“I will tie you into this vehicle if I haveto!” he snapped.
“If you do this, I willneverforgive you. This isn’t tearing someone’shead off who tried to kill me. This isn’t defending me—”
“Yes, it is!” he barked.
“No, it’s not.” I took a deep breath to calmmyself before continuing on. “This is completely ignoring myfeelings, completely going against what I feel must be done. You’resaying you don’t care about how I feel if you do this.”
“I care too much for you, that’s the problem.Get out of this truck and it will be the last time you move aboutfreely.” With those last words, he slammed the door shut.
Resentment and misery warred within me as Iwatched him walk toward the others in the side mirror. I knew whyhe was doing this, knew how much the possibility of my deathtroubled him and how much he loved me, but it was taking everythingI had not to blast the door from the truck before zapping him sohard in the ass he wouldn’t be able to sit for a week.
Though it was anextremelytempting proposition, I couldn’t do it.There was a better way; there had to be. I faced forward, my teethgrinding together as I studied the night still alight from thedying flames. Trying to talk to him would do nothing. He wouldn’tbudge and he would tie me to the truck. If I pushed him and he tiedme up like livestock, our relationship would be irrevocablychanged, and not for the better.
I hated what he’d just done. He would neverlive this moment down for the rest of my life, but I couldunderstand and forgive this if I was still able to find a way getto Hawk and Erin.
CHAPTER 36
Kobal
I kept watch of River’s rigid back as sheremained sitting in the truck, seething. It didn’t matter that shewas mad or that I disliked making her mad. All that mattered waskeeping her alive. Going after those five humans was a risk Irefused to let her take, even if I had come to respect Hawk andErin.
The canagh demons were not a species sheshould mess with, not if this group of them were kidnapping humans.The canaghs fed on sexual energy, but it was rare they took thosewho were unwilling to their bed, and humans wouldn’t survive themlong enough to be satisfying. I had a feeling I knew whose grouphad taken her friends, and if I was right, I especially didn’t wantRiver around that hideous bitch.
There was only so much I could take when itcame to the dangers to her life.
River would forgive me one day; she wouldhave to. Turning away, I helped to gather some more of thescattered supplies and right the overturned trucks. Corson shot mea disgruntled look as he tossed a case of water into the back of atruck.
“What would you have done?” I demanded ofhim.
“Not that,” Bale said. “If some guy did thatto me, I’d have his balls hanging from my neck.”
Corson winced and instinctively shieldedhimself. “Shit, Bale.”
She flung back a piece of her fiery hair.“It’s true, and from what I’ve seen of your Chosen, Kobal, shedoesn’t back down and she has no fear. She’s plotting, trust me onthis.”
I glanced at where River remained in thetruck. She hadn’t moved in the past half hour. An hour ago, she’dbeen melting in my arms, now she may try and fry me if I went nearher. “I won’t have her near the canaghs and you know as well as Ithat the mission is more valuable than five human lives.”
“Not to her,” Bale said quietly. “You’rerehashing past mistakes by forgetting she’s human and she’s not asoldier like the others here. Most of these humans have been at thewall and fighting this war for at least five years, many longer.They’re more hardened than she is. They obeyed the rules she’srefused to follow from the beginning, and she’s only been with usfor a few months.”
I continued to stare at the back of River’shead before turning away. Bale was right, but so was I. “I’ve mademy decision and it will not be swayed.”
“I can’t wait to see how that works out foryou,” Bale replied with a smile.
“Tact, Kobal, you really should learn how tostart using it once in a while,” Corson said.
I snatched a backpack off the ground andtossed it into the back of the truck. “I left our bags by thelake,” I recalled.
“I’ll get them,” Corson offered.
He jogged across the clearing to the treeline. Glancing at the truck again, a bolt of panic shot through mewhen I realized River wasn’t there. I ran across the ground to thetruck. I grabbed for the door handle when I spotted her curled upon the bench seat, her head resting on her hands.
Her gaze flickered toward me and her chinjutted up before she looked away. “You’ll forgive me.”
I knew she’d heard me, but she didn’t so muchas glance in my direction again. Slapping my hands on top of thepickup, I turned away and stalked back toward Bale who smirked atme. “Oh yeah, I definitely can’t wait to see how this goes,” shesaid and turned away.
Apparently, being a woman sympathetic toanother woman’s plight was enough for someone to toss asidecenturies of friendship. I scowled at her back before returning togathering the salvageable supplies.
Corson reemerged from the woods and joggedover to throw our bags into the back of the truck River sat in.“What is she doing?” I demanded when he walked over to me.
