I charge through the thick foliage, rogue branches clawing at my leathers and my face. When one pokes my eye, I grab it and yank on it with so much force the whole branch breaks off the stump of the tree.
Always there with his smart remarks and charming wit, as if I need any of that shit.
The path narrows even further and my feet catch on a lone root. I almost trip and fall, but steady myself on one of the nearby tree trunks. My breathing is labored, my chest burning with anger and fear.
I don’t turn back to look for Jax, but oh, I don’t have to.
I know damn well he’s strolling behind me, probably with his hands stuffed in his damn pockets, whistling a tune under his breath as if he were on a damn walk in a park.
It is a rather nice day for a stroll. His voice is smooth as velvet in my mind.
Shut the fuck up.
I march forward. There’s more energy I’ve got to burn. He thinks me leaning on him for support is helpful? Bah! What will happen when he’s not here to?—
Another damn root.
This time, I do trip over it. And I only register it as I fall. Desperate to catch myself, I reach for a tree, or a branch, or anything nearby?—
Luckily, I manage to grab something, a branch of a sort. But it’s not much help.
It’s weak, and as I pull on it for support, I rip the whole bush out, roots and all. From inertia, the wrong kind, I sway sideways and land in the bushes. Before I know it, I’m rolling down the hill I didn’t realize we were on, weeds, bushes, and branches whipping at me.
My whole world is upside down, and no matter how much I try to slow the fall, none of what I grab helps me. My brain rattles in my skull.
I land in something wet and sticky… Slowly, I open my eyes. My ribs and hips ache from the impact. I try to sit, but I’m weighted down. When I look around, I realize I’m in a mud puddle.
In a fucking mud puddle.
In the middle of the forest.
With a sigh, I close my eyes and relax into it.
“Fuck me.” I breathe out the words.
The bright side? At least all the anger and frustration has left my body after that tumble down the hill.
A familiar voice comes from somewhere close. “Never thought you were the clumsy type.”
My eyes snap open, and I lift my head to find Jax standing on the very edge of the mud puddle. Squeaky clean. Not a hair out of place. Hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants while his eyes take in the view of me spread out in the middle of a mud puddle.
Slowly, and elegantly, in a way that only Jax can, he pulls one of his hands out of a pocket and offers it to me. “Can I help you now? Or would that make you weak? I’m happy to watch you crawl out all by yourself, General. Whatever will make your Ezkai respect you more.”
The audacity of this man.
A corner of his lips curls, but he manages to keep his face straight.
“You know what, smartass,” I grumble and reach for his hand. He leans forward so he can reach me easier. “Fuck you.”
I grab his offered hand and pull him towards me. Jax’s eyes widen and before he can stop it, he’s falling into the mud puddle with me.
He lands on all fours with a groan. Right on top of me, caging me in.
His lips part in shock, wild strands of hair falling over his forehead. I can’t help it. A laugh bubbles out of me. A beat later, Jax grins and shakes his head. “This shirt is pure silk. Do you have even the faintest of ideas how hard it is to get dirt out of silk?”
His concern for his pristine white silk shirt only makes me laugh harder.
All the humor evaporates quickly, though. Because the way Jax looks at me in that moment robs me of breath.
