Page 59 of Ruin Me

Before I knew it, the sky was already getting dark; hours had passed since we were with the others. My hands trembled when the cold wind swept in, my clothes refusing to dry in this damp weather.

“Shit,” I muttered.

I glanced around, Malakai was still not back and it was quiet, except for my stomach that pleaded for food. Another spark, and I carefully blew on it, trying to feed it, as it ignited the wood.

Finally.

Slowly, it claimed the branches I had stacked together and by the time the flames were strong it was even darker. I sat close to it, feeding it to keep it alive.

A loud splash sounded and a wet bag landed next to me, before I saw Malakai walking out of the river.

“Only found one,” he murmured, clearly annoyed.

I began looting it, finding some food cans and water pouches. It was my bag, and luckily for us, I had been the one to buy more rations in the market before the incident.

I threw him a can that he caught with ease as he placed himself next to me by the fire.

“You think the others… are okay?” I asked carefully, not sure if I wanted an answer.

“We’ll start searching tomorrow,” he answered flatly, or was it from lack of interest? “Unless I freeze to death first.”

I cocked a brow at him. “Demons don’t die from cold.”

“How do you know?” he challenged.

I glared at him, and he sneered, taking it as a win.

“Do you know where we are?” I asked, a shiver going through my body as a wind blew past.

“Near the border.” He leaned back against a tree trunk, savoring the food, even though it tasted bland.

“Shouldn’t we put out the fire? What if mages find us?” I asked, grabbing an empty cup and filling it with water from the river.

“Then we’ll show them that you’re a mage too and they won’t hurt us.” A mischievous smirk appeared on his lips.

Why hadn’t I thought of that? Well, I hadn’t been able to before, not with the others around… but Malakai already knew about my secret.

“We could infiltrate them!” I gasped, excitement sparking inside of me. His eyes snapped to me, jaw clenched like he was actually considering my plan. “It will be dangerous.”

“When are our lives not in danger?” I rolled my eyes at him, crawling back to the flames before the chilly air had me chattering my teeth.

“The cold is making you blue,” he pointed out, arching a brow. He sighed, patting the ground between his legs. “Come here.”

My eyes widened. “No.”

“Wasn’t a question.”

“Good, because it’s not an option,” I hissed.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, brows furrowed in irritation. His free hand snapped his fingers and bloodswirled out of nowhere, into thin threads catching me in a net. I struggled against it, but my body wouldn’t move as it pulled me closer to him, placing me between his legs.

“Let. Me. Go!” I barked, baring my teeth at him like an animal.

“Stop fighting,” he said, voice low and almost bored, but his grip on the blood-thread tightened, just enough for me to feel it pulsing, warm and alive against my skin. “You’ll freeze out here. I don’t feel like dragging your corpse through the forest tomorrow.”

“Then leave me here,” I spat. “Wouldn’t that make your life easier?”

He leaned in until I could feel the heat radiating from him, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Maybe,” he murmured. “But you’re not going to make me that lucky.”