Chapter Eight
Colton went from a deep sleep to instantly awake when Awan moved away from him. He sat up and held his breath when he saw Awan stand with his sword in his hand. The pointy end was down, but he faced the door as if waiting for someone to come through.
Someone had stoked the fire while they were sleeping because the flames licked around two logs that hadn’t been there before. Pieces of the log glowed orange, and some of the flames already ate at places, turning it to ash.
Awan walked over to Novak and knelt beside him, shaking his shoulders. Novak came awake with a start, ready to fight. His eyes looked reptilian, and he hissed as he nearly pushed Awan away.
Colton sucked in a breath and held it when it looked as if Awan and Novak would fight.
He learned quickly that he had pegged the situation wrong when Awan spoke. "Voices coming from outside the door."
Awan's words sank in with slow dread. Colton threw off the blanket and stood.
Novak did the same only he sniffed, his forked tongue flicking at the air. When the tongue rolled back into his mouth, he spoke as if everything were normal. "Three. One woodland elf. Two sluaghs. Outside."
Awan nodded and turned to the door without another word.
Colton grabbed Awan's coat off their pallet and closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Awan from behind, laying his cheek against his shoulder. Awan's free hand came up, covering his, and patted him. "I must see to the threat."
"I know. Just..." Colton moved back enough to put the coat around Awan's shoulders. "It might be cold out, and besides, you look bad ass with it and a sword."
"Bad ass is good?"
Colton smiled and waited for Awan to put it on. "Very sexy."
Awan turned to face him, kissing him on the forehead. "Stay here."
Colton nodded. As much as he wanted to protest and be brave enough to go out there with fists raised, he knew he'd only cause Awan more worry. Besides, battling was what Awan did best. Not that Colton knew what a good warrior looked like, but Awan had won up to that point.
Colton's older brother went into the military. He came home once right after basic and Colton remembered him standing differently. Watchful for danger even out of battle. Awan stood the same way.
Once Boone joined, he hadn't made it home very often. Colton hadn't seen him in years, not since their parents kicked Colton out.
Colton didn't know what Boone thought about Colton being gay or the clusterfuck that had been him coming out to their family. They'd never really talked about it.
They had been close as kids. And Colton had been a little pissed off at Boone for leaving him with their bible-thumping parents. Colton hadn't made that a secret either. Colton wished he could take back those angry words.
Novak followed Awan out. He wasn't battle ready in the same way Awan was and didn't have the same awareness as someone who willingly put themselves in front of a threat for the sake of protection, but he seemed fearless. Most likely he was just used to the fight. Down in the pit, it was either fight or die. Even Colton had been down in the pit long enough to learn that.
Colton moved closer to the door and opened it a crack, sneaking a peek outside. The first thing he saw was a huge dragon tail. It was fucking weird to see something that wasn't supposed to exist, but there it was putting himself between the threat and Colton.
Logically Colton knew it was Novak, but he still had trouble wrapping his head around it.
Novak turned, and Colton got a good look at what he battled. Well, not a good look but the fires were back, so they lit up the area enough that Colton saw the shadowy creature trying to get past the dragon. The dragon bit the air around the sluagh and then a stream of fire came from the dragon's mouth like a flamethrower. With the way Novak's big yellow body turned to the side, the flames licked out enough that Colton could feel them on the exposed parts of his face through the crack in the door.
He took a step back on instinct until the air cooled again and then peeked out.
Awan had Runir at the end of his sword. They circled each other.
Awan anticipated the attack. It was in the set of his shoulders and the way his lips turned up into a smile as if he lived for that shit.
A wicked grin crossed Runir's face. His gaze trailed something behind Awan.
Colton held his breath when the air seemed to crackle with tension.
A shadowy sluagh swirled around behind Awan. Colton was out the door and running to Awan, yelling as loudly as he could to get Awan’s attention.
Novak roared as Colton passed him, but he didn’t stop.
"Behind you!"
Awan spun around with his sword held high. When he sliced through the sluagh, it dissolved into the air like smoke. Where it went, Colton didn't know.
Runir took that one moment of distraction to strike. Colton stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the long knife. Runir buried it in Awan's back until only the handle stuck out.
Awan turned toward Runir, facing the threat. The pain didn’t deter him from fighting even a little. It was as if he didn’t feel the knife.
Colton was the one who broke down. He couldn't control the shaking or his breathing. His lungs screamed for him to breathe but he couldn't seem to figure out how.
It was Novak charging passed him with his big lumbering body and his sweeping tail that finally made him move. Novak blew fire at Runir, who backed off immediately. The fire kept coming until Runir was a few yards away.
Awan dropped his sword. Colton made his way over to Awan just as he fell to his knees. He held Awan up with arms around his waist.
"Do you not understand what it meant to stay inside." Awan met Colton’s gaze.
"What?" Oh hell no. They were not having that conversation.
One minute he was holding Awan in his arms and the next a sluagh’s shadowy form knelt in front of him. The knife in Awan's back fell to the ground inches from Colton's knees.
Colton stared at it and then looked at Awan in all his black smoky glory. "Are you gonna stay like that?"
"My injury remains, Anam Cara." In other words, he couldn't go back to the human looking guy because he probably couldn't walk if he did.
Awan's voice sounded different. Husky. Like it had when they fooled around last night.
Colton nodded and picked up the knife before standing. He looked to were Novak was chasing after Runir. "You gonna be able to move in that form?"
"Yes. I will shift back when we arrive at the door."
****
Even in Awan's shadow, the tear on his back ached and pulled every time he moved. Dasan was a healer and would be able to mend the tear, but that was if he made it back before the door to the Upperworld closed.
He was grateful Colton carried his sword because the pain would worsen if he held anything.
Colton gave him a side-eyed look every few minutes.
"Anam Cara."
"What?" Colton spoke without turning. His tone was clipped, and he refused to look at Awan straight on.
"Do you not like me anymore?" Awan kept his own tone light, trying to change the mood. He liked Colton all talkative and questioning everything.
Colton didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked straight ahead at Novak's back as they walked.
Awan knew they were going east which seemed as if it would be in the opposite direction as that would mean moving away from the castle, but hidden doorways stayed hidden for a reason.
“I would feel sad if that were the case.”
"Okay, don't tease."
Awan chuckled.
"I'm serious. I can't deal right now. Not with seeing that knife go into you and now you're stuck like that." Colton's voice broke halfway through. The tears clouded over his usually sunny disposition.
"Anam Cara."
"No, Awan."
Awan sighed and picked up his pace. He wrapped around Colton, stopping him in his tracks. Novak stopped and leaned against a tree, waiting.
Awan made sure Colton looked directly into his face. He had the same features underneath the shadow, and he needed Colton to see that. "You will not run from me."
A tear slid down Colton's cheek. "I'm not."
"I am not stuck like this. If I change to another form, I will bleed out. I need to last long enough for Dasan to heal me. If not Dasan than another healer. Understand?"
"Yes, Awan. I understand that you're about to fucking die because of me. Happy now?"
"This form doesn't frighten you?"
"Nothing about you scares me at this point. Not even this thing.” Colton held up Awan’s sword.
Then that left Colton worrying about him. Awan reached up and wiped away the tears. Colton didn't shy away from Awan's black smoky fingers. "You worry for nothing."
Colton shook his head. "Don't lie, man. Seriously. I know it's bad."
Awan supposed it was, but he could hold out for a long while. Still, he didn't like it that Colton was upset. He looked over at Novak. "How much farther?"
"Until after the flames go out again."
Awan winced. He might make it if they didn't run into any more trouble. Unfortunately, he could feel Runir trailing behind them.
Awan let go of Colton. "Shall we pick up the pace then?"
"Aye, sire." Novak began walking again, his long legs eating up the ground as he went.
Colton nearly ran to keep up.
Awan made sure he stayed right beside Colton the rest of the way.