CHAPTER 263: 263-OFFERING HIS DIAMONDS TO ME

Clementine:

At this point, we had been walking for about an hour, and my attention had completely shifted to Haiden. I had no clue where he could be, and it was only after we’d come this far that we realized we’d made a big mistake.

How the heck were we supposed to go back? We hadn’t left any markings—nothing.

Although we had a map, I didn’t think it mattered much if we didn’t even know where we were on it.

"Clementine is silent," Troy said finally, glancing at me.

I shook my head to let him know I was fine. I kept the same phony smile, one meant only for their comfort, because I didn’t want them worrying about me instead of focusing on where to find the coal.

"I’m pretty sure she’s upset with me," Oriana said, making the others slow down and darken their expressions.

"Why would she be upset with you? You know she doesn’t get upset with anyone," Troy said firmly, defending me.

"Well, she got upset because I locked the door and left you out," Oriana explained.

As she said that, I noticed Troy side-eyeing me with a faint smirk on his lips.

"Really? Did she argue with you?" he asked.

At this point, those two had fallen behind us while Yorick and I walked shoulder to shoulder, ready to attack or defend ourselves if anything came at us. The two behind were keeping an eye on our backs, and Troy was still trying to question Oriana about me.

"Yeah, she was really angry. I thought she was going to kick me out for you," Oriana told him.

I turned slightly and saw Troy smirking, wide and unrestrained.

After Ian told them the whole bizarre thing about me only letting them touch me because I was upset with him, my mates had been distant. It bothered me because I knew I was in the wrong. So I guessed they were now trying to figure out how I truly felt about them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Oriana went on, turning to Troy.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied, sounding a little too cheerful to think about anything else in that moment.

"Isn’t she Haiden’s mate?"

As soon as she asked, I noticed Yorick slow down.

"I’m just saying because I saw you two showing affection to her," Oriana continued, referring to the kisses they’d given me. "I was wondering if that would cause trouble between you all. I’ve seen groups fall apart. For instance, Joshua and Jack."

She was still speaking when Yorick cut her off.

"It’s different," Yorick said loudly. "She’s not cheating on anyone, so you don’t need to worry about her. As for Haiden, he knows."

That was all Yorick said before speeding up again to walk beside me.

Once more, awkward silence settled over us.

Then we heard loud steps, something approaching.

At that point, it wasn’t much of a mystery. It didn’t sound human. The steps belonged to a creature with three pairs of feet.

But it was wailing so loudly that it became hard to tell where it was coming from. We couldn’t tell if it was behind us, ahead of us, or to the right. The only side closed off at that point was the left.

"Run, run, run!" Troy screamed from behind us, and we realized the thing was coming from right behind.

At that point, Yorick ran straight ahead, while Troy, Oriana, and I took the right turn.

That was the problem. There was such an adrenaline rush that we didn’t even realize who was supposed to go where. It ended with us getting separated again, this time from Yorick once again.

We kept running forward as the Earth Eater followed. Oriana was huffing and puffing, and I could tell she was even whimpering while she ran. She had been so confident before, but now I noticed how afraid she’d become.

I guessed somewhere along the way, her father’s death had really shaken her or maybe her sense of self-worth had grown. She’d mentioned that she believed they’d killed her father, so maybe it was about justice for him, and that drive for justice was what pushed her to survive.

I stepped aside to let her rush ahead and stay safe, and she did. She took the chance and sprinted past us.

After we’d put some distance between ourselves and the creature, we stopped. I watched Oriana slow down too.

Troy and I both gripped our spears, ready for the attack.

"I’m going to stand here. You attack it," Troy instructed, reminding me how quickly we needed to act when they came at us.

He’d explained that when we were farther from them, they barely opened their mouths but when they were close and thought they had won, that’s when they’d shut their eyes and open their mouths wide. So we had to let them get close to kill them.

I was ready.

Troy stood his ground, letting the Earth Eater approach. I saw it open its mouth wide like an anaconda and lunge at him, but before it could reach his head, I squared up and drove the spear as deep as I could.

At the same time, Oriana stepped forward and grabbed Troy from behind, pulling him back to make sure he didn’t get a single scratch. That was new.

I guessed she’d realized that if she wanted us to fight for her, she needed to show a little appreciation and support too.

As the thing died in front of us, we noticed how silent their deaths were. They weren’t as loud as the other creatures we’d killed so far.

"We lost Yorick," I uttered, finally snapping out of it and looking at Troy.

"It’s alright, he’ll be fine," he said, giving me a reassuring nod and a quick hug. But I knew he could tell from my expression that I was extremely worried.

"Did somebody say my name?"

I turned around suddenly and saw Yorick appear, a very cheeky smile on his face. His eyes made it clear he was pleased to hear I’d been worried about him.

And it didn’t stop there. His hands were tied behind his back, and when he pulled them forward, he showed me his bag.

He had a few coals in his bag, shining like diamonds. But shock struck me when he offered them to me.