Unable to take the stifling room anymore, she pulled on a pair of jeans, a shirt, and her sandals. She popped out the screen on the window, set it on the ground, and climbed out. She closed the window, put the screen back, and walked away.
She had no idea where she was going; she simply had to get out and breathe some fresh air. Almost everyone else on the compound was in bed, and those who weren’t were on guard duty.
She prowled through the stucco homes. All of them were of various colors and styles, and as she examined their pretty facades, the differences between this compound and the one where she grew up struck her.
At her old compound, all the homes were identical. The only difference being her father’s home was a little larger than the others, but that was because it belonged to the hunter leader. If he’d died there, she and her mother would have had to move out and let the new leader live in the house.
But here, their house was smaller than some of the others. Here, they weren’t all the same design and color. The variety of colors spread throughout made this place more cheerful and far more inviting than the drab monotony of her childhood.
For the first time, she truly took in her surroundings and the beauty of this new land. But more than that, she took in the beauty of the hunter personalities starting to shine through. If she’d grown up here and had the freedom to make her own choices, she wouldn’t have run away.
She sometimes wondered if that’s why her father had decided to join the Alliance. If maybe her leaving made him open his eyes to how little choice the hunter women had.
She wished things had been different between them. It was the greatest regret of her life, but if what she’d done had brought about this change, then it was worth it. If what she did ensured no other young girls were married off to a man they didn’t choose for themselves and didn’t want, then she would do it again.
She’d destroyed her family, but she might have saved so many others in the process.
She was winding her way back through the homes when her gaze fell on the one Logan and Asher shared. When she’d left her room, she hadn’t planned to make her way here, but somehow, her feet found the way.
Or maybe she’d always intended to come here and hadn’t acknowledged it to herself. Maybe this was exactly what she wanted when she climbed out her window. Either way, it didn’t matter; she was here now, and instead of turning and going back to her mother’s house, her feet continued toward the porch, where Logan sat in a chair.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Logan watchedElena as she sauntered out of the shadows and toward his porch. Her hips rolled in that sexy, enticing way he didn’t think she was aware they did. Her dark hair, tumbling around her shoulders, blended in with the night until it became a part of it.
For some reason, he wasn’t surprised to see her. He hadn’t expected her to come here tonight, but once he saw her, it seemed right.
She climbed the two stairs to the porch, turned, and sat. She propped her foot on one of the steps and rested her arm across her knee. He rocked the chair back and forth while he watched her.
“Is Asher asleep?” she asked.
“He’s on guard duty at the gate.”
“Is that why you’re awake?”
“Do you think we keep watch while we’re at this house?”
“Don’t you? I know I wouldn’t completely trust anyone here after everything that happened.”
He chuckled. “You know us so well, but we stopped keeping watch. In the beginning, yes, but things have calmed down, and neither of us feels threatened here.”
“So, you have no problem going to sleep here?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“For what it’s worth, I believe you’re safe here. I doubt that’s worth much consideringIhaven’t been with these hunters for the past eight years either.”
“It’s worth something. What brings you here on this beautiful, starry night?”
Elena tipped her head back to look at the sky. Itwasa beautiful, star-filled night with only the hint of a crescent moon.
What did bring her here tonight? She pondered as she studied the night.
And then, she knew.
She had no idea what she wanted from her life or this world anymore, but there was one thing she did want…him.
When she lowered her head to meet his gaze again, she found those piercing green eyes raptly studying her. Amusement still shone in them, but there was also the simmering hunger she’d seen in them dozens of times before.
