Savage Shifters Box Set, page 147
It was the only opening Khalil needed as he leaped—right towards the creature’s back. Power surged from him, staggering her with its intensity.
Then he pulled at the vines all at once.
They tore off, each single strand plucked out of the creature’s head. Blood spurted out, a dark smoky color that slid to the ground before getting eaten up by soil. Khalil leaped off the creature and back to the ground, moving to stand as a unit beside her. They both stood alert and waiting, ready to fight in case the creature attacked again.
But it was already convulsing on the ground, the blood spilling out of its mouth.
A few seconds later, the creature stilled, pale greens locking in on Nina before they turned dull and lifeless. Her eyes widened when the body began to dissolve, fading into the soil.
She shuddered when a final, soft melody filled the air, one that was almost sad.
They stayed there for a few seconds, unable to believe what had just happened. Then Nina was moving as Khalil swayed slightly beside her, her arm firmly wrapping around his waist to help him up. It said a lot when his weight leaned into her, even while he turned his head and gave her an incredulous look.
“What were you even thinking?”
She met his look head-on, refusing to be scolded. “I was thinking of helping you. I was thinking that you shouldn't die, and I did what I had to.”
Surprise flitted in his eyes, lightening them. Then his lips tightened before he nodded his head, hand pointing in a certain direction. It was her turn to be surprised when she got that he was pointing towards a set of small trees, one located in the middle of the bottom field. Suspicion slid inside her, but he was already limping that way, and she found she couldn’t exactly leave him be. Nina reluctantly followed.
They climbed a tree again, letting the leaves cover them. The location gave them a view of all sides of that area, making her deduce that the field they were in was like some kind of crater shape.
“We’re vulnerable, aren’t we?” she finally asked.
Khalil shook his head, moving about on the branch and wincing. “Not necessarily. That’s why we needed this cover. We could be vulnerable out there in the open, where enemies approaching from the other top field would have spotted us easily.”
“So we’re just going to stay here indefinitely?”
Again, he shook his head. “Not indefinitely. I just need...give me time to recover. The creature hurt me badly, but my natural healing abilities will fix everything. I can’t go fast in this condition, and I’m not sure about our surroundings. I’m not sure if anyone heard that scuffle and is headed this way. We don’t need to lure enemies towards Jison and Jade.”
The forwardness of his thinking amazed her, and she understood there were more layers to this seemingly pleasant, unperturbed man that she was starting to peel away. Even while injured and almost dead, he was still genuinely concerned about the people—still determined to protect them no matter what. She eyed his body thoroughly, starting from his feet and traveling up his chest, where part of his clothing had torn off and there was a red, angry bruise on one side. Relieved to note that there was no major injuries, she looked up.
Dark blue eyes met hers, as if waiting. It startled her, and she felt her cheeks heating up.
“How’s Timmy?”
“Alive,” Nina muttered. “I handed him over to Jison, and Jade will take care of the kid. Jison is probably waiting and will head out if we don’t return soon.”
Khalil nodded at that, closing his eyes. At first, she thought he was sleeping until she saw his shoulders shaking again, golden glitter falling to the ground. They followed the same path trail from before, thin lines that snuck below the grass and traveled up. In this distance, she couldn’t see them, but she could see Khalil’s brows furrowing in concentration. His hands moved now and then, but he was growing so steadily weak that it was alarming.
When he looked like he’d fallen right into sleep, Nina crawled in his direction and shook him.
“Don’t sleep,” she said harshly. “Fight it, like you would a fever. Keep getting the glitter to Jison.”
“Already did. He got the message.”
“What’s your message?”
“That we’re safe, and he should stay put. That we’ll be back in a few pands, morning tops.”
There it was again—the oddness of his words, as if he had his own slang. She couldn’t exactly say she was an expert in languages when she barely heard any, but she studied words and scrolls a lot and knew most of them. The questions were back in her head, and she was dying to ask them.
But a look at Khalil’s tired form had her stopping. The questions vanished for now as she observed him again, particularly the way his body slumped against the tree trunk.
“Did the creature hit you somewhere important?”
“Not necessarily...what do you mean important?”
“Major organs. Heart. Lungs. Reproductive.”
The last one had a smirk playing on his lips, changing his demeanor completely. “No. Everything’s...intact.”
She rolled her eyes and attempted a glare, but it was half-hearted. “Khalil?”
“Hmm?”
“You saved my life again. And Timmy’s. I owe you.”
“No favors. It was the least I could do.” One of his eyes opened, blue zoning in on her. That color on him was so...mesmerizing. Potent. Stupid that it would only register now. “Does this mean you trust me a little bit more?”
The question had her smiling despite herself. Nina shrugged. “Maybe.”
He closed his eye again, his breathing turning steady. His head lolled to the side, and he almost swayed towards the edge of the branch. Nina eyed the space and went for it, crawling towards him and sitting on the tiny space beside him. Quietly, gently, she positioned his head to rest on top of hers, keeping him secure.
He slept, and she didn’t wake him this time. The worry from earlier changed as she realized he was recharging, much like she'd seen shifters and vampires do whenever they were injured. The electric cell bars might have prevented them from doing so fully, but she saw the natural process, anyway. Khalil was obviously doing the same now, and the lack of fever assured her that it was going well.
At least, that was what his body warmth indicated.
Nina wanted to sleep, too, but her energy was restless, the adrenaline from earlier just barely sliding out of her system. Besides, someone still needed to keep watch. So she kept awake, observing her surroundings. She also observed Khalil, taking advantage now that the fairy was knocked out in sleep and letting the hours drift off.
This close, his features were clearer than ever, making her notice every little detail: the tiny freckles underneath the smooth skin, the tan that was actually more golden than brown. He had a light sheen of sweat on him, and a quick inhale had her smelling him firsthand. It was...pleasant, a mix of something woodsy and piney. Natural.
Male, very male.
Her stomach fluttered, acknowledging just how pleasant that smell was. It fluttered some more when his body drew near, almost as if seeking comfort from hers. His head rolled down, dropping on her shoulder and filling her nose with his hair. Her nose wrinkled, but not necessarily in a bad way.
“Can’t show weakness.”
The words were a murmur, making her raise her brows. She looked down at his head.
“Khalil?” A pause, then, “Khal?”
There was no response, and she figured he was still asleep. A few seconds later, the words started up again. Nina listened to him, looking up now as she kept observing their surroundings outside the tree area—particularly the top of the fields.
“Weakness...really hard. One glass spirits...no way. Knockout.”
Nina's eyes widened when she got the gist of it, making her recall the memory of the party. How he refused to drink the spirits Jade offered, how Nina mocked him for it. While she didn’t know him still and only thought he was an arrogant lord, it shamed her now. No wonder he only took a sip.
“Coffee...can’t. Bad. Very bad.”
She didn’t know what coffee was, though the King’s Court probably had some version of it. More words came out of the fairy’s mouth, and she listened to every one of them—determined that they all amounted to Khalil speaking out his weaknesses in warning, in turn giving her some power over him.
It was an eye opener, for sure. But it was also a shocking process, one that rendered her numb as she understood the fairy didn’t know what he was doing and would have done anything to keep those weaknesses a secret. He was vulnerable to her now, and he didn’t even know it.
Bothered by it, Nina turned her head when he lifted his, resting it on the tree trunk again. He was still breathing steadily, body turning warmer as he recharged some more. Belatedly, she realized the bruise on his chest was faint now.
She held her breath as his head moved towards her again, as if to rest. He paused for a moment, lips inches away from hers and...warming her up. The tingles that were in her when she held his wings up came back again, and an odd kind of temptation filled her, one that made her want to make a low, deep sound.
“Have to marry princess. Have to save people. Save everyone.”
While the name wasn’t exactly called, the word princess was enough of a trigger as it slid inside her and jolted through her senses. His lips inched closer. In panic, Nina pushed him off—perhaps too hard, causing him to sway to the other end. She lurched forward to grab hold of him, yanking him back just as his eyes snapped open.
Those eyes slid towards her, instantly alert. His hand slid up her elbow, an automatic protective move.
“Nina? What’s going on?”
Her breath caught in her throat at his nearness, and her heartbeat sped up. She told herself it was the adrenaline rush of having to stop him from falling, of coming very close. Nina shut off every other emotion there was inside her, refusing to look and delve into them. She scrambled for an excuse.
“I had a nightmare. I thought it was real. I apologize.”
“Oh.” His alert eyes calmed down, and his tense body relaxed. He immediately looked around, assessing the surroundings. “I thought we were in trouble.”
“No, things are fine.” His hand was still on her elbow, surprisingly warmer than it had last been. Had he grown warmer? Or had she just not noticed that infinite body warmth that made her want to warm her own body up? Nina shook her head, slowly moving away from him until his hand left her skin—trying to make it as casual as possible because that was exactly what they were: casual acquaintances and nothing more. “Should we be heading back?”
Those dark blue eyes studied her closely, and she fought the urge to avoid his gaze and alert him of anything odd.
“Have you gotten enough rest?” he asked.
“A few hours,” she lied, as there was no taking back the nightmare excuse. She shifted the topic back to him. “You seem recharged.”
“I am,” he admitted. His mouth formed into a slow smile, lighting up those eyes and turning his red hair brighter.
Her stomach clenched when she realized how incredibly potent the man was when he was like this.
“You should change your hair to a duller color,” she said weakly. “I...so we won’t be noticed.”
Khalil nodded his head in agreement. Without warning, his arm went around her waist—a firm, gentle wrap as he climbed down and brought her with him as if she weighed nothing. Before she could protest, she was placed on her feet, and he was smiling again.
The duller brown color did nothing to lessen the warmth of that smile.
“Let’s go.”
Nina watched his lean, broad back as he slid out of the trees, her mind scrambling for normalcy. Her body tired.
Then she bit back a sigh and followed.
Chapter 241
There was something wrong with her.
It was a bothersome thought, especially when it came to Nina, knowing she was the type always filled with steadiness—steady energy, steady bravery, steady nitpicking at everything she found odd, just to make sure none of them were in any danger. Jade was graceful and relaxed, the princess that everyone admired and wanted to be friends with for her generally friendly personality.
Nina was the rock, the one that everyone relied on and depended on in times of need.
It was a good working balance—at least it was until recently, on maybe the third hour of their morning journey. When they’d returned to the original sleeping area, Jison had gotten busy sneaking into a village and stealing a couple of horses for everyone to take turns riding. With almost a dozen horses between them—all of which were well trained—the rest of the journey was looking up, especially when Khalil found himself recognizing landmarks that he passed by before.
But again, he couldn’t stop thinking about Nina, and in turn, observing. As the hours progressed, her shoulders continuously drooped, even while she refused to rest and said they needed to keep going. She even walked ahead, stubbornly staying beside him as Khalil led the way with Kell a polite distance away.
He turned his head to give Nina a minute glance, watching as she blinked her eyes repeatedly.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Didn’t I just say I was?” she almost snapped, but not quite. She stared straight ahead. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I worry about everyone.”
“Then you shouldn’t. We’re fine. I’m fine.” She flashed him a smile, one that didn’t have any sarcasm in it and didn’t quite reach her eyes.
At first, he thought she was mad at him in particular. But she gave the same treatment to everyone, not necessarily snapping but brooding in her own world. It wrapped around her like darkness, and she did her best to hide it under a veneer of calm. But he saw it.
And he watched it.
On the fifth hour of their journey, the sun was high up when he saw her suddenly lurch forward after a moment of swaying—something he wouldn’t have spotted easily if he hadn’t been keeping an eye on her. Khalil moved right away, just in time to catch her before she fell. He whirled his head as Kell strode forward, followed by a gasping Jade.
“Let’s keep moving. Kell, can you get me one of the horses?”
When it was provided, Khalil didn’t waste time as he slid up and carried Nina with him, placing her at the front. He checked her pulse and her body, finding nothing amiss. In fact, her breathing was deep and steady, indicating she was sound asleep.
“Is she okay?” Jade asked, worry seeping in her voice. “What happened?”
“She’s just tired. Sleepless. I don’t think she slept well since the escape, probably not even before then. She told me she slept when we were down in the fields, but I doubt that now.”
Why would she lie to him?
“This is all my fault,” Jade muttered. “I slept, and she didn’t get any.”
Khalil eyed her steadily. “Do you really think that?”
Jade eyed him back in surprise, thinking it over. Then she slowly shook her head. “I needed sleep to take care of everyone better.”
“And you’re doing a great job at it, keeping everyone's spirits up,” he assured. “Don’t worry about it. I got her.”
The princess offered him a smile, one that was vibrant and brimming with charm. Oddly enough, that vibrancy made him comfortable, cluing him in that he and Jade had the potential to get along and work well in unity.
Nina, in the meantime...she was everyone’s anchor and the bane of his existence.
But she was still someone they relied on, which meant he needed to see to her through the rest of the journey.
Khalil adjusted her on the horse, securing her comfort as he made sure her back was against his front and her head was tucked in. She was soft, belying the firmness of her toned muscles, and she was pleasantly warm. It reminded him of her warmth when he'd woken up on the branch, surprisingly close and making him want to sink further into her softness. Then the sleepiness had vanished, and he realized he'd been very close to showing a vulnerable side of himself.
He couldn't have that. Not when she still didn't trust him.
The worry for Nina was obvious when everyone took turns walking beside Khalil's horse—a change of pace, if he did say so himself, considering they didn't exactly get all chummy with him when he was alone. One of the last to walk by the horse's side was the kid from last night: Timmy. His huge brown eyes studied the sleeping woman for a long time before he shifted his gaze to Khalil.
"Thank you for saving my life. And hers."
Khalil nodded, not expecting that. The boy hadn't spoken to him since they met. "She saved your life, actually. And I saved hers." He recalled the events again. "Come to think of it, we saved each other. She helped me defeat the creature."
The boy shuddered as if remembering the creature. Solemn, bright eyes remained steady on his. "I knew she would."
It was a statement spoken of confidence like he didn't have a single doubt Nina would've done it. That sparked Khalil's curiosity. He subtly looked around, noting that everyone was in sub-groups and doing their own thing while walking. Assured they were all preoccupied, he turned back to Timmy.
"Is she always like this?"
"Always like what?" Timmy returned.
"Helpful."
The boy immediately nodded. "She helps me all the time."
"Helps you?"
"Yes. I always get in trouble for being nosy. Nina protects me."
"I see. The prisoners, too?"
Another nod. "She feeds them." Timmy's tiny chest puffed out. "I report to her when they're hungry. It's our thing."
This time, it was Khalil who nodded in approval. "That's a good job, boy." He paused. "Does she always push herself?"
"Push?"
"Overexert. Do too much. Not get enough sleep."
Again, another nod. "Yes. Nina helps a lot."
And if she kept helping without thinking about herself, then she was going to get herself in trouble in the long run. Nina was practically championing the creatures and losing herself in the process.
