Page 89 of Primal Hunger
“Do not worry about that,” I tell her. “I hold no ill feelings toward you. Tyler, on the other hand…” Rage turns my vision red, but I fight against the feeling. He is not here, and there is no reason to take my anger out on her. I swallow down the growl forming in my chest. “How did you get me into the cabin?”
She works her bottom lip between her teeth. “How much do you remember?”
I replay my last memories before losing consciousness again, straining to put the pieces together. “I remember falling and staring up at your face. You told me you loved me, and I don’t remember ever feeling so content, sohappy. If I had died, I would regret nothing,” I say. “Your face is the last thing I remember.”
She smiles, but I can swear I see tears banked in her eyes, and the thought of upsetting her hurts my heart. I’ve caused her somuch pain and torment already; the thought of making her sad is enough to tear me apart.
I want to be the reason for her happiness, not her anguish.
“I managed to slow the bleeding, and I let you rest in the forest. I brought you water, and you came to enough to walk back here,” she recounts slowly, her fingers dancing through my fur as she speaks. “I tried to help, but you’re freaking heavy, sir.”
“I walked here?” I repeat slowly, surprised by the information. I can’t recall any of that, no matter how much I prod at my memory, but there’s no other explanation. I must have managed somehow. “What happened after that?”
Her cheeks turn pink, and she glances quickly around the room. “I cleaned your wound and bandaged it the best I could. I hope you don’t mind, but I had to use your curtain.”
My eyes flick to the sunlight spilling into the room, and I shake my head. Her concern is endearing; she cares so much about how I feel. Little does she know, she could burn my house down with me inside it, and I wouldn’t care, as long as it kept her warm.
“You can use anything I have, whatever you need,” I assure her, brushing my knuckle gently along her collarbone.
“I also rearranged a little,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A smile curls her lips. “I got a bit bored after the first day.”
Panic rushes through me, and I glare at her in disbelief. “The first day? How long was I unconscious?”
The thought of her alone, completely unprotected while I slumbered away on my nest, twists my insides. Anything could have happened to her, and I wouldn’t have been able to keep her safe. If a Grim stumbled upon my home—or worse, another Ech—she could have died.
I never would have forgiven myself.
“A few days,” she says, thoughtfully. “Like I said… you worried me a couple of times, but I’m so glad you’re okay.”
She brushes her fingers gently against my maw, the touch settling some of my uncontrolled feelings, and a swell of sadness overwhelms my other thoughts.
“Thank you for tending to me. You did not have to,” I say, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her to my chest. She carefully avoids my injured side and settles into the crook of my arm. “As soon as I am able, I will help you remake your machine so you can go back home. It is clear that I cannot keep you safe here.”
She purses her lips and glares at me. “I’m not going anywhere. Do you remember what I told you?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer. “You went through all the trouble to keep me, and now you’re stuck with me. I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here… with you.”
“But what about—”
“But nothing.” She shakes her head. “I had the chance to leave, and I made my choice. This is where I want to be.”
She leans down to press a kiss to my snout, and I inhale her familiar floral scent. The gollilock is fading, so she’ll have to bathe again soon to keep her natural aroma masked, but the smell of her makes my mouth water.
I reach up to caress the curve of her ass, and she smacks my hand away.
“Absolutely not,” she scolds, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “You need to rest. No fun times until you’ve eaten and can move a bit on your own.”
My jaw falls, and I stare at her. “Should I not be rewarded for surviving? For not dying?”
Her laugh pierces the air, music to my ears, and her shoulders shake with the sound.
“Nice try, but you’re on bedrest.” She jabs a finger into my chest. “But don’t worry, there will be plenty of that when you feel better. Now, I spent all morning cooking what I hope is not a poisonous lunch, so get ready to be the judge of that.”
Chapter
Thirty
Erin
Syros drifts in and out of consciousness over the next day, despite his best attempts to stay awake. He’s worried something will show up to kidnap or eat me, but we’ve been lucky so far. Aside from the Ech he fought, there’s been no sign of any other life in the forest.
