Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. Drake

Author:Piper J. Drake
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2023-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

Peeraphan

Peeraphan followed Marie through the dark, keeping her flashlight and headlamp trained downward on the trail in front of her. They’d all piled into an SUV and driven for about thirty minutes, give or take, before turning off the highway and onto a couple of smaller residential roads. The trailhead had been tucked between two private properties, with only minimal signage to indicate the trail was there at all.

“Are you certain you won’t accept my offer to carry you?” Bennett asked quietly.

His lips brushed the shell of her ear, sending shivers of warmth through her and down her spine.

She shook her head, resisting the urge to look at him because she didn’t want to blind him with her headlamp. “I’m okay so far.”

“The offer remains, whenever the trail gets too rough.”

Sure. Really, she should take him up on his kind offer. He had superhuman strength as a vampire and it wasn’t like he hadn’t already carried her in the recent past. In multiple situations.

It was just that she’d started out on this trail telling everyone the story of how her friend from Boston had walked two miles over gravel in stilettos without a single stumble, so she knew it was possible—if the shoes weren’t cursed. Now here she was and it was the principle of the thing, for as long as her stubbornness could hold out.

Not her most shining moment. True. But it was happening.

If Peeraphan had been wearing any kind of sensible footwear for light hiking, she would have been fine. Wearing heels on the trail was arduous at best, not even taking into consideration the fact that her actually cursed shoes were literally trying to kill her at this point. Bennett had a hand cupped under her right elbow to help steady her every time she stumbled. He and Thomas, following behind a short distance, could both see in the dark and thus could see the trail ahead. It was Marie and Peeraphan who were equipped with headlamps and powerful utility flashlights. They were handy for self-defense, come to think of it: compact, fitting into the palm of the hand, and would add a little weight behind a punch.

Cory and Tobi were tucked safely in their carry pouch in the guest room closet back at the manor. She’d been confident in their bond with her to allow them to run loose in the conservatory. But out here, when she didn’t know where they were going or what magic Marie was going to make happen, she didn’t want to risk leaving her two furry friends behind someplace far away.

“This place will work,” Marie said as she stepped off the trail and over a fallen moss-covered tree.

Peeraphan threw her leg over the trunk and sat on it, making sure she was steady before she brought her other leg over. She made sure of her footing before she stood again and continued to follow Marie past a few more silent shadows in the dark. The forests of the Pacific Northwest were lush and verdant, and Peeraphan had gone on her share of day hikes in them.

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