“I sure am.” He grins at my hands. “I might need you to continue massaging me.”
“Alright.” I slide my hands around, working his muscles. “I’m really sorry about your lute.”
“It’s nothing; I have you.” Brahm touches my cheek, making my pulse quicken. “Plus, I only asked for the lute because you said you wanted to hear me play again.”
I kiss Brahm’s lips, continuing the massage. With every knead of his muscles, we melt into our kiss a little deeper. Brahm is like clay in my hands, and his body molds into mine. His lips travel to my neck. I tilt my head and close my eyes as warmth spreads through my body.
Brahm’s hand drops from my cheek and hovers near my chest. He whispers in my ear, “May I, um…may I touch you?”
My eyes flit across the fire, where the other three are lounging. Brahm and I chose to sit as far from them as possible. Biting my lip, I give Brahm a little grin and take his hand. I slip Brahm’s fingers under the low neckline of my dress and guide him to touch my breast. His eyes grow wide as he squeezes and caresses me. His touch sends waves of heat through my body. I kiss him some more, tugging on his twisted locks.
I go to kiss Brahm’s earlobe, but Gunther clears his throat next to us. We both crane our necks to look at the tan, muscular man as he holds Ferdinand by the shirt collar. Brahm removes his hand from my dress, and we both sit up straight.
Brahm throws his blouse back on. “What is it?” he asks between clenched teeth.
“Ferdinand has something he would like to say.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles.
Gunther shakes Ferdinand by his pink shirt and narrows his eyes. “Sorry for what?”
“Gisela, I’m sorry for attacking you yesterday and for being an asshole every day of this journey,” Ferdinand recites, staring off into the forest.
“There. Much better.” Gunther claps his back. “If we want to survive, we need to be a team. You can’t attack or say any more stupid things to the girls.”
“I know.” Ferdinand extends his hand to me with tears brimming against his eyelids. “All of this danger and death has me fucked up in the head. I’m sorry.”
Is Ferdinand being sincere, or are the tears part of his acting repertoire? I’m filled with disgust over what he did, and the thought of forgiving this creep makes my stomach turn. I should slap him, but I don’t want to give him another reason to attack me. It’s also obvious that Gunther wants everyone together as a team.
As I consider it, Brahm stares into my eyes. “It’s up to you. Forgiveness or not, I’m by your side.”
“For the sake of teamwork and survival,” I stand and grip Ferdinand’s hand as tightly as possible, “I can forgive you.” I pause to tug him close and glare into his grayish-blue eyes. “But I won’t forget. If we make it home to the valley, I never want to see you again.”
When Ferdinand shakes my hand, his face shifts ever so slightly as if he’d slipped on a mask of satisfaction. I recoil from his touch as the hairs on my neck rise in fear and sit next to Brahm.
“Good. Now let’s leave the lovers alone,” Gunther says with a chuckle and a wink. “Sorry for the interruption.”
The two of them walk away and lean against a log on the other side of the bonfire. Gunther grabs a long stick and traces it around the ashes. My cheeks, still flushed from Brahm’s touch, feel like glowing embers themselves.
“Will you snuggle with me?” Brahm whispers and opens his arms wide.
I giggle and fall into him. I definitely want to stay close to him tonight for many reasons. Brahm plays with my hair as we sit back and stare into the fire.
On the other side, Willa glides over to sit near Ferdinand and brushes a tear from his cheek. She whispers to him, but he leans away, shaking his head.
“So, you just used me to attack Gisela? Is that right?” Willa screams in his face. “You never wanted anything to do with me!”
She storms to a mossy boulder, crosses her arms over her chest and closes her eyes. Poor Willa. I thought Ferdinand liked her, too. Was everything he did an act? Why?
“So much for teamwork,” Brahm says.
I turn toward him, placing a hand on his cheek. “I truly think the only team here is you and me.”
That brings a smile to his face. “Well, I certainly have the best teammate.”
Brahm kisses me as his hand trails down the length of my hair and touches my breast again. Another hot, tingling sensation spreads through me. His hand drops and grips my thigh, reminding me of Hexegot’s odd examination of my body. My chest constricts, and I can’t kiss anymore. I stop and find his gaze.
“Brahm, when I was gone earlier…it felt real. It wasn’t just a dream or hallucination. I was on a slab in a room built out of bones. I wasn’t sure if I should tell the others, but I can tell you. Hexegot was preparing me for a ritual. She wants to possess me.”
Brahm furrows his brow and rubs his stubble, shifting his eyes around. “Possess you? Why?”
“She didn’t say.” I shake my head and press my fingers against my temples. “I don’t know what to think, but I know I don’t want to fall asleep for too long. My dreams are so strange. I’m afraid she’ll find me there.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, afraid Brahm will think I’m insane. He cups my cheeks and kisses my forehead.
“We’ll take turns sleeping then. I’ll wake you if you seem to be dreaming. Even if you do have a nightmare, know that I’m right here holding you,” he says and guides me to his chest. “You sleep first, Freckles. I got you.”
“Thank you.”
I snuggle into Brahm as he wraps his arms around me. Although I’m afraid to give in to exhaustion, I know I must rest before we have to move tomorrow. I draw in Brahm’s comforting scent with every sleepy breath.
When an icy breeze ruffles my hair, I awaken. The dead forest surrounds me, and I slap my cheek a few times, hoping to wake up from this dream, but nothing changes. I meander through the trees and vines until a scuttling sound comes from behind. I whirl around to find a cloaked girl on all fours. As she turns her face to me, the girl’s black eyes peek from under the crimson hood.
The girl scurries forward, and I nearly trip over the wild vines as I back away. She tackles me to the ground with a thud. Salivating, she heaves foul-smelling breaths and studies me.
“Find the red cloak,” she whispers and then dismounts me, backing away. “Find the red cloak. Now run!”
“What?” I scramble and push myself from the ashy ground.
Snarling and snorting, the girl’s face transforms into a snout and her hands into clawed paws. A matted fur spreads over her skin as she cranes her neck to howl. Pawing into the ashes, the wolf darts for me. I take off into a sprint, dashing into the opaque fog. The patter of her feet follows me.
“Freckles!” Brahm’s voice echoes in my ears. “Wake up!”
I run until my legs hit empty air, and I tumble down a rocky cliff.
“Freckles!”
My eyes spring open, and I’m back at our camp and in Brahm’s arms. My breathing is erratic, while a thin layer of sweat glosses my forehead. Cupping my cheek, Brahm looks at me with his thick brows slanted over drooped eyes.