It took two jumps to reach the edge of my mental map of the Spring Court. Winnowing two people was exhausting and I was beginning to feel the effects of too many nights worrying about this trip coupled with the strain from my injuries from the arena. Each time I dragged us deeper into the deep woods of Spring felt like a fierce wind was pushing me back, tearing into every fiber of my being like it could blow me away into the vacuum that surrounded us.
When the world returned to bright green focus around us, I stumbled back away from Stryker to keep myself from leaning fully against him to catch my breath. Things were already muddled enough between us, I didn't need to add more physical interactions into the mix. We needed to keep this as professional as possible to avoid unnecessary complications.
Despite my efforts, the muscles of my stomach twitched in surprise when gentle fingers grazed the sensitive skin through the fabric of my shirt, finding the long red line left behind by Gorre's knife unerringly. Stryker's dark head leaned closer to me, eyes running over the lines of my face as though he could see past it into my mind. "Are you alright?"
I blinked, trying not to think about how close - and how alone - we were.
Then my stupid, ridiculous eyes drifted down to the curve of his lips, only a few inches away from mine. Instantly the air around us felt charged with electricity and the concern in his eyes seemed to melt into wicked heat.
"Aria," Stryker purred, moving close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body through my clothes. Something about the way he said my name was almost...indecent. Like I was suddenly naked and bare in a pile of soft silks instead of in the middle of the woods.
He reached a slow hand out to run his fingers through the dark curls at the nape of my neck, wrapping them around his fist until my face instinctively tilted upward towards his. Our breaths mingled in a rush and my body clenched in anticipation of discovering just what he tasted like, what kinds of sounds he would make when I finally…
Finally what?
I blinked and blinked again, feeling like my body and brain were fighting an internal battle to decide just how this moment ended. Dragging air into my lungs, I took an abrupt step back, hoping the distance would help remind my body that this was not the time to be imagining what Stryker would look like naked.
Mother's tits - we were in the middle of enemy territory and all I could think about was how easy it would be to drag up the hem of his shirt and explore the muscular chest I'd watched from afar on Frey's ship.
Clearing my throat, I gestured vaguely to the woods around us, cheeks warm. "We should be a mile or so from the Wall."
Slowly - making no attempt to pretend like he wanted to - Stryker released his hold on my hair and looked around us. "Let's get moving then."
He walked confidently into the trees along a game path with barely a sound to give away his position, hands tucked in his pockets. Nothing about his demeanor hinted at any reaction to what had just, almost, happened. Damn him. I followed a little more cautiously, trying to get my raging hormones under control. The same hormones that made me want to press Stryker into the soft moss under my boots and have my way with him.
To just damn the consequences and be selfish.
The woods around us shared none of my internal struggle. Moments after we winnowed into the small clearing I'd marked the last time I was passing through, the birds were already calling to each other from the branches over head. The peaceful sounds of the woods enveloped the space around us until I could feel the solitude settle over us like a blanket.
Unlike the reds and browns of the plains of Hybern, the Spring Court was almost painfully bright. Soft green leaves trapped in a perpetual new bloom sprouted out of the dark tree branches and the air was heavy with the scent of pollen and honeysuckles. White flowers trailed along the treetops on pale vines, feeding the birds and bugs that moved around them like a living cloud.
It was...overwhelming.
I didn't enjoy how much cover the leafy bushes and dense forests could give the predators that roamed Prythian. I missed the winds of the plains that had been my friends for so long. The green felt blinding and the scent of flowers was so strong that it washed out my ability to scent anything useful. My fingers drifted to where I'd tucked away my weapons, counting and recounting the familiar shapes on inner and outer sheathes.
"Relax," Stryker murmured and I jerked my head up to find him watching me from a few feet away, "I'll be able to sense someone before they're able to even see us."
"How do I know you wouldn't just help them kill me?" I grumbled irritably, embarrassed that he could see through me so easily.
Immediately I regretted the sharp words when the softness in his eyes was replaced by the same cool indifference I'd received the first days he was in camp. An apology hovered on my tongue, trying to press pass the lips that pride kept closed.
"I'm getting really tired of you accusing me of betrayal, mate," he growled.
"Don't call me that."
Green eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why? It's the truth."
"The bond isn't complete."
"Only because you're too afraid of acknowledging it."
I gritted my teeth, feeling my temper surge. "I'm not afraid of you."
"Is that why you run away any time I get close to you?" Stryker snarled, moving close enough that we were in a mockery of our position earlier. "Or were you lying when you said you'd give this a chance?"
"I don't run from anything."
"Is it another male that has you hesitating?" He pressed and I opened my mouth on a wordless sound of surprise. "Is it Jace?"
Surprise turned to outrage. "Wha - No! Of course not!"
"Because he's human?"
"Because he's Jace!"
We stared at each other for a long moment, both struggling to rein in our tempers before the sound of our argument attracted any of the countless predators that roamed the Spring Court. I often thought that the High Lord of Spring let the beasts flourish here because it gave him an additional line of defense against any one stupid enough to trespass on his lands. I'd never seen the new Lord of Spring, but he appeared to follow his father's methods in that way at least.
Once silence fell between us, I could make out the barest hum in the air. I held up a finger to Stryker, silencing the accusation on his lips, and gestured for him to listen too. The noise was less of a tangible sound now that I focused on it and more of sensation that remained a steady, monotone pulse in the back of our minds.
The Wall.
Argument set aside for now, we moved closer to the sound until it was a distracting drone and the animals around us thinned out in favor of more pleasant areas of the woods. At least, the prey animals did. I found more than one piece of evidence that the nastier denizens of the wood ventured this close to the Wall.
Eventually that press of magic became so intense each step felt like they were forcing their way through a thick mud and silt. My mind felt dull and filled with cotton the closer we got until my extended hand finally pressed against a solid block in the empty air in front of me. It was disconcerting to be able to see birds and wildlife continuing as though nothing was wrong ten feet in front of us when I knew we wouldn't be able to go any further. The first brush of skin against the Wall had me jerking my hand back at the unpleasant burst of electricity jolted up my arm.
Stryker stopped beside me, looking speculative. "I've never seen a barrier like this."
"Cauldron magic is a strange thing," I agreed.
Instead of moving down the length of the Wall to begin mapping, I stepped closer to the invisible barrier and took a deep breath. Before I could hesitate, I pressed my hand against the space, gritting my teeth against the uncomfortable sensation and tried to force my hand to move through it.
The unpleasant hum of energy grew to an uncontrollable tremor that settled deep into my bones until it was an effort to keep my teeth from chattering. I heard Stryker make a rough sound but was forced to ignore it in favor of channeling my magic deep into my veins to try to push back against the Wall's magic. My hand twitched in the empty space in front of us, moving like I was trying to force my way through a thick gelatin.
"Aria!" Stryker said sharply but I shook my head distractedly, leaning my weight into my hand to try to push deeper.
There was a sharp scent of ozone a moment before a massive force slamming into me, throwing me back several feet until my back slammed into one of the massive trees nearby. I coughed, shaking my head to dispel the dark spots at the edge of my vision.
Stryker crouched down next to me, looking frustrated. "That was a foolish risk." Despite his tone, his hands were gentle as they ran over my arms and legs, checking for injuries.
"I had to no if the spellwork had flaws."
"By getting yourself thrown halfway across the clearing?"
I shrugged, brushing away his hands so I could get to my feet. "We'll have to see if there's another way through. Maybe there are breaks in the barrier."
He grunted, but didn't argue when I put us on a path that ran mostly parallel to the consistent buzz of magic that marked the Wall's boundary. Even if he was a ridiculous flirt, Stryker was a decent traveling companion and I appreciated the stealthy way he moved through the woods, leaving no trace that couldn't be explained by an animal's passage through the undergrowth. If I didn't know he was from the Night Court, I'd think he grew up in this area of Prythian.
It was slow going - the only way to track the Wall's path was by the 'sound' of it and my head was throbbing by the time light began to fade through the leafy branches overhead.
"We should find some shelter before dark," I said, breaking what must have been hours of silence between us.
Gods, I wasn't ready to be alone with him at night.
Stryker gestured ahead of us, unaware of my sudden trepidation. "I think there's a break in the trees ahead, maybe we can find something there."
I nodded, trying to get my racing heart under control and let him lead the way toward the clearing ahead. Thoughtfully, I frowned at his back as we walked. "How do you know there's a break in the trees?"
"I can hear the animals reacting to it," he replied casually, tapping his forehead in explanation as to how he managed that feat.
"I didn't think daemati could hear animal thoughts?"
"We can't - not really, at least. I can just feel them moving around us."
No wonder he was so quiet all day - it would take a tremendous amount of concentration to be able to focus on so much at once. Guilt rose, twisting my gut when I realized why he was going through so much trouble to scan the woods around us.
"I'm sorry...about what I said before," I finally said, "You've been true to your word and it wasn't fair to question your honor like that." He turned, staring at me with eyes only a few shades darker than the shrubs around us and said nothing. Awkwardly, I cleared my throat and tried to sound confident and focused - not like I was distracted by the way the dying sun highlighted the strong lines of his face. "Looks like you were right - there's some sort of old building here."
Brushing past him, I crept closer to the stone structure standing silent and unlit in the small clearing in the woods. There was no sign of any recent trails through this area so I took a few silent steps closer and peered in through one of the narrow windows. The air was stale inside and sunlight and vines trailed through an opening left in the roof when one of the rotten beams must have collapsed. Lucky that the walls were made of cut stone so the damage appeared limited. Simple wooden furnishings were upturned and overgrown by the encroaching woods around us.
"Looks like it's abandoned," I called to Stryker and pushed the door open carefully.
It creaked out a protest but didn't fall in. Inside was a mess of dust and a hint of a familiar smell that explained the disrepair of the simple home.
Not abandoned, lost.
A simple search found the pile of bones beside the thin cot. The body was too decayed for me to tell what the cause of death was, though closer inspection showed teeth marks along the bleached white of the femur and rib cage. I muttered a soft apology before I gathered what was left of the cabin's owner in a ratty piece of tablecloth left on the small hand-carved table and moved them outside.
While I disposed of the body, Stryker got to work clearing away some of the debris so we would have a space to eat our rations and sleep. One look at the tiny cot in the corner had my stomach twisting in anxious knots.
Was I alarmed by spending the night with my mate, or intrigued?
"Um...I can take first watch if you want to get some sleep," I offered, "I got a nap in while we were on the ship." Avoiding his gaze, I started to dig through my pack, searching for the thin loaves of bread and cheese I'd stored there.
"Why did you do it?"
Something in his voice made me pause and turn back to face him, brows furrowed. "Do what?"
"Save me."
I went still, mind instantly going back to the moment I'd seen them dragging him out onto the arena sands. Even after all these years watching the slave bouts and countless punishments, I'd never felt a gut wrenching panic and need before.
"You didn't deserve what they were going to do to you," I finally murmured, checking to ensure my shields were intact.
Truth was, I still wasn't sure why I'd stepped in that day. Something in me had just snapped at the idea that this stranger was going to die right in front of me if I didn't.
Stryker raked his fingers through his unruly brown hair and I felt my own twitch with the urge to see if it was as silky as it looked. "I-" he cut himself off and stared up at me, something dark in his eyes, "-I tried to murder one of your generals."
"If you weren't from Prythian, they probably would have congratulated you," I pointed out with a weak smile. He didn't respond so I took a step closer, crouching down so we were eye level. "Why does it matter? You're alive and you'll be free by the end of the year."
"I heard you."
I frowned, "What?"
"That day. I heard you speaking to me," he repeated.
"I didn't-" I began, but Stryker leaned forward, looking intense, "They drugged me, you know? Drugged me with so many poisons that I couldn't tell what was real and what was just a nightmare created by the torture. It made it impossible to keep my mental shields intact."
I held my breath, watching the pain of those memories move over his face.
"It was sheer luck that I didn't know anything useful because Dagdan and Brannagh walked through my mind like I was a human," He took a shuddering breath and I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from touching him, comforting him. "When they were...done, they sent me out to the arena so the 'troops could have some fun.'"
"You don't have to tell me this," I whispered, but he shook his head.
"You should know. You should know that when they dragged me out into the sands and chained me to that post, I had nothing left to protect my mind from the onslaught of thoughts from every soldier gathered there. All their hate, bloodlust, and excitement was drowning me. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think."
"Stop," I choked out, fingers clenching in his shirt. I could feel his heartbeat there, pounding beneath my fingertips and I was suddenly afraid. Afraid of what would happen when the truth of what was between us was realized.
Stryker's eyes blazed up at me, hot and wild, "No."
So I stood, trying to put enough space between that I could breathe, drag air into my lungs and remember what that I'd placed these barriers in place for a reason. Feelings were a weakness and weaknesses get you killed.
One step. Then another, until my body felt cold and lonely without him close.
Then he was moving, crowding close until I was forced to step back or sink into the heat of him. The rough stone of the wall behind me brushed my back and I was forced to stand still, staring up at him. Fighting the urge to run before it was too late.
"Don't give up," he whispered, reciting my own thoughts back to me, "Don't let them win." Our breath mingled and I stared at him helplessly, unable to summon the strength to push him away. "It was you that kept me sane. You, Aria-you saved me."
Stryker is absolutely lethal when he puts his mind to it. Poor Aria doesn't know what she's in for... :) Out of curiosity, which of my male OC's are y'all enjoying the most? The sweet Jace? The flirty and flamboyant Frey? Rhone's blunt and utterly devoted love for his mate? Or are you a fan of Stryker's charms?
