I shoved her away but she stubbornly returned.
“I’m not letting you go, Vik. You promised me we would make it back home. We are going home!” she told me firmly against my back and her warmth began to combat the chill.
Inés had that effect on me. In the darkest of moments where my sanity threatened to leave, she anchored me back to reality. She reminded me of why I needed to keep fighting.
“Inés…” I choked out, still in grief over Ares’ death.
“Shhh… I got you. It’ll be okay. Just come back to me,” she pleaded.
I let the tears fall and wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand before they could freeze over from this cold. Taking a deep breath in and out, I raised my head and looked at her.
She stared back at me with worry in her brow but not condemnation as I would have assumed. I had not been the best of company since we escaped the dungeon, my mind fracturing upon simple triggers, but yet she steadily remained by my side.
I saw her differently then. The blood splatters on the goggles couldn’t distort the truth that was right in front of me.
I needed her, just as much as she needed me and she knew it. I was the only one too blind to see it.
She cradled my face and a new source of heat burned within me. I jerked my face away not wanting to confront it just yet and got to my feet.
Clearing my throat, I made sure all our weapons were retrieved and that the bag on my back was still secure.
In silence, we began walking in the direction of home using the position of the sun as our compass. The cold whipped against our exposed skin but we wouldn’t be able to survive another night like last night, not without shelter.
I didn’t need Inés to hate me, so I grabbed her hand as I led her away from Lashrose Rise’s mountain face back to warmer climates. Hours passed before we could feel the dramatic change of temperature enough for us to stop huddling together so tightly as we walked.
The walk was grueling and we had to take multiple breaks to rest our feet. Luckily we didn’t run into any more beasts. Our bodies were too exhausted to fight off another one. The food we ate during our stay at the cave kept us motivated and moving.
This mask helped me remember what I endured for those months and my new purpose. The bag of skulls on my back was a constant reminder that what had tried to kill us was no match for what I had become.The Reaper.
Resting on a boulder, letting the sun’s rays warm us from above, I turned to look at Inés.
“You doing alright over there?” I asked.
I watched as she tilted her head and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I can hang in there. Are you doing alright? Your feet—”
“Is fine,” I cut her off, taking my eyes off her. She didn’t need to remind me about what I constantly felt. Though the bloodsucking bitch drained my infection out once or twice, the throbbing pain was still there. I would need to keep it cleaned out and drained when we got back to Black Hollow. Toenails grew back, but necrotic tissue, not so much.
I stood up and groaned. My ribs ached, but a tight wrap and rest would help that. Feelings of hope and a better tomorrow coursed through me.
“Come on,” I told her, sticking my palm out for her to take.
She bit her lip the way she always did and then smiled. It made my cock jump for the first time in what felt like forever. The simple joy on her face, knowing we were close to home, was enough for me.
She grabbed my hand and I pulled her up off the boulder she was sitting on.
“The farther we get away from that damn mountain, the better,” she mumbled.
I chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze.
“We shouldn’t be far from home.”
“How can you tell?” she asked curiously.
I looked over my shoulder and smirked at her. “When you go on enough missions, you learn a thing or two.”
We weaved through densely packed woods and listened to the soft crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
“Well, I would have more experience if you would have just let me join you all on a mission.”
