Hellhound Born (Kasadya #3) (15 page)

 “Come on. I need to see you and make sure you're alright,” Chax continued.

I groaned even louder.

“No, it’s going to hurt.” I rolled my eyes around behind my lids, hoping it would help. Whether I liked it or not, sooner or later, I would have to open my eyes. He laughed at me and that had me forcing my eyes open.

 
Can it be?

Can Chax De Luca laugh?

Impossible!

And holy crap! My eyes sting!

“You're getting stronger with recovery, which is a good sign,” Chax said, amusement in his voice.

Blinking away the acid-like burn in my eyes, I found him sitting on the bed next to me.

“Glad you find this amusing,” I grunted.

My throat was parched and felt like it was full of sand.

“Here is some juice. And I don't find it amusing, except for the part in which a warrior fears to open her eyes.” Another laugh followed.

Squishing my eyes so I could barely see through them, I accepted the jug of cold juice. I looked him over, this time there were no wounds and he even appeared slightly rested. My eyes lingered on the chair near the bed, where he had evidently been spending his time.

“Did you sleep in that chair, all this time?” The idea was both flattering and disturbing at the same time.

 He turned to look at the chair then back at me.

“It helped with your recovery,” he stated as if it’s nothing new.

“How so?” I asked, after drinking some of the juice.

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked nervous.

“It’s... It’s the bond. It helps to speed up the recovery process when we are near each other.” My eyes flew wide open with his answer.

Wow, this bond stuff is pretty serious
.

Rising from the side of the bed, he went over to the chair and sat down. He released a breath, and for the first time he looked...old.

I felt guilty seeing him like this. I knew I could be a handful, but add all the stuff I was doing now, and I was sure to be ten times worse.

“I'm sorry for all of this.” My stomach was rumbling with hunger, but I wanted to do this first.

Looking at him, I could see how lucky I really was. I could also see how much he was doing for me. And I couldn’t forget all that he had already done for me.

He frowned, “About what. Not all of this was entirely your fault Kasadya. It’s part of our lives, so we have to face it.” That may be true, at least about the divinity part, but the rest was all my doing.

“Thank you for everything Chax. For saving my life, and not just once, but quite a few times. But, most of all, for sticking with me.” Inside my heart, I could feel the weight of my words.

He was a pain in the ass, don't get me wrong, but when I closed my eyes, there were so many  times that my life would have been over, if not for him. Even now, he was by my side, no matter what. Taking all the crap that came with me. Hell of a job description he had. He was silent, which made the moment even heavier.

“It’s my pleasure Kasadya,” he whispered.

An awkward silence descended on the room with his words. I gulped down my juice and kept my eyes on my lap, fearing to look up, into those green eyes.

“There will be no battle today. It’s an order from the Archangels. Everyone gets a day off. The others have already left. Is there something you would like to do?”

Well, now that was a great question. I had no idea what to do with a day off. I hadn’t had a day off since.....the beach.

“I don't know, to be honest. I don't really do off days.” He regarded me for a while and then nodded, getting up.

“Get cleaned up and get dressed in comfortable clothes, I'll meet you in the kitchen,” he said, stepping out of the room and closing the door.

I cleaned up and got dressed. I was nervous.

I mean, a whole day alone with Chax, that’s not good
.

I was either going to mess it up or get hurt. Dreading the rest of the day, I made my way into the kitchen and found him at the counter.

“Good. I see you picked the right clothes. Sit down. First we eat and then we can go,” Chax said when he noticed me.

My stomach dropped, and suddenly I didn't feel all that hungry anymore. Still, I walked over to the counter and sat down. He walked over and placed a plate before me. My stomach began to grumble while my mouth started to water.

“Is this lasagna?” I took a bite with my fork and stuffed it in my mouth.

“Yes, I started it about two hours ago. I just heated it up a bit,” he confessed, sitting down in front of me with his own plate.

I was moaning in pleasure, enjoying each bite. I couldn’t remember the last time I had had lasagna. My dad hated it, so I think it was at school. I looked up at him with a smile.

“You can whip up a mean lasagna Chax.” Red spots appeared on his cheeks and I almost choked on my food.

Busting out laughing, I sat back and watched him.

“Thank you,” he muttered.

I can’t believe it. First, he laughed and now he’s blushing
.

There was so much more I wanted to learn about him, maybe a day with him wasn’t such a bad idea after all. We finished our meal quickly.  Once the plates had been placed in the sink, he grabbed a backpack from the counter and flung it onto his back.

“Ready?” he asked, offering his hand.

With a bravery I didn’t know I possessed, I placed mine in his and we shifted. We landed in the middle of a forest. The trees were so high, I had to throw my head back to try and see the treetops.

“Wow, their huge,” I commented.

“They are older than most cities. This is the rain forest,” Chax replied.

I looked back at him, gaping. “Holy crap.”

He laughed again and started to walk. I followed him through the forest, looking all around. He suddenly stopped and indicated for me to be quiet. I did what I was told and silently walked up to stand next to him.

 Pointing at a tree he whispered, “Jaguar.”.

My eyes searched the tree, but I didn't see a jaguar. I looked at him questioningly. He shook his head and placed his hands on mine, steering it to the spot where the jaguar was located. And what do you know, there, lying on a branch, was a jaguar, camouflaged by leaves.

It stared back with yellow eyes, watching us.

This is so awesome
.

He indicated, with a tug on my shirt, to start moving again. We quickly climbed over a huge rock formation. On the other side we found monkeys, jumping and playing in the trees. Again, he indicated to be quiet as we made our way under the trees and sat down on the ground. I almost started laughing when a baby lost its grip above us and fell into Chax’s lap. At first, both of them were in shock. The monkey must have sensed that Chax wasn’t a threat, because it quickly used Chax as a ladder and climbed back into the tree. He must have called his buddies, because soon Chax was covered in monkeys. They poked around, touching his stuff. One grabbed his necklace and pulled him around. That’s when I couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Monkeys screamed and scattered into the trees.

“Sorry, but that’s was so funny.” I snickered at Chax, who replied with a smile of his own.

“Come on, there still a few things to see.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

We adventured through the forest the entire day. He showed me different plants and advised me on what they could be used for. I learned about frogs and other animals too. Almost every other plant in the forest was poisonous.

“You know so much. Do you spend a lot of time here?” I asked, after yet another no-no plant was pointed out.

“During all my time on earth, I have ventured here a lot. I find it both quiet and interesting,” Chax replied, helping me over a tree trunk.

For a moment, I was sad.
I would never get to do this
.

There was still so much to see in this world, and I would never get the chance. All the wonders I would miss when the battle came. He must have felt the sudden change in my emotions, because he stopped and I bumped into him. He grabbed me to prevent me from hitting the ground.

“Kasadya, what is wrong?” he asked, his face a mask of concern.

“I was just thinking that we don't get enough days like these,” I lied to him.

He frowned at me.

“Things will get better, just hang in there.” he said as he tried to cheer me up.

I nodded and mustered a smile. We made our way to a giant waterfall and climbed down to the base of it. White water rumbled at the bottom and we sat down under a tree.

“Let’s get something to eat,” Chax suggested.

I didn't complain. I was starving. All this climbing and hiking was draining me. He pulled out a bin and opened it, holding it out for me to take. I grabbed a bun, stuffed with chicken and cheese. Biting down, I looked around while chewing. I could see why he loved it here. It was so beautiful and not a soul in sight. Birds sang around us and somewhere to my left we could hear the monkeys playing. My eyes drifted back to Chax and I remembered the battle and how my Hellhound had reacted when he died. Our bond was growing stronger, but how strong would it be when the final battle took place? The agony I saw on the vision Kas’s face was pretty intense.

“Is something wrong Kasadya?” Chax asked.

I looked up at him and tried to force a smile. “Nope.” I lied again.

“You do know that I am aware of every emotion going through you.” His eyes were fixed on mine, locking me in place.

Crap! Damn bond thing.

“Yeah,” was all that I could reply with.

I dropped my gaze and returned my attention to finishing my lunch. Chax remained silent during our break but I could feel him messing around inside me. At first it was alarming, feeling his emotions smoothing over mine. But now, I was pretty used to it.

“Come, I still have a cave to show you,” he said, interrupting my thoughts.

We gathered up our belongings and started the trek. By the time we reached his cave I was feeling really tired.

“Come,” he gestured for me to go inside the cave.

My eyes adjusted to the dark, my Hellhound vision crystal clear in the sudden blackout. The cave was huge. Climbing over a few boulders, we reached a sudden drop off.

“I think you’re going to like this,” Chax said as he gestured downwards.

I took a step closer, making sure I placed my foot in just the right place. I didn’t think cave diving was on my to-do list. Peering down, my jaw gaped open.

Oh my soul! Look at it!

At the bottom was a huge pool. But what was more impressive was that it had clear water and lights were shining from it.

“Do you see the objects in the walls? They are crystals. Somewhere, a small beam of light is coming in and hitting it, then reflecting into the water. That's how the lights shine out of the water.”

This was freaking awesome.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.” I replied.

 He was silent for a while, giving eyes time to wander. I could see foliage at the bottom, and some small fish. Looking back at him, I found him staring at me. Blushing, I turned around quickly and started to move back towards the entrance.

“Do you want to return home?” he asked from behind me.

Truthfully, no I don’t.

I wanted to stay out here and admire this beautiful place as long as possible. Going back, I might never see it again.

“I have something else to show you,” Chax continued, when I didn't answer.

I paused and turned around to look at him. He had stopped and was searching my face.

“Yeah, that would be great. Taking a break for a change is kind of nice.” He nodded and offered his hand. This time, I was excited to take it.

We landed on a beach where the waves were crashing over the sand. The sun was starting to set. Purple and orange laid on the horizon, as a final goodbye to the day.

“Over here,” he said. 

Chax motioned towards some sort of bunk that was made on the beach. I sat down on it and stared at the sunset. Content, I drew in a deep breath.

“Wait here. I'll be back in a second.” Chax shifted out, leaving me alone.

I watched as the sun disappeared and the first star popped out in the sky. There was a new moon tonight. The air shifted and Chax appeared holding drinks in one hand, and a plate of food in the other. The drinks had little umbrellas in them and I had to smile at him.

“From Hawaii,” he explained, gesturing for me to take one.

I took it from him as he came and sat down, placing the plate between us.

“These are some of the best prawns in the world. Tiger prawns from Mozambique,” he explained, his finger pointing to the little creatures, now cooked, on the plate.

“Wow! You do travel.” I laughed and picked one up.

After a few minutes, it became clear that I had never eaten prawns before. Laughing, Chax reached over and peeled the damn thing for me. Why on earth could I kill demons but not open a stupid prawn, I didn’t know.

“It takes some practice,” he said, barely containing his amusement.

“Here.” Holding the prawn in his hand, he placed it in front of my mouth for me to take a bite.

 I swallowed a huge lump in my throat that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Bending towards his hand, I gently bit the offering gently with my teeth. I sat back up and looked at him.  He was really smiling a lot today. I chewed on the prawn and had to admit, I really like it.

“Another?”

Again I took the piece from his hand and chewed. He looked up at the stars.

“They’re going to show up anytime now,” he said, his eyes traveling over the water.

I looked up, waiting for something to appear. Then, in the distance, I could see colors dancing in the sky. I held my breath when I saw them coming closer. Aurora lights. They danced in the sky, mesmerizing my eyes.