leaned over, closing
my eyes and tried to listen, using my senses as Will had taught me.
He should have been there by
now…unless I had actually won. Impossible. I could hear nothing but the
occasional chirp of birds and my own harsh breathing. Still, instinct told me
to run. When I straightened, the trees wavered in and out of focus in front of
me, my mind spinning. I knew I was pushing myself too hard, but couldn’t seem
to quit.
Kill or be eaten.
Determined, I surged left,
behind a massive oak tree and ran straight into a hard body. I stifled my
scream. The warm, musky scent had become so familiar to me in the last few days
that nervousness quickly fled as Will’s arms came up automatically, wrapping
around my waist. Off balance, we tumbled back. Will hit the ground with a
grunt, taking me with him. As we rolled down the hill, I bit back my cry of
surprise, knowing it might attract the beautiful ones if they were in the area.
Will held me close, cupping the back of my head protectively, until we came to
a stop in a pile of wet leaves at the bottom of the hill.
For a brief embarrassing moment
we just laid there, Will’s muscled body pressing mine into the ground. As
horrified as I was to be touching someone so closely, I realized it could have
been worse—he could have been a blood drinker. Breathing heavily, our gazes
met. It was an odd feeling that swept through me…warmth, embarrassment, but
something more. Something that confused me. Something I’d been trying to ignore
since meeting Will. Was I actually attracted to him? Is this what Tom had felt
when he’d been near me?
“How’d you find my location?” I
asked, mostly to make conversation and forget, for a moment, my confusing
thoughts.
He lifted off me, brushing the
dirt from his trousers. “Luck.” He held out his hand. “I promise. I was headed
downhill when I heard a branch snap. Wasn’t even you, but a deer. Still, I saw
you up ahead.”
I slid my hand into his and
allowed him to pull me to my feet. “Damn,” I said, using his favorite curse
word.
It should have made me feel
better to know that he’d fallen for my trick, but it didn’t. He’d found me
anyway thanks to a deer. And if Will could find me, I’d have no chance against a
beautiful one. He grinned a crooked grin that had my heart flip-flopping. Annoyed
at myself, I looked away, focusing on brushing the leaves and dirt from my clothes.
I barely even liked him. Yes, he had saved me, but he was bossy, practically
heartless at times. So why did I react so oddly when he was near? It didn’t
make sense.
“Jane, you’re getting better.”
He started to reach out for me, but dropped his arm to his side at the last
minute. He, too, seemed to feel uncomfortable with touching at times. Or maybe
he just felt uncomfortable touching me. “A lot better. We’ve only been at it
for a few days. You need to rest, give your body time to get used to this type
of life, this constant exercise. Tomorrow we hike all day to the river and
you’re going to be exhausted.”
It wasn’t as if we weren’t plenty
active back at the compound. Our chores kept us on our feet. But nothing
compared to this constant movement, up and down hills. I glanced toward the
west. The sky, a brilliant pink from the setting sun, was just visible through
the trees. It was getting too dark to read any books. If we stopped training, it
would only give me time to think, to remember everything that had happened to
me, and to the people I cared about. I didn’t want to remember.
I turned my pleading gaze toward
Will. “Just once more. Come on.”
“Jane—”
“Please!”
He sighed and turned his back to
me. “One, two…”
I didn’t wait but bolted,
determined to do better this time. They’d thought I was a bother, and I had
been for two weeks. I didn’t miss the looks of pity from Kelly, or the glares
from Tony and the others. I was holding them back. I would prove them all
wrong. And whether Will could
my eyes and tried to listen, using my senses as Will had taught me.
He should have been there by
now…unless I had actually won. Impossible. I could hear nothing but the
occasional chirp of birds and my own harsh breathing. Still, instinct told me
to run. When I straightened, the trees wavered in and out of focus in front of
me, my mind spinning. I knew I was pushing myself too hard, but couldn’t seem
to quit.
Kill or be eaten.
Determined, I surged left,
behind a massive oak tree and ran straight into a hard body. I stifled my
scream. The warm, musky scent had become so familiar to me in the last few days
that nervousness quickly fled as Will’s arms came up automatically, wrapping
around my waist. Off balance, we tumbled back. Will hit the ground with a
grunt, taking me with him. As we rolled down the hill, I bit back my cry of
surprise, knowing it might attract the beautiful ones if they were in the area.
Will held me close, cupping the back of my head protectively, until we came to
a stop in a pile of wet leaves at the bottom of the hill.
For a brief embarrassing moment
we just laid there, Will’s muscled body pressing mine into the ground. As
horrified as I was to be touching someone so closely, I realized it could have
been worse—he could have been a blood drinker. Breathing heavily, our gazes
met. It was an odd feeling that swept through me…warmth, embarrassment, but
something more. Something that confused me. Something I’d been trying to ignore
since meeting Will. Was I actually attracted to him? Is this what Tom had felt
when he’d been near me?
“How’d you find my location?” I
asked, mostly to make conversation and forget, for a moment, my confusing
thoughts.
He lifted off me, brushing the
dirt from his trousers. “Luck.” He held out his hand. “I promise. I was headed
downhill when I heard a branch snap. Wasn’t even you, but a deer. Still, I saw
you up ahead.”
I slid my hand into his and
allowed him to pull me to my feet. “Damn,” I said, using his favorite curse
word.
It should have made me feel
better to know that he’d fallen for my trick, but it didn’t. He’d found me
anyway thanks to a deer. And if Will could find me, I’d have no chance against a
beautiful one. He grinned a crooked grin that had my heart flip-flopping. Annoyed
at myself, I looked away, focusing on brushing the leaves and dirt from my clothes.
I barely even liked him. Yes, he had saved me, but he was bossy, practically
heartless at times. So why did I react so oddly when he was near? It didn’t
make sense.
“Jane, you’re getting better.”
He started to reach out for me, but dropped his arm to his side at the last
minute. He, too, seemed to feel uncomfortable with touching at times. Or maybe
he just felt uncomfortable touching me. “A lot better. We’ve only been at it
for a few days. You need to rest, give your body time to get used to this type
of life, this constant exercise. Tomorrow we hike all day to the river and
you’re going to be exhausted.”
It wasn’t as if we weren’t plenty
active back at the compound. Our chores kept us on our feet. But nothing
compared to this constant movement, up and down hills. I glanced toward the
west. The sky, a brilliant pink from the setting sun, was just visible through
the trees. It was getting too dark to read any books. If we stopped training, it
would only give me time to think, to remember everything that had happened to
me, and to the people I cared about. I didn’t want to remember.
I turned my pleading gaze toward
Will. “Just once more. Come on.”
“Jane—”
“Please!”
He sighed and turned his back to
me. “One, two…”
I didn’t wait but bolted,
determined to do better this time. They’d thought I was a bother, and I had
been for two weeks. I didn’t miss the looks of pity from Kelly, or the glares
from Tony and the others. I was holding them back. I would prove them all
wrong. And whether Will could
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