Chapter 266. Ambivalent Out

Raina’s POV

“Hold up!” I shouted at Gustav, panting hard. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead and splattered on my chin. “Haah…haah…”

We pushed through the overgrown bushes into a small clearing with sparse trees. Their massive roots poked out of the leaf-covered earth and curved up into their trunks.

Fatigue burned into my human lungs and legs. I groaned, grating my teeth against the pain in my hipbone as we came to a stop in the forest. The shrubs had clawed at my flesh, leaving blistering welts on my arms that hurt.

“Okay. Let’s check your wound before we do anything else,” Gustav said, breathing normally, removing my arm from across his shoulder to gently set me down.

I hissed and flinched as I pressed my hand on a tree bark to sit down on its large root. Pain struck me, aggressive and hot, as I bent over with one hand on my knee to take a breather.

“Is it bleeding?” I inquired through a breathless gasp, drawing air into m