neck.
"Are you okay?" he whispered between pants. I managed to crack a smile as I stared up at the night sky peeking through the tops of trees.
"Yeah... I'm okay."
We fell quiet for awhile and neither of us moved, either too tired to do so or just because we didn't feel like it. I eventually turned my face into his hair and laughed softly. "Looks like you kept your word," I mumbled into his ear. He laughed in return, a low and joyous sound that made my skin tingle, and lifted his head just enough so he could meet my eyes.
"I'm normally a man of my word," was all he said before putting his head down beside mine again.
"Should we head back to the hotel to get that wound looked at?" I asked sympathetically. He sighed deeply and tried to shake his head.
"Those things are probably still out there. It'll be safer to return in the morning. We just need to find a safe place to sleep for the night and then see from there," he answered. "Plus, you're too cold. We need to find you some warmth soon."
I didn't realize until now that I was shivering madly beneath him and that my skin felt like there were sharp needles piercing through it. It was so cold, I was surprised I hadn't gone numb.
"Okay," I whispered.
Kade very weakly pulled himself off me and helped me up, which seemed to be a strain because of his stomach. I didn't understand how this man worked; he seemed unstoppable when pulling me through a rushing river but he was struggling to pull me to my feet. Men...
I followed him through the bushes and into the dark woods, feeling my stomach grow uneasy. I noticed he was limping and rushed to his side, even if he didn't want my support. But he didn't push away so I pulled his arm around my neck and wrapped mine around his waist, careful not to touch his stomach.
Something suddenly sparked in the darkness and shined brightly beneath the cover of the trees. I glanced to my right and noticed Kade's hand covered in breathtaking flames, a cascade of red, orange, and yellow. Unlike last time I saw them, they seemed calming... relaxing. And warm.
***
"Here should be nice," Kade said as we came across a small opening in the woods after what seemed like hours of searching. I carefully moved us towards the middle of it and quickly glanced around, making sure nothing was peeking out from the shadows, ready to attack us.
Coast was clear.
To our right was a rock wall that seemed to extend for a mile or two in both directions. A small cave was dug into it, hopefully not belonging to an animal. Kade poked his head inside and lit it up with the flames from his hand. Everything seemed okay so he stepped further in and motioned for me to stay outside just in case.
Moments later he returned, seeming satisfied. "It's a bit cramped but it should be fine for one night," he said as he began picking up sticks and twigs scattered on the ground, most likely for a fire. I assisted until we both had armfuls and squeezed back into the small cave, more like a freaking crack in the rock wall. It was indeed cramped, but it was big enough for a safe fire and for us to sleep inside.
We piled the sticks a little off to the side and Kade immediately and easily lit it, letting out a relaxing breath afterwards. He then started taking large rocks that were covering the floor and piled them up at the small entrance, which blocked anything from outside getting in and provided us perfect coverage.
When he finally settled next the fire, I sat beside him and huddled close, finally acknowledging my sore limbs and dripping self. The fire was a lifesaver, probably literally as I imagined the frost bite or hypothermia from being out in the freezing air after swimming in ice cold water. If it weren't for Kade, I'd surely be dead.
"So... about what you said to your brother back there," I slowly and quietly said, hoping it wouldn't upset him. "Salazar killed your dad?"
Kade was silent for awhile, either because he didn't know how to answer or he just didn't want to. But eventually, he nodded with a solemn look. "And my mom," he said.
I looked back at the fire and tried to picture his parents, who I imagined were very nice (and good looking) people. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Me too," he whispered in return. Now feeling like I had completely ruined the mood by bringing up his parents, I zipped my mouth shut and turned to study his eyes for some reason. The reflection of the fire shown brightly in them, almost making it seem like his eyes had turned orange again. Either way was strangely beautiful and I couldn't help but smile.
He noticed me staring and turned his head slightly, just enough to meet my eyes. Behind that blank look on his face, I saw a smile, but it wasn't important to bring it up. Just knowing it was there was good enough for me.
"You warm yet?" he eventually asked and ruffled his already messy hair. The lighthearted mood returned so I just huffed a laugh and brushed a hand over my dirty face.
"Getting there," I said. "I'm almost to the point of jumping in the fire."
He laughed softly and suddenly put his arm around me. I blushed awkwardly and shrunk down, unsure of what he was doing.
"Will this help?" he asked as his arm suddenly started to grow warm and sent waves of heat through my body. I glanced at him quizzically, even though the heat felt nice.
"Hello? Possession of flames. I can warm my body anytime I want," he explained with the same smirk from before. "It just takes a lot of energy." As if his last sentence triggered something, he yawned loudly and I felt the weight of him leaning against me grow stronger.
"Don't waste your energy on me, Kade," I protested as I mindlessly laid my head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind though, because he stayed silent and didn't shift away. When I strained my eyes to see what he was doing, I nearly laughed again, realizing he had already drifted off to sleep.
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Hope this chapter wasn't boring. Next one will be better, I promise. â§ï¹â¦
Also, new header photo! âÏâ
-Ash