A twig snapped nearby. Abby jumped up, her gaze searching in the direction of the cliff where Alrik had disappeared behind. She held her breath as her heart thumped in her chest. She despised the jumpy feeling she got every time Alrik left her. Her instincts were on full alert, preparing her body for fight or flight mode. She recognized it which only made her eyes widen further to see what had made that noise.

The sound of leaves rustling came and then Alrik stepped around the bend of the cliff. Her breath wheezed out of her in a long rush, and she collapsed on the rock as her muscles relaxed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked his voice curt.

Abby sighed and pushed herself back up. When she looked at him her breath caught in her throat. He was shirtless, again, and very wet. His hair was slicked back over a set of broad, hard shoulders. Water dripped down his chest and dampened the top of his pants. He must have just done a quick wash and pulled his pants on. Saliva pooled on her tongue.

“Abbigail?”

Her gaze met his eyes which were dark again. Well, they were always dark, but they had fire to them now as they did after he’d kissed her. Breathing suddenly became a difficult task as her chest squeezed tight.

“You startled me, that’s all.”

“Pull your gaze away, Abbigail.” It was a command. God, his voice sounded so deep and husky.

Easier said than done though she didn’t say so. She couldn’t help but be fascinated with the hard play of muscles on his chest. They looked soft to the touch yet hard at the same time. She found herself wanting to run her fingers over his stomach and find out which it was.

“What are you doing?”

The edge in his voice brought her gaze up to his again. His eyes were wide, his body language tense. It was then she realized she’d gotten up and started walking to him. She stood only a few feet away and had no recollection of moving.

She swallowed and looked back at the rock she’d just been sitting on then down to the ground where she stood. His question left her fumbling. How did she explain that she’d wanted to touch him so badly that she’d just marched right on over to him without even realizing she was doing it? That couldn’t be explained without horrible implications on her part. So, she said something else.

“I like your chest.”

Oh my god! her mind screamed. What the hell did I just say? A hot blush crept over her cheeks. “I mean…” her eyes followed a droplet of water sitting in the hollow shell at his collarbone. He moved a little and the drop went running down his chest and over one hard, defined pectoral muscle. Between her legs, she grew tight and hot.

Alrik eyed her warily then pulled his wet shirt on over his head. The shirt clung to him in ways that fascinated her. It fit along his arms like a second skin, showing to perfection his cut biceps. What a shame, though, to cover such beauty.

“Perhaps you are tired. Did you eat?”

“No, no I didn’t.” She’d been too lost in her thoughts.

He shook his head at her and grabbed the food off the ground, shoving it in her hand. “You’ll eat as we walk. We have to get moving while it’s still light out.”

“Why is your shirt wet?” She couldn’t help but ask. The wet shirt clinging to him bugged her. He’d come back without it on, yet it was wet. As his dark eyes narrowed on her, she knew she must be steadily making a fool out of herself.

He grabbed his supplies and sheathed his swords over his back. “I washed it.”

“Oh.” Of course he did. The idea of him soaping his own clothes in a cold lake made her smile. He cut a look to her catching it.

“What?” He sounded defensive.

Her lips twitched. “I didn’t know you could do laundry. Bet you miss your slaves for that.”

His gaze dimmed and she knew she’d said something he didn’t like. “Slaves didn’t do my laundry but servants did. Let’s move.”

Abby couldn’t hide her frown. She’d meant it as a joke but obviously she’d messed up and insulted him. Great, just what she needed. She didn’t know whether to apologize or let it be so she chose the latter.

On their hike through the dense forest, Abby took in her surroundings and nibbled at her cold dried meat. The meat reminded her of beef jerky, one of her favorite snack foods. The futhorc meat wasn’t quite that tasty though. It had a chewy texture and it was cold which made it hard to bite into and even harder to swallow. She swore if she ever got back to her normal life she’d appreciate life so much more, even little things like beef jerky.

“What’s up with the bushes?” she asked.

He grunted. “What of them?”

She nodded at a yellow bush. “You said not to go near them. Why?”

He shrugged, jostling the swords on his back. She liked walking a few paces behind him because he walked so much faster than she did which gave her the opportunity to take time to admire his body without him knowing it. It was sneaky but worth it. The man had a backside just begging to be nibbled.

He sounded frustrated at having to answer her. “Gringum the plant with the bright yellow leaves is contagious. One touch will leave you with a rash that brings fever and rupturing boils. Gargum the dark yellow bush causes hallucinations if inhaled, and gumrosh, the red bush, is most lethal of all. If eaten, you’ll die from its poison.”

Abby’s eyes widened as she eyed the plants and mentally thanked Alrik for walking them far around them. “So how far until we reach this rogue camp you were talking about?” They had to be closer. They’d reached the lake last night, and he said it they only had some miles left to go from there.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if they’re still there. They could have moved on long ago.”

“And what is it you hope to get from them if you do find them?” She felt it more then saw it—the tension radiating from him.

“Supplies,” he said shortly.

His odd response didn’t go unnoticed but she didn’t know what to make of it. The man could get tense from the smallest things. Who knew what went on in that mind of his.

“The things I would do for a bar of soap and a change of clothes,” she sighed.

Angry dark eyes cut to hers immediately stamping out her little daydream of getting a sweet smelling bar of soap. “You need only what I get you and nothing else.”

O-kay. Well, it’s gonna be a long day, Abby decided. Mr. Tight-Lipped wasn’t being any fun at all. She had the urge to grab his face and plant a big fat kiss on him just to see what he’d do.

The day trudged on and still they walked. The forest grew denser so that some trees stood only a foot apart from one another and they had to squeeze in between the trunks. After some time, they walked out of the dense forest and into an area where trees grew further and further apart.

The light had just started fading from the sky. Unlike on the earthen-side when the sun went down some light still lingered from the moon, here in the rift, it stayed quite dark. Not completely dark, some hazy pinkish glow still shone from somewhere far in the distance, but it was hardly enough to see where you were walking. Abby hated walking at night.

They walked on until they stepped out of the forest and came into an open vista. They stopped so he could examine the area, and she took the opportunity to catch her breath.

The land looked to go on forever. Yet, unlike on the earthen-realm where light poles and electrical lines staked across the country alongside houses, developments and cities filling in the every inch of land, this was on open unused piece of earth that flowed up and down in rolling hills and rocky crevices. Towards the right a steep hill rose, almost as tall as a mountain but not quite.

“We’ve made it,” he said.

Abby frowned. “This is it? Where are the rogue demons then?” She stepped up beside him so she could read his expression. She’d expected a camp or houses or anything. He didn’t look happy. A frown marred his lips, and his eyes were tense with thought.