The Untold Forest by Elisa Menz (web ebook reader txt) 📗

chuckled and made a move to ruffle her hair, only to stop at the sight of her cap. Her heart went wild when she realized he expected her to join him. “I won’t share it with you! I’m not familiar with your customs, but where I come from—”

“Where you come from, you had a room, a bed, and a fireplace. You’ll freeze to death here.”

The cold bit, but that was the least of her problems. She planted her feet on the ground, clenching her fists by her side, focused on not showing fear. “I won’t sleep there.”

In the gloom, Maeve saw him smirk. How would he ever take her seriously? She had seen how strong he was. If he dragged her to bed, would she fight back? “Sleep well, little one.”

What? She gawked at him. At his back, to be more precise. The half-breed laid down, settling between the furs. Did he plan on leaving her with no covers? Maeve frowned. What an uncaring captor!

After a brief inspection around the cave, Maeve failed to locate a half-breed free, comfortable place to rest. She huffed at the sound of his snoring. How could he sleep when she was about to lose a toe because of the cold?

Resigned to her fate, she huddled on the ground next to the bed. She tried at least to rest her head over the furs. She pulled her coat to cover as much of her body as possible.

After a few minutes, her teeth were chattering, and her fingers hurt. How can it be so cold? The proximity of the river might be to blame. She would never fall asleep like this, and she might catch a cold if she stayed on the bleak ground.

Maeve glanced at Hakken. The bed was roomy, with enough space for her to rest far from him. Perhaps she should crawl in and rest for a while. She slipped between the furs, careful not to wake him.

As soon as the warmth enveloped her, her body relaxed, and she let out a contented sigh. The lack of sleep and the intense emotions that swayed her the entire day came crashing on her. Maeve was exhausted. When her head settled on the furs, her eyes closed, and sleep found her soon.

A sound startled her. The fresh air of the morning rushed in, along with the faint glow of dawn. The freezing temperature numbed her face, and the bite of cold hurt the tip of her nose. Maeve rubbed her hands before turning to the half-breed. Hakken writhed and groaned in his sleep; his face creased with anguish.

Should she leave? Perhaps this was the time to slip out of the cave and enjoy a moment for herself. Escaping no longer sounded like an option. She would never find her way out of the Forest, and her chances of surviving were slim. A whimper pulled her out of her reverie. He was crying.

Dreams were mostly harmless, but Hakken struggled against this nightmare. All too familiar with bad dreams, Maeve couldn’t ignore his pain. Her hand moved on its own accord, taking hold of his arm and shaking him.

Hakken

Again, one of those awful nightmares. The one on which he held her body and failed to contain the blood. There was always so much more blood in his dreams. Being aware he was asleep didn’t help him in the slightest.

He would still wake up feeling like crap and flee the village, to spend days ruminating his pain in solitude. How he hated waking up like this. His eyes would open to the gloom of the cave, and he would stay alone for hours.

The pain tightening his chest came right on time. Was it too much to ask, to wake up rested? It had been so long.

“Hakken.” An unfamiliar voice called him. A beautiful sound. His eyes fluttered open, landing on the owner of that mellow voice. Maeve regarded him with raised eyebrows while she chewed nervously on her lip. An expression Hakken knew well since Kniv usually carried it around him. His nightmare had worried his little Maeve.

What a sweet girl. Never would he have imagined a human child worrying about his terrible sleeping habits. “Good morning, little one,” he smiled, “slept well?”

Seeing her getting all flustered was hilarious. Last night, he covered her with all the furs he found and cuddled her shivering body until she relaxed, warm, and comfortable in his arms. It was a relief he didn’t end up dragging her into bed before she caught a cold.

“A nightmare?” She ignored his question and peeked from under her eyelashes.

She was so cute! He had to stop himself from hugging her and kissing her cheeks. How ridiculous, the warm feelings she stirred in him. When was the last time he woke up so high-spirited?

He rubbed his face, getting rid of the sleep and the tears. “Don’t mind me. Are you hungry?”

Maeve nodded. The closest resemblance of an edible in his cave consisted of chewed ribs and rotting fish heads. Maybe Kniv would spare some meat for them.  He smiled at the thought of Kniv, seeing him awake at this early hour.

“Humans eat fruit too? Roots?” Much to be done today. The cave needed a deep clean. Discarded bones, dry leaves, and rubble covered the place. A thick layer of grime caked the ground. The fur on his bed smelled more dead than ever.  He couldn’t keep a human child in this filth.

“Why am I here?” Too early in the morning for these questions, but Maeve had been pushing for an answer since yesterday. An answer Hakken still couldn’t pinpoint.

“You might have died if I left you behind.”

“Most people back at the castle were innocent. Kieran’s stupidity shouldn’t cost them their lives.”

Hakken sighed. “That’s the law, Maeve. None of us enjoy the killing, but these punishments are necessary. We spare the women and children, but you said it yourself. You couldn’t stay there.”

“No... humans have their way of punishing the same crime.” Her shoulders slumped, and the need to