The Reaper's Wicked Obsession-Chapter 167: Hot & Cold

"Almadra!" Logi exclaimed, rising to his full height and popping muscles around his neck, then a full stretch.

After days of tedious work, he was finally done!

"Tunnel crafting is a rare ability, don’t praise him too much, it’ll get to his head," Kraven said, rising to his feet along with Isadora.

He smacked her ass, drawing a startled squeak from Isadora. She spun toward him, eyes wide, but he only winked before walking past her.

"Are you done?" Kraven asked, standing beside Logi as he eyed the nails in a perfect circle, each had a rune carved into the wrought iron.

"Forgive me for keeping you waiting," Logi replied. "You already know crafting a tunnel takes so much work to avoid mistakes."

"How far can this get us?"

Logi shrugged. "A good distance, if we’re lucky, the same route as the Grim Isle."

’The Grim Isle?’ Isadora thought. ’Isn’t that the haven for outlaws? That must be our first stop.’

Kraven nodded. "Good enough, nail it."

Logi flicked the nail into the air and caught it before turning back to the circle and nailing it in the middle, a sharp vibration followed.

Kraven turned to Isadora and smirked while nudging his head. "Come on, love."

Isadora didn’t hesitate as she walked to him and stood beside him. She watched in awe as the circle bulged like a stone and rolled open.

A strong gust of wind swept over them from the tunnel’s mouth.

Logi turned and gave a bow. "After you Lord and Lady Raven."

Kraven ignored Logi’s gesture as he grabbed the torch hooked against the wall and stepped forward.

Isadora’s nerves worked her to the core as she stared at the dark tunnel, it was so dark she couldn’t see a thing.

"Are you scared, love?"

She pulled her focus to the amused Dark Fae.

"Don’t worry, I’ll protect you."

For some reason, Isadora felt little comfort at his words but chose to hide it. "Or you’ll bask in the pleasure of watching my distress."

Kraven raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tempt me with a good time, love." He mused. "But I’ll be good for you. Stay close." He led the way.

Isadora released a sharp exhale and followed behind.

"This will be fun," Logi mused, grabbing his things and the torch as he walked through.

It took a moment before the stone rolled shut sealing the tunnel, the nails driving themselves into the wall forming a lock.

After an hour, Dain emerged, his footsteps echoing through the air as he strode to the sealed tunnel.

A smirk curled his lips. "Even you can’t see through this, Commander Logi." He sighed. "This wasn’t part of the plan but it’s a necessary adjustment. Forgive me, Nyssa. Duty comes first."

His olive eyes leveled to the nail on his palm, the same one he had switched with a fake.

~♧~

"How long do we’ve to walk through this?" Isadora asked, eyes trembling as they veered to the walls every second.

"Sometimes a while," Kraven replied.

It was just the torch casting dancing shadows on the walls but her brain told her otherwise.

Isadora thought she had outgrown her fear of the dark and tight spaces but every encounter proved her wrong.

’Snap out of it, Isa!’ she thought, trying to calm herself down but it did nothing to help.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind came through, flapping the torches and the shadows grew more intense.

Isadora jumped as she wrapped her arms around Kraven’s biceps, pressing more into him.

Kraven’s lips spread in a grin. "Tighter, darling."

Isadora snapped out of it and turned to him, pinning him with a glare. She attempted to move away from him but his hand grasped her waist and brought her closer, caging her in with him, his cloak acting like a blanket around her small frame.

Kraven whispered. "You trust me already, more than you realize." He leaned away with a satisfied smirk like he had won a prize.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," Isadora mumbled under her breath, earning a laugh from him.

Thank the gods Logi was now leading the way, far ahead as he whistled a desired tone.

After an hour of being squeezed into Kraven’s possessive hold, they reached a light at the end of the tunnel.

A heavy amount of relief flowed through Isadora at the glimpse of it.

"Feel better now?" Kraven asked, finally releasing her. "Or do you miss my hold already?"

Isadora’s breathing hitched at his obvious deduction. However, she moved away when given the opportunity, her cheeks hurting from the heat that burned through them.

But Kraven grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to his side. "Come on, darling, why so cold? You were clinging to me in the dark. Do you want to go back? Looking forward to it."

Hot anger burned through her at his request, was he seriously going to do that? The look in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Of course! You enjoy the sight of my distress!" She hurried her steps and emerged from the tunnel.

Logi turned to her, noting her angry expression, and then faced Kraven. He clicked his tongue.

The tunnel had led them to a vast area with trees traversing for miles and miles—snow covered them and the grasses—sharp sound of birds chirping filled the air.

Isadora came to a halt, releasing a sharp exhale as she tried to cool down. She closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her face.

It was a welcoming sensation that brought a smile to her lips, erasing what had happened earlier.

"What did you do?" Logi asked. "She looks... out of it."

Kraven kept his eyes on Isadora, immersed, watching as the wind swirled her long braid behind. Her chin was up, and her eyes were closed as she welcomed the sun.

"I just teased her a bit," he replied. "She’s playing hot and cold with me."

A frown took over Kraven’s features. He would have narrowed it down to that, but he knew why she acted that way.

She didn’t get to bid her precious Rav farewell.