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Her skin is fair, and even from here, I can see the light splattering of freckles that cover the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She’s waving me toward her, and like an idiot, I take a moment to look around as if she might be talking to someone else, as if I hadn’t just checked and double-checked that I was alone.
But I missed her, so who’s to say I didn’t miss someone else?
After checking and finding I’m still just as alone on this path as I was two minutes ago, I turn back to face her.
“Me?” I ask, poking a finger to my chest to really drive home the point.
“Yes, you silly!” Her voice is surprisingly light. It’s almost as if she sang the words with the way they fill the air.
I’m not sure why I’m moving, but I am. I want to say it’s something about this place. First Ryker and now this girl, but that’s a lie. I wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t followed those damn little flame things into the forest.
The guys may have had the right idea keeping such a close eye on me. Clearly, I can’t be trusted.
The thought of them makes my chest tight with guilt. There’s no way they haven’t noticed I’m missing by now. What must they have thought happened, and how will I get back to them?
All my questions and worries are ripped from my mind before I can dwell too deeply on them. The moment I’m within arm’s length of the girl, she reaches out, and her fingers circle my wrist before she takes off deeper into the forest, dragging me along with her.
Shit. This might have been a bad idea.
As quickly as we start, she begins to slow, her laughter ringing through the woods around us as she looks back at me over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” she says before dropping my arm and disappearing behind another tree.
I’d love to believe her, but I’m pretty sure everyone says that regardless of whether they have plans to murder you or not. Thankfully, she’s small, hardly more than a child, but damn if this doesn’t make me yearn for not only my beast but the guys as well.
I should run.
I know that, yet even as the thought fills my mind, it’s almost as if I have no control of my body. My feet won’t move, and she’s heading back toward me before I can do more.
With a horse!
Where the hell did she just find a horse in the middle of the woods? I might not be a nature expert, but I’m pretty sure horses aren’t just all over for you to find in the woods like a squirrel or a rabbit.
Even if they were in this place, I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t come with a saddle.
I watch her as she leads the horse toward me with a huge smile. Her long green hair and bright green eyes are beautiful and unique, but I have to look away after a moment. The intensity of her smile is almost too much, too pure.
Instead, I turn my attention to the horse, who seems more than happy to follow her wherever she might lead. Something about it tickles my brain, and it only takes me a moment to piece together why.
It’s one of the horses from the stable that the man refused to sell to me. I’m no expert at horses. Hell, I’ve never seen one in the flesh before today. The only reason I’m sure it’s the same horse is the spot on its head. While the rest of the horse’s coat is jet black, one spot is white and just so happens to look a lot like a crescent moon.
Holy shit, balls, it’s huge!
I finally regain control of myself as they get closer and stumble back a step. The guys’ beasts are big, but they’re familiar. This isn’t someone I know and trust; this is a wild animal.
A wild animal who has to be at least seven feet tall and would probably trample me without even meaning to.
“Don’t worry, he’s friendly,” the girl says, snapping me out of my panic. “Well, he is now that he’s not stuck in that shack anymore.” With a laugh, she stops a few feet from me and turns to face the horse, running a hand through its long hair and saying something I can’t make out in a high voice, the way someone might if they were talking to a baby.
What the hell is going on?
“Sorry, I’m being rude! Shadow, this is...” she trails off, turning to look toward me. I take longer than I’m proud to admit to realize she’s waiting for me to answer.
“Serena.”
The horse takes a deep breath through its nose and stomps the ground.
“It is a really pretty name,” she says in a way that almost makes it sound like she’s talking to the horse.
