Never again. She’d keep her eyes on the bag every moment of every day from now until she made her delivery.
Several minutes passed until her breathing slowed.
Alone once again, Octavia gathered her thoughts and made a game plan for the day. She couldn’t stay here, but with her ankle still sore, she’d have to be careful about how far she pushed herself.
First things first, food. Dragon shifters had voracious appetites, and Octavia wasn’t an exception to that rule. Even though the thought of more trail rations made her grimace, she dug through her bag and pulled out a piece of dried meat. She was halfway through that unpleasant situation, the jerky lacking all flavor, when a twig cracked.
Octavia’s head shot up as Flynn appeared at the front of the cave. His arms were full of apples, and he looked just as handsome as the day before.
“I thought you left,” Octavia blurted.
The moment the words had left her mouth, she regretted them. Why was she like this? Why couldn’t she smoothly interact with others? Instead, everything she said came out wrong.
The ghost of a smirk danced on Flynn’s lips. “Miss me?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he added, “I thought you might want a snack, but if you’re not hungry…”
Cheeks flaming, Octavia shoved the half-finished piece of food into her bag. “It’s really not delicious,” she admitted. “I’d much prefer an apple… if you’ll share.”
A knowing smile danced across the witch’s face. Gods help her, but her core twisted at the sight. “Of course. Here.” He handed her one of the apples. The red flesh was soft but not bruised, and it smelled incredible.
What were the chances the apple was poisoned? Octavia considered it for a moment before tossing the thought aside. Flynn could’ve killed her ten times over by now if that was his goal.
Besides, it looked so good.
Perhaps a week ago, she would’ve spent more time thinking about this decision, but her stomach grumbled. With one final sniff, she took a big bite. Sweet, slightly tangy juices burst into her mouth, and she groaned. Spectacular. She’d never tasted something so delicious.
Octavia busied herself with inhaling the fruit, while Flynn took a seat across from her.
Octavia ate as quickly as possible. When she was down to the seeds, the witch silently handed her another.
The dragon shifter devoured that one, too. After that, he gave her another one. She slowed, enjoying the flavors of the third apple.
When she finished, she looked up to find the witch staring at her. She took her time licking the sticky juices off her fingers. “What?”
Flynn shook his head, slowly eating an apple of his own. “You just… aren’t what I expected.”
Her eyes narrowed. They were doing that a lot around the witch. “What kind of expectations did you form in the twenty-four hours since you made my acquaintance?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I mean… I just don’t know many ladies who eat like that.”
This again? Octavia climbed to her feet, slung the messenger bag over her shoulder, and grabbed her walking stick. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not a lady.”
Flynn followed her out of the cave, smirking. Gods, why did that expression look so good on him? Every time she looked at him, it was like she discovered another way he was just perfectly handsome. Not pretty in a put-together way, but just… right.
Hearing her thoughts, Octavia mentally smacked herself. She needed to get it together. This would be a very long journey if her mind continued down this path.
The witch pointedly coughed. “As strangely delightful as it is to have you stare at me, perhaps we ought to get going? The more ground we cover through the day, the better.”
“Just hiking, right?” Octavia confirmed. “That’s it?”
He dipped his chin. “That’s it.”
Her eyes swept over him, searching for any sign of a lie. When she didn’t see one, she nodded. “Fine. Lead the way.”
Flynn was a talker.
Ten days had passed since their initial encounter in the small shack, and they were nearing the edge of the forest. They’d settled into a routine of sorts. They hiked during the day, stopping every few hours to get water from streams and eat whatever they could forage in the forests, and they would spend their nights in caves or under trees. They didn’t light fires—it wasn’t safe, even for a dragon shifter—but since the rain hadn’t returned, the summer heat kept them warm enough.
They were as clean as they could get in the forest, washing up in streams and brooks, but Octavia missed the sensation of dunking her entire body underwater. When this was finished, she vowed to find a deep bathing pool and spend hours in it. She’d swim until her skin wrinkled. It would be amazing.