Chapter Eighty-Nine: I would get naked for you any day

As they climbed Clair found it hard, she had not used so much of her strength in a while neither has she been this active and cautious. Her senses were as well as her armor. Her eyes, ears, nose, all of her senses, even her touch were on and working. She took in every detail. It was her instinct of survival. It's not the first time she travels through a forest trying to keep herself alive, and she had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

But thankfully the night was yet to fall, and this time she wasn't alone.

James didn't seem to realize how much his lone presence helped her keep her calm.

Good.

She shrieked when she slipped on a rock, and the pressure she had been adding to her ankle had caused it to turn bright red. She was sure if she continued it might even swell. It turns out the small twist of her ankle earlier was not that simple, and the damage was worse than she expected.

She laughed humorlessly.

To think a simple twist of an ankle had her struggling. Ainara would laugh at her and teach her a lesson or two.

'What a weak, pathetic little thing you are.' The words echoing inside her head, challenging her concentration.

It was until blood rushed down her leg that she snapped back to reality.

Her hands trembled, hoping it was just an injury and not her blacking out into taunting memories.

She had talked to Doctor Liz about this; it wasn't fun. She had triggers, and they were torturous; they brought her back to situations she never wanted to experience again. Places, people, and things that brought her nightmares.

"Hey…." A soft enchanting whisper. A hot breath against the skin on her neck and a palm on her waist and he pushed her backward and helped her down on a rock.

"We're almost there." He told her.

She sighed in relief; he didn't ask questions. He only got down on one knee and rolled up the clothing on her leg, soaked with blood.

"When did that happen?" She almost gasped at the realization.

She watched him clench his jaw, noticing an old but almost fading scar trailing down the side of her leg and a fresh cut falling from her knee down 4 inches. Not deep, but enough to have blood oozing out. It wouldn't have soaked through the clothing if she had been climbing and adding pressure.

"The rocks are too sharp and slippery. We are going to have to look for another path." He said.

"Uh-no. This is fast. We need to go this way. I'll find it's not like I'll bleed to death." She laughed and tried to stand up, only to be pushed back.

"Get on."

"Oh, please."

"Clair, for god sakes get on, you prideful, stubborn woman."

"...."

She tsked and got on his back.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought of insults. Once she pulled up a few from the back of her mind, she opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted.

"Shh, we can do that later."

"Alright, prince charming." She wrapped her arms around his neck a little tighter and breathed against his ear.

"The helicopter's crashing is making me nervous. This is serious, how can they decide to come to kill so randomly."

"Not randomly. They planned this with plenty of time and my gut is telling me it's just a distraction for more to come." He informed her.

"Distraction from what. Isn't it you who they want? You know, like your head on a pitchfork. Not going to lie, I would give you a better death, a beautiful one. Only a man with such a face could deserve it."

He halted his steps at her words and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Only a blind person could deny your beauty. It isn't new I find you attractive, is it? If I didn't, I wouldn't have- "She coughed and turned away.

'Maybe try not to mention the night you slept with him.' A voice scolded her, a voice that was her own.

"For what it's worth…. if we had the chance, I would strip you naked and kiss every part of your body there is. Until you're too tired to run your mouth with those little remarks of yours." His lips curled in a cocky smile.

"Is that a threat or a proposal?" She grinned.

He huffed and continued to follow the trail up the small hill, hoping to reach the top undetected.

"FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH…." She started, emphasizing those words as if she were mimicking him. "I would get naked for you any day."

A tsk and a grunt later, James finally pulled her down as they reached the top of the hill.

"Alright prince charming what next?"

"We wait." He sighed and still held onto her, making sure she didn't add pressure onto her injured ankle by holding her waist.

He sat her down in rock and kneeled before her.

The simple gesture had her stunned, too stunned to say a word.

'I've never thought you would kneel before me, regardless of the reason.' The sentence stuck in her throat.

"What?" He lifted his head and his hands on her ankle.

"Nothing...it's just."

"... not how I imagined you would be on your knees."

"Oh?" He laughed and looked back down at her ankle. "Me neither."

"So you've imagined it? Did I win a fight or something?"

He laughed again, his next words making her shudder and still.

"Not necessarily."

'That's not what he meant, you pervert!' She scolded herself.

"It's exactly what you're thinking." He said, before standing on his feet and walking off a few feet looking down at whatever was happening below them.

"What…..?" Clair stood up, horror-struck.

"What?" He countered.

"What do you mean by that?! Explain yourself!" she demanded.

He only laughed and never clarified what he meant.

...

Clair ripped a piece of the white tee beneath all her clothes and wrapped it around her ankle, tying a knot and insisting she could walk perfectly fine now.

As they continued to walk she side-eyed James thinking about earlier. They'd barely had a conversation after that. Only when necessary did they communicate. That was partly her fault since she was still too stunned to swallow his words and move on.

"How are we communicating with your men?" She asked.

"Cross our fingers and hope." He replied, the words more serious than humorous.

Clair sighed and stumbled down a rock, but completely walked it off and headed inside the cabin.

"Pffft…."

"Oh, shut up." She shot him a glare and watched the door creak open.

Waving her hand, she pushed off all the spider webs and coughed in the dust. Who knows how long it had been since someone was here.

She immediately explored the cabin and sighed when there was nothing useful inside.

"Absolutely nothing." She mumbled.

Broken fishing poles and hooks were all she could find. Not food, not knives, not guns, not rifles, no nothing. It was disappointing, truly.

She shook her head and turned around only to go head to head with James's chest.

As soon as she realized, she pushed him off and walked past him.

Clearing her throat, she walked out of the cabin and stretched her shoulders.

"It's like that survival show but with clothes on." She joked.

"Would you rather we survive this naked?"

"Ah, no thank you. I wouldn't want to carve my eyes out."

James raised an eyebrow as he pushed the cabin door behind him.

"Really now?"

She looked over her shoulder and smirked.

"I'll give you a magnificent view later, you can decide if you still want to carve your eyes out after that." He gave her a crooked grin and purposely brushed her shoulder as he passed by her.

Claire opened her mouth and shut it close.

"Revealing our true colors, are we now?"

"I learn quickly. Maybe you're rubbing off me." He shrugged.

Clair fell silent again.

"I'm really. Really going to enjoy killing you."

"Can't wait." He countered, pissing her off even more.