Awakening (Born From Shadows #1)
Chapter Seventeen

Tatianna felt something shift between her legs that instantly woke her from the dream she couldn’t remember. There was a mass of warmth over her, and she couldn’t tell who it was from. She knew that it was both Freya and Nik she slept near, so she assumed it was one of them...or both of them, that was lying practically on top of her.

She decided to open her eyes and look. The first thing she saw was dark tousled hair on her chest telling her immediately it was Nik who subconsciously sought her warmth during the night. His body half-covered her own, his face was pressed into her breasts and his thigh was in between her legs, pressing against her. Looking to her right she noticed both Freya and Riley were still asleep. It came as no surprise that she was the first one awake. The streets did not allow for sleep-ins.

She shuffled her body a bit so she could get her arms underneath Nik and push him off of her without waking him up, but he began to stir awake. He lifted his leg slightly pressing it into her core and she accidentally let out a soft moan that halted his movement momentarily. His thigh suddenly began to rub against her, and she knew immediately he was fully awake. Not just because of his calculated movements but because of the hardness pressing into her lower side. Her mind was telling her it was wrong, that she barely knew the guy yet all she could feel was him.

Her breathing was sharp and uneven as she tried not to moan again. One of Nik’s hands slipped from its place around her waist moving further down her body. That was when Freya shuffled from beside her and her mind truly grasped everything off with this situation.

Grabbing his hand with her own she stopped his movements. Nik lifted his head from her chest and looked into her eyes. Questioning if she truly wished to stop...whatever was going on. She did not break eye contact, signalling to him she did not want this. He rolled off her and got to his feet.

“Wake them up, we need to leave,” he said out loud. His voice was slightly croaky from just waking up. He walked into the forest and Tatianna assumed he was conducting her business.

Tatianna looked towards the too sleeping bodies trying to decide the best way to wake them eventually concluding to shaking their shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Freya mumbled still half asleep.

“Come on get up, we’re leaving,” she told the two. Tatianna got up from the ground and walked over to the horses, running her hand along Ida’s back.

“Why are we going to Faithorn?” Tatianna asked when the Prince returned.

“I’m assuming you want to get to Lyracris?” He said naming the Elven kingdom. “Going through Faithorn and along the Western coast is the safest route. That way you avoid the wastelands.”

“And Faithorn is on the Western coast?” she asked wanting to confirm.

“Yes, it is,” he replied. “The Hunt...the reason we haven’t been able to stop them is because the organisation isn’t just resided in one place. It is spread out across the entire kingdom and in some of the Northern Hollow Plains. The Avalla guard would have forgotten about you guys by now, not care if you escaped. But the Hunt? They could be anywhere. Whoever they are being led by is smart. You won’t be safe until you reach the Elven city.”

“So you’re saying we can’t always just outrun them?” she replied.

“No, but we can try,” Nik replied.

“The horses are getting hungry. I think we are going to need to stop in Cainva instead of just going past it,” Riley said looking at the animals.

“Perhaps if only a few of us goes in and grab supplies,” Freya offered as an alternative.

“Splitting up is never a good idea,” Nik countered.

“She’s right,” Tatianna said, “I am the one they are hunting, not you guys. I’ll stay back.”

“I will stay with you, I will draw a lot of attention,” Nik offered. “The two of you can go in,” he said looking at the siblings.

Neither objected to the statement, knowing that it was the best option to stay hidden.

“Ok, but first we need to get to Cainva. So, let’s get out of here,” Tatianna told the group and once again struggled to get onto Ida, eventually succeeding. Nik took hold of the horse’s reins and got on behind her, they were on the move again.