The figure removes the cape from their head. Relief floods my stomach.

Killian raises a brow, his head tilting to the side as a taunting grin marks his lips. "Lost?"

Even Killian's mocking grin doesn't deter the sense of relief that washes over me at his presence. I lower the dagger, grip on the hilt still tight as he moves closer through the trees towards me.

"How did you find me?" I ask.

"Freya, I lived amongst humans for months undetected, disguised myself as a deserter, the very people who would butcher me if they found out my real identity." He stops a few feet away, eyes raking down the length of my body, torturously. "Did you really think you'd be able to track me without my knowledge?"

I narrow my eyes. "You knew I was following you?"

"It only took me about twenty minutes to realise," he says with a raised brow. "Remind me to teach you how to be more discrete sometime."

"Twenty minutes?" I repeat, incredulous. I've been walking for more than 12 hours now. "Why didn't you stop me? Force me to go back?"

"I always thought you should've come. Myers is more likely to talk if you're there, after all. But Sanaa didn't think it was worth the risk." He takes a second to observe me, eyes raking across my face. "Besides, I personally think you're safest where I can keep an eye on you."

My heart skips a beat. "You think it wasn't safe for me back there?"

"Oh you'd be fine," he says. "But you've become much too good at stealing weapons without people noticing. I figured it wasn't long before you stabbed someone for looking at you the wrong way. And I'd rather be there when that happened. You know, to diffuse the tension."

"Right." I narrow my eyes at him. Though I'm beyond grateful it was Killian I stumbled across, I can't help but be infuriated by his arrogance. "And what would Sanaa think of you letting her 'investment' leave?"

He frowns at the word 'investment'. "By the time she would've noticed, it would've been too late to do anything about it anyway."

"You're not afraid I'm going to run away?"

"To where?" he asks. "Do you even know where you are?"

"I--" I cut off, looking around myself. The truth is, I have no clue where we are. If Killian hadn't found me when he did, I'd probably be mid-mental breakdown due to the fact that I was completely, utterly lost. "No."

Killian takes a step closer. Rain runs in rivulets down the hood of his cape, the occasional drop sliding down his nose. "Come on," he says. "Let's get you out of this rain."

He doesn't wait for me to follow, turning around and heading in the opposite direction I'd been walking. I hold my arms above my head when the rain starts to seep through the cape, only lowering them once we reach the mouth of a tall cave, carved into the sife of a large cliff face. Inside, the horses Lei and Killian left on stand just beyond the entrance, chewing on the grass edging the entrance of the cave where the earth transitions to rock.

Despite the darkness inside, an orange glow stretches around the corner. I follow Killian, halting only once we reach Lei hunched over a small fire, her cape laid out on the stone beside it. She pauses to look up at us.

"Freya," she greets, "nice of you to finally join us. How was the walk?"

My cheeks burn. I feel like a fool, creeping after them for the past twelve hours, admiring my tracking abilities when they knew I was there all along.

"Fine," I say coolly.

She reaches inside one of the saddlebags and hands me an apple. "Here, you must be starving."

I take it graciously, all but moaning as I take a bite of the apple. On the other side of the cave, Killian shrugs off his cape and drapes it over a rock. Beneath it, his dark shirt sticks to his chest like a second skin. I can't seem to drag my gaze away. He may as well not be wearing anything at all. Every muscled curve of his chest and abdomen is on display as he turns back to us.

I avert my gaze to the ground, staring at a rock as if its the most interesting thing I've ever seen.

"You should rest," Lei says as she leans back, putting her hands behind her head and stretching her long legs before her. "We'll start moving again as soon as the rain passes."

I shuffle closer to the flames, stretching my fingers out. "How far away are we from Veymaw?"

"About two days ride," she says, "one and a half depending on our pace, which will be much faster when we don't have to accommodate for a certain someone on foot behind us."

I shoot her a glare, but she just laughs, leaning over to pull a piece of cloth from the bag to cover her face. "We'll meet up with some others tomorrow before we reach Veymaw."

This pikes my interest. "Who?"

"Some of our scouts," Killian says. "They've been keeping an eye on the area in case there are any updates with Ereon. The reinforcements will be nice, just in case."

Letting out a shaky breath, I try to ignore Killian as he moves about the cave, rifling through the saddlebags before settling across from me, back leaning against the wall of the cave.

I shiver, pulling my knees up to my chest. "You should take the cape off," he suggests. "With it so wet, you'll never warm up."

"I'm fine."

He doesn't say anything for a few moments. His gaze rests on my face, warmer than the flames. "If you get hypothermia and die, that would really put a damper on our travel plans."

"For goodness sake." I shrug the cape off, yanking my arms from the sleeves like a disgruntled child before shooting a pointed look to Killian. "Happy?"

"Delighted."

I shoot him a glare, adjusting myself to lie down on the floor of the cave, using one of the packs as a makeshift pillow. "If you knew I was following you from the start, why didn't you just tell me and save me the 12 hour walk?"

"Because, Freya, you have an annoying habit of doing the opposite of what I say. And I wouldn't put it past you to head back the way you came if I'd invited you along." He raises an eyebrow. "Am I wrong?"

He's not, and he knows it. "Do you ever get tired of being such an arrogant prick?"

"Never. It's my one pleasure in life."

"What a sad life."

"I think you'll find--"

"Would you two shut up?" Lei says, suddenly sitting up. "I'm trying to get some sleep here, and you're supposed to be on watch, Killian."

"Sorry, Lei," Killian says. "Would you prefer a lullaby instead? How about shengi?"

She flips him off. He laughs, pushing to his feet and brushing his hands on his trousers. The fire casts his shadow on the cave wall behind him, making him appear three times larger than he is. He casts a glance towards me, dark eyes capturing mine.

"Get some rest," he says. "You'll need it."

***

The rain doesn't last longer than a couple of hours, and before I know it, the fire is extinguished, Lei is awake, and all their belongings are stacked back in the saddlebags at the horses sides.

I didn't sleep a wink, and not for lack of trying. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw things I didn't want to see--that infected shifter, my father with his heart on the floor, Elora's wicked grin. Staring at the roof of the cave was easier, listening to the rain fall outside and trying to ignore the fact that Killian was just around the corner.

Lei launches herself onto the smaller horse, reaching back to tie her sleek hair into a small bun at the nape of her neck. Killian casts a glance over his shoulder at me from where he's fiddling with a latch on the saddlebag.

"You ever ridden a horse before?" he asks.

I shake my head. We had horses in Veymaw, but they were mostly used to transport the heavy machinery used by the harvesters. I glance up at the horse, swallowing the lump in my throat.

It's black coat shimmers beneath the protruding sun, tousled, wild mane brushing the length of its neck. It watches me too, eyes the same colour as Killian's. Nerves bubble in my stomach. I can't even see over its back; its height rivals Killian.

"Here." Killian kneels at its side. "Put your hand on the top of the saddle and step on my knee. You'll need to use momentum to launch your leg over the other side."

I hesitate.

"We don't have all day," Lei calls. "What're you waiting for?

I bite my tongue. The only thing more embarrassing than being afraid of a horse is letting somebody else witness it. I step towards Killian, following his instruction by reaching up to grab the top of the saddle. My arms only just manage to grapple it. Biting the inside of my cheek, I put one foot on Killian's thigh.

One.

Two.

I launch myself up and over it's back, managing to grapple on its side. It takes several seconds of maneuvering before I'm balanced on the saddle, legs on either side and hands still gripping the top. I turn to look down at Killian, stomach wobbling. The ground seems so far away.

"That wasn't so bad."

He returns my grin with one of his own and, without warning, mounts himself onto its back. I yelp in surprise when his body presses against mine, leaping forward to create space between us.

"What're you doing?" I ask in alarm.

"What?" Killian asks, voice dangerously close behind me. "Did you think I was going to walk and you'd ride for the first time all by yourself?"

"I..." I didn't think. I was too occupied with the fear of riding a horse, I never considered that there were only two horses in the first place. "I just..."

I glance over my shoulder at him and then immediately regret my decision. He's less than a foot away, dark eyes drinking me in. The angled planes of his face up this close make me think of how he'd looked in the shadows of the alcove in the palace, after we'd kissed. My cheeks burn.

"Problem?" he asks. I shake my head, swallowing. "Good, then move back onto the saddle."

I glare at the small space in front of him. "I will not."

"You're sitting on Fluffy's neck, Freya."

"Fluffy?"

"That's the horse's name."

"I figured. You called it Fluffy?"

"You have a problem with the name?"

"Samu named his pet rat Fluffy. It's the most cliché name for an animal."

Lei wrinkles her nose. "Your brother had a pet rat? And he called it Fluffy?"

"As interesting as that is," Killian says, ignoring her, "you still can't sit on Fluffy's neck. We start walking and I give it ten seconds before she bucks us both off."

If there's anything that will get me to move, it's that. Shuffling backwards until I'm back on the saddle, I direct my gaze forward. Lei looks away and softly digs her heels into her horse's side, guiding it forward. My entire body tenses when Killian leans forward to take hold of the reins, his arms coming around me.

I can feel the warmth of his body behind me. His arms brush mine, burning even through the fabric of both our sleeves. I stay pinstraight as he clicks Fluffy forward, my body jostling atop the horse as I grip the saddle for dear life.

"Just relax, Freya," he murmurs from behind me. "It'll be a much more pleasant experience, I promise."

"There's nothing pleasant about this," I say through gritted teeth.

"You know as soon as we pick up the pace, you'll fall straight off."

I ignore him. He nudges me backwards with his left arm. I tense.

"Do that again and I'll stab you in the thigh," I threaten. "I'm perfectly comfortable right now."

He chuckles. "Sure you are."

"I'm serious."

He doesn't say anything as we guide through the trees, pace slow. Ahead, Lei's horse creates a path through the dense forest, trodding down the shrubs.

I try to ignore the warmth emanating from Killian's body, as well as the urge to relax backwards into his hold. I can't deny that his presence provides a sense of security. It always has, right from the day he stumbled across me in the forest as I was sneaking back from a training with Casimir. That hasn't changed, at least.

But there's an uneasiness in his presence, too. I know Killian won't hurt me. I know he'll protect me, and he's more than capable of it too. The unease stems from the repression of my unrequited feelings.

The snarky comments, the arrogance and mocking smiles--they're reminiscent of how things were before. Before I knew the truth about what Killian is, before he betrayed me, before I discovered that it was all a lie. And it's unsettling. I want to hate him. I want to mean it when I say I don't care about him, when I say I don't want to know him. But I can't.

And leaning back into his embrace certainly won't help. Even if it is just for the sake of riding a horse more comfortably.

We ride that way for the next hour, Killian's arms around me, his thighs occasionally brushing mine while I clutch the front of the saddle, every muscle in my body tensed as to keep a few inches of distance between his chest and my back. And every muscle aches with the effort.

But as the forest becomes more sparse and opens up to a narrow trail, up ahead, Lei's horse picks up into a trot. I get very little warning before Fluffy does the same.

"Woah." I yelp, nearly losing my balance as she jolts me up and down. Completely against my will, I jolt back right into his chest. His arms close around me, trapping me there.

"There." Killian murmurs, voice low. "Was that so bad?"

"Yes," I lie.

I clench my thighs around the horse as his warmth settles around me. He's so much taller than me, my head just reaching his shoulder. Every inch of his body pressed against mine is solid.

My breath hitches in my throat as he ducks his head to my ear, breath brushing across my neck. "Well hold on, because it's about to get a whole lot worse."

That's all the warning I get before Fluffy kicks into a canter. The force of it presses me into Killian's body so strong I couldn't even move if I tried.