Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 727

Chapter 72 : A Sea of Stars

“I know the perfect place to watch the meteor shower," Eros said. “It isn't too much of a hike into the mountains."

He led the way and Ashley eagerly followed along with him.

Payne seemed to have a perpetual frown on his lips as he stared after his sister and the stranger.

“Lighten up, Payne," Soren said, clapping him on the shoulder. “If he steps out of line, at least, we'll be on a cliff and can throw him off."

Payne scoffed and went ahead. Though, I caught the slight glimmer of amusement in Payne's eyes.

I stepped up beside Soren. “You wouldn't really throw Eros off a cliff, would you?"

Soren shrugged. “It depends on what he does. If he went after you or Ashley, I wouldn't have a choice."

“I suppose that's logical," I said, nodding.

“Mila, we don't know anything about him yet. I'll be on guard until I can determine he isn't a threat," he promised me.

I smiled and nodded. His words made me feel much safer about following Eros into the mountains.

We hiked up into the mountains. It wasn't very far and we arrived as the sun started to set. Eros brought us to a clearing in the mountains. The path flattened out and we were nestled in an area large enough for a campsite.

“This is beautiful," I said, walking around the site. We had a perfect view of the sky without the mountains or any trees obstructing our view.

The evening air was starting to cool off and I rubbed my arms, shivering. It wasn't too cold, though. It felt nice after the rigorous hike into the mountains, refreshing.

“We'll be able to see the whole sky from up here," Ashley gushed.

“It seems like there is just enough time to get the camp set up," Eros suggested. “I'm still hungry from lunch, so I'll throw together some snacks."

Payne and Soren shrugged and then immediately got to work on setting up the tents. Ashley hovered around Eros for a bit while he pulled all our food rations out. Eventually, she took off mumbling something about collecting firewood.

I took a seat near Eros and helped prepare snacks.

“Veggies and dip, I think that's the best idea," Eros said, handing me some cucumbers, carrots, and a green pepper. “If you slice, I'll stir."

“Sure," I said, shaking my head.

Since we'd just restocked before leaving Marno territory, we still had fresh foods that didn't usually last long on a trip. It was better to eat them now before they went bad. We had plenty of non-perishable snacks for the next few days.

I focused on cutting up the veggies and arranged them on a plate. Eros provided the dip.

Payne and Soren finished with the tents. They immediately dug into the veggie platter.

Ashley returned with an armful of firewood.

“Should we make a fire tonight?" she asked, holding her arms up.

“Firelight will interfere with our view of the sky and the meteor shower," Eros commented, shaking his head.

He went to Ashley and took the armful of wood from her. With a shrug, he tossed them in a heap on the ground.

“Besides, Mila and I prepared a meal that doesn't require cooking," he pointed out. He guided Ashley over to us and handed her the platter.

She took a sliced cucumber and dipped it.

“Hey, we were eating that over here," Soren protested.

Eros grinned and returned the platter to Soren.

“That's okay, there's something I want to show Ashley, anyway," he told him.

“Me?" Ashley gasped.

“Close your eyes," Eros instructed.

Ashley immediately complied. Eros took her hand and started leading her away.

“No peeking, now," he warned.

Soren and Payne exchanged a look and Payne was frowning again.

“We should follow them," Soren agreed with a nod. He held a hand out to me.

“Yeah, okay," I nodded. I took his hand and we followed the path Eros led Ashley down.

The path took us around a rock on a narrow edge. On the other side, it opened up again but we were standing very close to the edge of a cliff. The cliff was a sheer drop down so it was like we were floating over the landscape below.

A river carved its way through the flatlands. It looked like a black, slithering snake under the darkening sky.

I could look out over the horizon and see the exact spot where the sky met the horizon. We'd have the perfect view of the meteor shower from here. My skin hummed with anticipation.

Eros was standing behind Ashley. He leaned in and whispered to her.

“Okay, you can open your eyes. But shhh… be quiet," he whispered huskily.

I glanced at Payne and saw him grimace. He was watching their every little interaction.

Ashley gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

“This is so beautiful!" she whispered.

Little blips of light started flickering off the cliff. Fireflies, millions of them, lighting up like low-hanging stars. It was like we were swimming in a sea of stars as the real stars started blinking into view in the sky above.

“I knew you'd like it here. It's breathtaking, isn't it? And when the meteors start, you'll feel like you're in the sky, riding their light streams," Eros said.

“I think we've got extra blankets in the tents. If we lay them out here, this is where we can watch the meteor shower," Soren suggested.

I smiled at him. “That sounds almost… romantic."

He bounced his eyebrows at me.

“Thank you, Eros!" Ashley gasped. She turned around and hugged him tightly.

Eros stiffened for a moment. He cast a nervous look at Payne and Soren. Slowly, awkwardly, he hugged her back with one arm.

“You're welcome," he said stiffly.

I saw Ashley's cheeks turn bright red. I could tell, even in the dark. She pulled away quickly and looked down.

It was obvious to me that Ashley was falling in love with Eros. He was charming and attractive but I still had my reservations. Ashley didn't seem to care and I hoped it wouldn't lead to her getting her heart broken.

Payne's face fell and I could tell he was thinking something similar to what I was thinking of. He grabbed Ashley's arm and pulled her away from Eros and the cliff edge.

“Ashley, be careful. You're standing on the edge of a cliff," he warned gruffly.

“Ugh! Stop being so bossy," Ashley whined, pulling away from Payne.

“You're being irresponsible," Payne muttered, shaking his head.

I got the sense he was referring to Eros, not the cliff.

Ashley pouted. “I'm not a baby, Payne. I can take care of myself. You don't need to be so boring all the time and always scolding me for no reason!"

Payne glared and hurried to reply.

“Actually, the cliff probably isn't the best place to stand until we have the blankets out to watch the meteor shower," Eros interjected, quickly ending the fight between the siblings.

“I'll get the blankets," Soren offered.

He disappeared back to the tents.

“Come on, Ashley, I have something else I want to show you. And it will be far from the cliff edge, perfectly safe," Eros said, holding his hand out to Ashley.

Ashley giggled and quickly took his hand. “Yeah, I want to see."

“Payne, do you want to come and make sure I'm not putting Ashley into any dangerous situations?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at Payne.

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