AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Breathing through the despair, she took the charcoal and wrote, Let’s do it. Call it an itch scratched. Then we can leave.
His attention burned the side of her face, but she kept her eyes on her writing. His rough warrior’s hand engulfed hers and then tried to pry the charcoal away. She couldn’t relax her fingers. They’d seized.
Leaf palmed her spine, angled his body to see the book better, then used her hand to write. The intimate and assuming pose arrowed heat to her lower belly. Her lashes fluttered at the comfort of having a man touch her again. Words formed on the shadowed page, but they blurred and bled into blobs of darkness. All she wanted to do was face him, lean into his body heat, and pretend he was the man she missed with all her heart.
When he finished writing, he tilted her jaw to guide her attention to his words. She swallowed, blinked the tears away, and focused on his writing.
Or we can fight our way out. I must use mana, and it is unpredictable. It will be bloody, dangerous, and unsafe.
She craned her neck to meet his gaze and searched for signs of confidence. From what she’d witnessed already, he fought with unprecedented skill. But their risk doubled if he used magic, which could just as easily backfire.
He offered her a choice—a way to keep her dignity intact. Feeling a surge of courage, she scrambled across the tent and covered her shoulders with a cape. She found a bag to hold a few other items that might come in handy. She had no shoes, but she could put up with sore feet.
While she prepared, Leaf strapped on his baldric and slipped his satchel over his shoulder. Facing each other, Nova’s heart pounded. They were as ready as they would ever be. Voices hushed outside, waiting. She could almost feel their anticipation burning through the thin canvas wall.
Holding her gaze steady, Leaf slowly unsheathed his sword. Blue glowing marks gleamed on the blade and reflected on the tent’s inner walls. He pointed at the rear, just beyond the bedroll. Taking her hand, he hooked her fingers into his belt and gave her a stern look.
Last chance to back out,his gaze seemed to say.
ChapterNine
After Leaf had won the hunt, Grung’s eyes flashed with spite. At that moment, Leaf knew he’d have to fight his way out of the camp, no matter what happened inside that tent. He’d managed to collect his bag without a fuss. The sword had been more challenging. He’d scratched transference runes into his palm eight times before the spell activated correctly, and the blade traveled to him.
He’d tried to stall their impending escape. The closer to sunrise, the more passive vampires would be, thus eliminating a good portion of his obstacles. But Nova had been right. The impatient buffoons outside had impeccable hearing. They’d have picked fake mating sounds, and then they’d have retaliated with force.
Leaf preferred to stack the odds in his favor first.
He stared into Nova’s glimmering eyes as she bustled about, collecting items he assumed meant she agreed with his proposal. His fate sealed itself in her tears. But the question was… if they survived, would she willingly come with him? Would he have to toss her over his shoulder again?
For their escape to work, there must be no hesitation. There must be trust. He was about to unleash the full force of his power on anything that moved against them. His mana had been building in his veins, pulsating and demanding release. What he carried didn’t care if there was a taint. It wanted out of his system. It wanted to be heard.
For him to unleash without worry, Nova had to follow instructions. His doubt ebbed away when her gaze hardened, and she whispered,“¡Vámonos!”
Her urgency spurred Leaf into action. He slid the lid on his internal well an inch to the side, allowing a trickle of power to fill his veins and heighten his senses. In this state, he could hear as well as any vampire or wolf shifter. The downside was that it constantly cost mana.
He only entered this state when in dire straits, which before this evening was rare. Pushing aside that uncomfortable thought, he focused on the changes occurring in his body. Goosebumps prickled his skin. Electricity zapped in the air. Sound amplified.
Thud-thudwent Nova’s heart.
Drip-dripwent a nearby leak.
Crackle, pop!went the campfire outside.
Heavy breathing. Someone belched. And someone hushed others in conversation. Another whined about how long they waited before calling it.
Leaf slicedReckoningthrough the rear canvas wall. Forest scents bustled in with the fresh, predawn air. Feeling Nova’s fingers still lodged in his belt, he pushed outside but paused. The slumbering sun had risen enough to paint the sky purple. It wasn’t as dark as he’d feared. Nova could likely see well enough to keep up with him and evade attacks as best she could.
He unhooked her fingers and said quietly, “Stay behind me, stay close, and keep up.”
When no answer came, he craned his neck to see her, and his heart lurched in his chest. In this hypersensitive state, her beauty arrested him, almost to the point that he forgot what he was supposed to do. Long lashes spiked from moisture. Flecks of gold defined the brown eyes within.
A jolt of adrenaline wrenched his gaze from her face.
He jogged in the direction of his horse, satisfied to hear her footsteps remain close. To her credit, she didn’t complain about the sharp sticks and rocks likely cutting her bare soles.
After three more steps, shouts of alarm rang out.
That was three more than he’d planned for. The vamps must already be dozing.Wonderful.
