I dragged my feet as I followed behind the others. The nightmares that plagued my dreams every night started getting to me. Since the hell back in Wekasa, I refused to be anywhere near any water; even the thought of taking a bath scares me now.
Wolfe, who had been walking in front of me, stopped so that I could catch up. I knew I was slowing everyone down, but they all continued treating me the same and never complained. I could feel the pressure of everything dragging me down, and I worried I would drag everyone down.
That night as we sat around the fire, I snuggled up next to Wolfe as he explained to us that this was the week of the new moon, so we had exactly two weeks before he would be forced to shift again. He also mentioned that soon we would be leaving the forest and must make our way up the mountain toward the dragon's lair.
I was desperate to find a way to get rid of these damn parasitic dreams. I decided to see if Kingston knew a spell that could help.
"Hey, Kingston?"
Sitting across the fire with his brother, Kingston looked up when I called his name.
"What is it?" he asked, peeking over at Wolfe.
"Do you know a spell that can help with nightmares?" I asked
"Oh, Harlow, have you been having nightmares?" asked Kyrah
I nodded, "Yes, and they are making sleeping difficult." I explained
"How long have you had these nightmares?" Asked Kingston
"I had my first nightmare the night after we fought the Minotaurs."
"What are your nightmares about?" asked Kyrah
I quickly explained to everyone about the nightmares. Just telling them about the zombie creatures with the red eyes and the inky darkness of the water gave me the heebie-jeebies.
"Hmm, I think I have a spell that can help," Says Kingston, then looks over at Wolfe, "But I will need to touch her for the spell to work."
I turned, then looked up into his handsome face, "Wolfe, sweetie, I need to do something about these nightmares." I said desperately. Tears filled my eyes, hoping to be free from the darkness that was dragging me down.
"I may be an overprotective asshole most of the time, but I would never deprive you of something that will ease your suffering," he says, then turns to Kingston, "Do the spell."
Kingston quickly grabbed his Grimoire from his bag, hurried over to me, placed his palm in the center of my forehead, and then chanted a spell. As Kingston chanted, his palm became warm; I winced when it became hot, then gasped when I felt something materialize from my ear.
Wolfe was on his feet instantly, pulling his sword free with a growl.
The thing that came out of my ear was about 4 feet tall and was the oddest-looking creature I had seen. The weird creature looked like a lion with tusks and a long trunk like an elephant.
"What the hell is that!" I asked as the creature started backing away from its impending doom.
"That is a Baku," Says Kingston, "They dream demons that can get inside your head and feed off your energy through dreams. It must have attached itself to you while we were fighting the Minotaurs."
"And how did you figure out that this creature was the cause of my nightmares?" I asked, watching Wolfe swiftly take care of the dream demon.
"Everything you told me about your nightmares made me remember something I read about in a book about dream-eating demons." He explained, "I used a spell to heat your brain and make the Baku leave. I'm sorry if it hurt."
"It's okay; it didn't hurt that bad, and thank you, Kingston. Now I can have a good night's sleep without the nightmares."
After that night, it didn't take long before I felt like myself again, and we traveled a great distance through the thick forest.
Wolfe started training me again every night before we went to sleep. I was far from his level, but I was making progress.
Today we made our way to a spot where we could fight higher-level beasts to level up. I was now at level 15, but it wasn't high enough to go against a dragon, and Wolfe said I needed to be at level 20, at the least.
We all followed Wolfe, who led us deep into the forest until we found ourselves in a place covered in a thick white substance that was sticky.
"Wolfe, please tell me that you didn't bring us here intentionally!" Kingston yelled as his face grew white with fear.
"What do you mean?" I asked Kingston, "Where did he bring us? And what the hell is this sticky stuff?"
"I did indeed bring you guys here intentionally, Kumo's are high-level demons that are easier to kill." Wolfe explains to Kingston, then turns to me to say, "This white stuff is large spiderwebs; we are looking for high-level beasts called Kumo's. They are creatures with the lower body of a spider and an upper body that is kinda humanoid."
"So that you know, I hate spiders!" yelled Kingston as we continued through the web-covered trees.
I nearly ran straight into Wolfe when he suddenly stopped walking, then looked up into the trees. I mimicked Wolfe and looked up into the trees, gasping at the sight of the horrifying beast approaching us.
Wolfe's description of this creature was mild compared to the real thing.
This monstrous beast looked like a spider the size of a horse with eight long hairy legs and a large abdomen that changed into the torso of a demon who appeared female with terrifying pincer-like teeth.
I removed Scorpius from my belt, and as soon as I touched the handle, she materialized, shocking everyone when she became solid.
"Oh, how wonderful," She says, rubbing her claws together, "I have been craving a good fight!"
"Oh wow, is that Scorpius?" asked Kyrah as she readied her bow.
I nodded, "Yep, I have grown strong enough for her to become corporeal for a short time." I explained
The sound of Wolfe drawing his sword echoed through the quiet forest. I looked around and gulped when I found us surrounded by these monstrous spiders.
"You will be all right, my sweet mate; I will be next to you the whole time. Now show me what you have learned through our training." Says Wolfe, maneuvering, so we were now back to back.
"All right, I got this!" I yelled, trying to pump myself up.
"That's my girl; let's kick some ass!"
The fight was on as we fought through one Kumo demon after another. After killing the smaller spiders, the huge horse-sized female dropped to the ground. Wolfe and I moved simultaneously as we swung our weapons, slicing through the Kumo's legs. Black blood sprayed as the demon roared in pain.
I was surprised when Wolfe backed away from the fight, then watched me as I swiftly ended the demon spider's life.
I was gasping for breath when Wolfe hurried towards me with that sexy crooked smile of his, then pulled me in for a deep kiss.
"Good Goddess, that was sexy as hell," he growled in my ear, making me giggle.
Now that all the demons were taken care of, all started absorbing the life orbs from the Kumo we took down. I was now at level 17! I will be ready to defeat that dragon with just a few more stories.
That night after we set up camp, Wolfe took my hand and guided me far away from the others.
"What is it, Wolfe?" I finally asked, starting to feel a little worried.
Wolfe stopped walking and then pulled me close for a deep kiss. I expected him to take things further, but he pulled away and gently took my face away.
"I love you so much, my sweet Harlow," he whispers.
I smiled, then said, "I love you too, Wolfe."
Wolfe touched his lips to mine but again pulled away, then asked, "Do you remember me telling you how I could not create a team bond because it could turn you into a werewolf?"
With a nod, I replied, "Yes, of course. What about it?"
I could tell Wolfe was nervous about something, but what could make this terrifying man so nervous?
"Wolfe, please tell me; what do you want to tell me, sweetie?"
He sighs and says, "What I haven't told you yet is that werewolves carry a special venom in their glands that is only activated when we decide to create a special bond with our chosen mates."
"Special venom? What do you mean?"
"Well, when a werewolf bites their mates and releases this venom, the mate absorbs the venom, creating an unbreakable bond between the mated pair. It's like getting married in werewolf terms, but this is permanent. We will be completely bound together, mind, body, and soul. If I die, you die, and vice versa."
"Okay, are you wanting to umm... Marry me then?"
Wolfe's face broke into one of his crooked smiles; he caressed my cheeks with his thumbs. "Being mate-bound with you would make me the happiest man in the universe."
"Are there other side effects to this?"
"Yes, we will also be able to feel what the other feels, always know where the other is, and be able to talk to each other telepathically. Oh, and you will also become stronger and have better senses, but don't worry, you will not change into a werewolf on the week of the full moon."
"Wow, looks like I got the better end of the deal." I joked, "But I love being bound to you forever... And being stronger will come in handy... So let's do it; let's get married."
"I will warn you now; this will hurt a little," Wolfe says, taking a few steps back.
Wolfe quickly shifted into his werewolf, then leaned down to bite my shoulder, making me wince.
I gasped when I felt an odd burning sensation that quickly spread from my shoulder to my heart. I could feel the venom as it started pumping out through the rest of my body.
The burning sensation began growing hotter and hotter until I cried out from the pain.
Wolfe removed his teeth from my shoulder, then shifted back into a man, holding me close as the venom did its work.
When the venom finally reached my brain, I gasped when I felt a rush of the warmest love that I knew had to be from Wolfe. I looked up into his big green eyes and knew I had made the right choice.
It was a long while later when we finally returned to camp. Kyrah gave me a knowing smile but thankfully kept her mouth shut as I slipped into my bed roll for some much-needed sleep.
The following day we packed our bags and continued until we finally reached the forest's edge; from here on out, it would be nothing but mountains.
I looked up at the tip-top peak, knowing the dragon was there somewhere. Bonding with Wolfe took me from level 18 to level 50; I was ready to kick some scaly lizard ass.
Something in the sky caught my attention; when I noticed it was Smaug, I smiled as he dropped from the sky to land before me. He has grown a lot and is now close to the size of an elephant.
"How big are you going to get!"
"Wyverns have no growth limit; I will keep growing as long as I absorb life energy. Don't forget that this mountain was once a dragon, but I never wish to get that big."
"I don't wish for you to get that big either!"
"Do you want to go for a ride?" asked Smaug
"Oh yes!" I turned to Wolfe and pouted my lip, "Can I please go flying?"
Wolfe straightened his back, crossed his arms, then raised his eyebrow. I was prepared for him to say no, but the emotions I felt coming from him was contempt and not anger.
"You can go for a short flight," he says, leaning down to kiss my lips, "Be careful, but have fun."
I squealed in delight, then threw my arms around his waist for a hug, "Thank you so much!"
I hurried over to Smaug and climbed onto his back, grabbing his scales for a grip. I waved to Wolfe as we ascended into the sky, "Love you! I will be back soon!"
Wolfe smiled and said, " I love you too, my sweet." He replied telepathically.
I kissed him quickly and said, "Let's go, Smaug before he changes his mind!"
"All right, master, hold on tight!"
The air was cold, but I suffered as we flew through the sky. We didn't get very far when I spotted a familiar black-haired girl riding on the back of the winged horse that I learned was called a pegasus.
From up here, I could see that Harley and her team were being attacked by humanoid creatures that had to be at least 15 feet to 20 feet tall with lean muscles and odd-looking gray skin.
"What are those things?" I asked Smaug
"I don't know, master, but let's go find Wolfe; he should know what to do."
"Good idea!"
Breathing was tricky as we rushed back toward the others, but thankfully they weren't too far away.
I slid from Smaug's back as soon as he landed, but I lost my footing and fell to my knees, gasping for air.
"Harlow!" Wolfe yells as he rushes towards me.
"I'm... Okay," I said between gasps, "Saw Princess... In trouble... Significant..tall...gray skin.
"Umm, did you say that the Princess is in trouble and is being attacked by something tall with gray skin?" asked Kyrah
I nodded, "Yes, the giant beings with gray skin were attacking her and her team, so I hurried back to see if we could help them."
"And why should we do that?" asked Kyrah, "The last time we tried to help, the Princess said that she didn't need our help."
"WelI, I know she wasn't very nice, but I don't want her to get hurt. She looks so much like me, I want to know why, and she is also looking for diamond pieces. We could use her help."
"I also think we should help," Kingston says
"I don't know if my words matter, but I think we should help, too," says Princely
Princely has filled out a lot since we found him in the bandit hideout; he looks so much like Kingston but nowhere near identical.
"Fine!" Kyrah growls
With the decision made, the five of us hurried to where I saw Harley. When we arrived, I was shocked at how much bigger the giants looked compared to when I was up in the sky.
Wolfe froze when he spotted the blonde-haired knight; his whole body vibrated as he clenched his fists and bared his teeth as he released a growl.
"Wolfe sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked, placing a hand on his back.
Wolfe sucked in a deep breath, then looked down at me, "That asshole is the one who betrayed me when I was a knight."
"Oh..then what should we do?" I asked,
"I will still help them with the giants, but don't expect me to be nice."
"All right, just don't kill him if you can."
"Let's just get this over with," he growled, pulling out his sword, "You guys stay here while I turn these rock giants into pebbles."
"Okay, be careful."
Wolfe gave me a nod, then with a thunderous growl, he swung his sword slicing the back of the giant's knees, making it fall to the ground. Then, he removed the giant's head from its shoulders, spraying dark gray blood everywhere.
Gustin's face grew ghostly pale when he spotted Wolfe, who had shifted into his werewolf and was using his sword to chop the giants into pieces.
Wolfe was so angry that I could feel it pulse through his body. I feared he would lose control and try to hurt or kill Gustin.
After the last giant was taken care of, I watched Wolfe shift back into a man, then stomped over to Gustin, who was smart enough to drop his sword and lift his hands in surrender.
Wolfe growled, then swung his fist, punching Gustin so hard that he was knocked out cold.
"Wolfe!" I yelled as I hurried to his side.
Wolfe spits at Gustin's prone form, then wraps his arm around my waist. "Let's get out of here before I kill the bastard."