Chapter 186

Fiona

My foot catches on another root, sending me reeling forward, but this time, I don’t fall. A large hand circles around my arm, steadying me.

“Careful. You shouldn’t go charging through the dark if you can’t see anything,” Laxus mutters while pulling me back to his side. The stoic man doesn’t say much, only speaking when necessary. Though, this is the second time he’s kept me from falling, which I’m thankful for.

I don’t have time to respond because Laxus takes my hand and puts hit on his arm, saying, “Hold onto me and follow my footsteps. I’ll lead while you search.”

Nodding, I curl my fingers around Laxus’ wrist and continue sweeping my flashlight along the ground and trees around us. I still have eight plants to find, one of them being the Moonlight Fire Lily.

We’re still surrounded by trees, so I don’t think the flower would be here, but that doesn’t’ stop me from focusing on everything I see.

“Here.”

“What?”

Laxus leads me to the left, stopping in front of a tree that seems to stretch on forever into the sky.

“You need Reeds Bark, don’t you?” He asks, and I nod. It was the only ingredient I couldn’t draw precisely because, to me, it looked like any other tree. Laxus hums in agreement and lifts a hand, ripping the bark off the tree.

I store the bark with the other samples that I’ve gathered before taking Laxus’s wrist again and following him through the trees. Honestly, having him here makes navigating the forest so much easier. I’m not tripping over things or jumping at every sound. I don’t run into another tree or get snagged by a limb because Laxus moves them out of the way before I have a chance to even see them.

Laxus makes me feel much safer, which is nice because it allows me to focus on the plants more. Before he came, my attention was split between the plants and my worry of getting hurt or lost, but with Laxus, I know that won’t happen.

His declaration to protect me was completely sincere.

My body jerks to a stop suddenly, and I look back to find Laxus standing still.

“Laxus?” Confusion fills me. Did he notice something ahead of us? Or maybe behind us? My gut churns as he stands completely still, his head tilting a bit as if he’s listening to something.

“We may be found soon.” I nearly jump when he looks at me as he says this. It’s a bit creepy, the way he looks into the darkness around us like he can see. I mean, I guess he can, with his wolf eyes, but still. It sends a shiver down my spine.

“By who? Is someone following us?”

Shaking his head, he runs a hand through his hair nonchalantly. It irks me, how he went from alert to composed in less than five seconds. How am I supposed to react to whatever he says next?

“Not currently. One of my warriors just contacted me and said they’re patrolling in larger numbers tonight.”

“Why would they do that?”

“There was an intruder on the south boarder, which means there’s a possibility that more intruders could be roaming our land,” he answers, and I whip my head up. “If we run into one of my men, we shouldn’t have any issues, but if we find an intruder, I’ll have to take care of them.”

Take care of them… does he mean kill them?

“Are they dangerous? The intruders, I mean,” I whisper, looking around. My line of vision completely disappears not even two feet in front of me, so I don’t know why I’m searching for danger.

“They’ll kill you without a second thought if they think you’re a threat,” Laxus answers. My fight or flight response kicks into gear, and I stiffen, linking my arm with his and moving close to his side again.

“Having second thoughts?”

His words jerk me out of my thoughts, making me look back up at him.

“No. I told you I’m finding this flower no matter what ha—”

“You’re not even worried about them coming after you?” He questions, raising a brow. The slight sass in his tone makes me narrow my eyes. What is he trying to do with these questions. Is he trying to get on my nerves?

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a threat to anyone then,” I mutter then lift my hand and pinch his forearm. He jerks slightly, probably more surprised than hurt. “I’m too weak to be a threat to a Lycan.”

A scoff sounds from Laxus, and I glare up at him. Is he laughing at me?

Rolling my eyes, I shove him and begin walking again. I don’t have time to play around like this and neither does he, especially if there are bad wolves lurking around.

“Woah, don’t go running off by yourself. I may have an idea of a better place to look for your flower,” Laxus says, taking my hand and putting it back on his wrist like earlier. He helps me step over a fallen tree. “From what you said, the Moonlight Fire Lily needs direct access to the moonlight. There are a few clearings in this forest alone, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll find one.”

“We should still check. We can’t risk losing a chance at finding one,” I tell him, grabbing onto his arm and shaking him. If this is my best chance, I have to take it. “Can you take me there?”

Laxus nods then slides my hand back down to his wrist in a silent order to follow him.

As we weave through trees and move deeper into the forest, I realize that I don’t feel the uncomfortable pain when I touch Laxus. Every other man that’s touched me since I left Ethan’s house has produced that pain, but now, with Laxus, it’s different. I only feel relieved.

“Watch out.”

I hop over the hole in the ground with Laxus’s help as he pushes a low hanging branch out of the way. Darkness gives way to light as we walk into a clearing. Moonlight shines on bright green grass and a river that falls over the edge of a cliff.

The rush of the water fills the air, and I gasp.

“There’s a pool at the bottom of the waterfall that snakes off into another river. This is the first place we can check for the Moonlight Fire Lily,” Laxus explains, guiding me forward. I don’t get too close to the edge, instead, turning and searching for any hint of red and orange.

“I don’t see one,” I mutter.

“Let’s check the bottom of the cliff. I don’t know much about plants, but they have to get water from somewhere, right? They could grow closer to the pool.” His plain and simple explanation has me smiling. “We can go down the path here, but make sure you watch where you step.”

Nodding, I move ahead, making sure not to get too far from Laxus because the path is steep. If I fall, there’s no telling how many injuries I could get as a result.

His presence stays right behind me, though, and I know if anything were to go wrong, he’d catch me. That doesn’t make me go crazy, though. I make sure to watch my steps while also keeping an eye out for any sign of the Moonlight Fire Lily on the way down.

“Do you see any?” I ask as we step off the path and onto the grass beside the water.

“No, I—shit.”

Laxus moves in front of me, gently pushing me behind him.

“Stay behind me,” he orders, curling an arm back and around my body to pull me to him. I don’t let that stop me from peering around his arm, but I wish I hadn’t.

The black wolf that steps out of the shadowy tree line has both of us stiffening.