Varek watches the whole process with thinly veiled amusement. Then, just before we set off, he surprises me. “Remember your training,” he says, voice softer than usual. “Stay safe.”
I blink, caught off-guard. Varek doesn’t do sentiment. Not really. For a second, something warm swells in my chest, and I actually consider hugging him. But before I can throw myself at him like a starving stray—which, yes, is impossible since I’m in a kink carrier—Kael growls.
Low. Deep.Possessive.
The fuck?
I glance at him in disbelief. “Oh, relax. Just because your dick is hard for my leader doesn’t mean I should be denied basic human affection.”
Kael, to his credit, looks absolutely mortified.
Varek?
Varek is fighting for his life not to laugh. “Right.” He clears his throat, lips twitching. “You two should probably get going.”
Kael doesn’t wait. He turns sharply, yanking me with him like a bag of cargo, and strides towards the exit of the cavern. Varek gives me one last look—one that makes it clear he’s definitely going to give me shit for this later. But there’s something else there too.
Something serious.
And then, just like that, we’re leaving. Leaving the safety of my home. Leaving everything I know. Finally, after all my talk, I’m actually doing something for the cause.
What the fuck was I thinking? I wanted adventure? Some grand, heroic journey? Please. I’m so far from being a hero, I’ll probably trip over my own sword and accidentally impale myself before we even make it halfway.
Well, you know, if I could be trusted to bloody well walk.
CHAPTER
SIX
“You know,I’m absolutely sure this is a kink.” Since I haven’t been able to talk for the past five hours as Kael ran with me on his back, making it impossible to speak without biting my tongue, my filter has left me. My brain’s also been jiggled around, which means all of my fucks have been bounced out of me.
Kael’s usual grunt to my verbal diarrhea, which he’s given me the past thirty minutes when he had no choice but to slow down to a walk due to the rough terrain, makes me grin. It’s fun getting to him, each grunt like a tiny victory. A confirmation that yes, I am irritating, and yes, he is suffering. If I have to endure this undignified, bouncing backpack existence, then by God, I will make it as uncomfortable for him as possible.
Kael shifts me slightly, adjusting the straps of the ridiculous harness that keeps me plastered to his back like some kind of parasitic growth. “A kink?” he finally asks, his voice a smooth, stoic calm.
I nod, which he obviously can’t see, so I make an exaggerated noise of agreement. “Oh yeah. There’s definitely some depraved bastard out there who would pay good money for this kind of treatment.”
He falls silent, which only makes it funnier.
“Seriously,” I continue, trying to stretch out my legs—because damn, they’re cramping—“some people would be so into this. Being strapped up, carried around, no control, just completely at the mercy of a big, strong Glowranth?—”
“I’m going to drop you.”
I cackle. “You won’t.”
“… I might.”
I grin against his back. “Nah. You’d feel too guilty. You’re all noble and honour-bound. I bet you’d have to do some weird Glowranth ritual of atonement if you did.”
Kael sighs, long-suffering. “Do you always talk this much?”
“Do you always grunt this much?” I counter.
This time, he doesn’t grace me with a grunt. He’s silent, his long strides carrying us forwards over rough, uneven ground. I rest my chin on his shoulder—not exactly comfortable, but I’m so past caring at this point—and let my thoughts drift.
Curiosity gets the better of me. “So, how come you speak English so well?”
Kael exhales through his nose, and I get the sense he’s choosing his words carefully. “I have always been… gifted with languages.”
