Page 121 of Kingdom of Aramis

“Whoops, Gryff might have a bit of a headache when he wakes up. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him I bashed it into a tree.”

I mime zipping my lips, and he looks relieved.

“Come on, we’re burning daylight. At this rate, we will have to spend the night in the cabin. It’s still at least another two hours on foot to the village, and I would like to do that before the sun dips below the rift. It isn’t safe at night with the ferals and all the natural animals that live in it. We will be vulnerable on the plain.” Liam is huffing, and despite their strength, the two limp males they carry are dead weight.

I hurry to catch up to him. Trudging through the snow in human form is nowhere near as easy as it was in my tiger body. It would have taken us twice as long if we had originally been moving like that. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, when I’m breathing like a fucking racehorse and sweat is pooling between my breasts, the trees thin out, and I can see the hunter’s cabin. It’s made of dark wood that has faded with the elements, and the roof is covered in snow. I’m not sure how Micah even saw it, but I heave out a sigh of relief. I am not fit enough to traipse around in deep snow in my human form.

I look around the clearing, but there is no sign of an inhabitant and no smoke coming from the chimney, so I hurry past Liam and up two steps and knock on the door. I only wait a very small period of time before I try the handle, and when I find it unlocked, I shove the door open. A rush of stale air drifts out as I step into the dark cabin. It looks like it’s only one room, and it’s sparsely furnished. There’s a camp cot on one side, and a small rudimentary kitchen. There is another door on the other side, I wonder if there is a bathroom in here. I would like to wash thesweat and Brodie’s cum off me. I move farther in to allow room for the other two. Liam dumps Gem on the camp cot, and Brodie slides Gryffin into the armchair that is positioned in front of the fireplace.

“Well, it isn’t the Aramis Arms, that’s for sure,” Liam comments, looking around with a sneer.

“You really did luck out with having us as mates. First a cave, then a tree, and now a dingy abandoned cabin. Hopefully your other mates can make up for the lack of luxuries and romance.” Brodie winces and runs a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed.

Before I can answer, Gem groans and rolls onto his side. I hurry over to him and brush his unruly burgundy curls off his face. I feel a lump on the back of his head and scowl at Liam. “What did you hit him with?” I ask, and he shrugs.

“A branch. Don’t worry, they are fine. They will heal quickly, and neither of them will even notice once you distract them with your luscious body.” He grins lasciviously and winks. I roll my eyes.

Brodie heads into the small kitchen and digs around in the cupboards. “There are a couple of cans of beans in here. If we get the fire started, you can eat those when you get hungry. We don’t have time to hunt down something to cook.”

I wrinkle my nose at the thought of eating a rabbit or whatever else is available in the forest, and they both chuckle.

“Don’t knock it until you try it, though my bear is partial to fresh fish.” Liam turns on the tap at the sink, but the pipes groan, and nothing comes out. “Frozen solid.”

I get up when Gem doesn’t wake and peer into the other door. There is a small bathroom with a wooden tub for washing. Liam looks over my shoulder, slides past me, and grabs a wooden bucket that’s next to the tub.

“I’ll go get a couple of buckets of snow, and when Gem wakes, he can heat the water for you,” he tells me, smiling when I squeal with excitement. “Brodie, why don’t you grab some firewood? I noticed some stacked next to the cabin. Gem can also light that, so you’ll be warm.”

The guys head outside to do their jobs, and I go into the kitchen and check out the food Brodie was talking about. I grimace when I see it’s a couple of very old cans of beans, but then I remember our backpacks. Micah handed me one before he left on Hunter’s back. I hurry to where I dropped it when I came in and dig around inside, finding a couple canteens of water and some jerky. I sigh with relief and pull out a piece, chewing on it before taking a sip of cold water.

A rumbling sound has me spinning, and I find Gryffin is awake, his eyes glowing as he stares at me with animalistic hunger.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Colbie

Liam walks through the door carrying a bucket full of snow. Gryffin snarls, and Liam drops the bucket and holds his hands up.

“Easy, Gryff. We’re just going to make our mate comfortable, and then she’s all yours.” He slowly picks up the bucket and moves toward the bathroom, not taking his eyes off the aggressive shifter. Gryffin tracks him, a rumbling sound vibrating through the air as I hear Brodie come up the steps.

“Here we go, plenty of wood to keep you nice and warm. Luckily they had a tarp over it so it’s mostly dry.” He doesn’t even notice the angry shifter sitting in the chair because the pile of wood is blocking his view. He moves over to the fireplace and drops it into the wood box next to it. Gryffin snarls at him, and he squeals in surprise and jumps backward, falling on his butt.

“Gryffin, you asshole!” he shouts as he scrambles backward out of the way.

“His tiger is fully in the driver’s seat.” The voice has us all turning to find Gem sitting up on the bed, rubbing the bumpon the back of his head. “Did you have to hit me so hard?” he grumbles to Liam when he returns for another bucket of snow.

“Dude, you were burning us when we restrained you,” Liam argues. “We’re just lucky the suits are fireproof.”

“Sorry. My phoenix is unruly, and Brodie didn’t help by taking our mate away from us.”

Brodie has the grace to look ashamed, and he apologizes quietly, but Gem is staring at me with hunger in his eyes. He gets up and walks over to me, pulling me into his arms. He sniffs then tips my head to the side and stares at Brodie’s and Liam’s marks.

“I can’t wait to see my flames alongside those,” he murmurs, and my eyes widen in surprise.

“You have to burn me?” I ask, starting to feel a little nervous. Biting is one thing, but being burnt is a whole other issue.

“Sort of, but I promise you will feel nothing but pleasure,” he replies before releasing me when Gryffin snarls again as Liam walks inside with another bucket of snow.