Page 35 of The Hunter

Little thorn, huh? Maybe I should start calling him big prick.

Lacey wrinkled her nose at him. “Jeez, you’re freaking bossy.”

And yet there was something about the way he’d said it this time that felt…different. There’d been more than just command in his tone.

Tipping her head back, she guzzled the water, feeling droplets run down the corners of her mouth. When she finished, she pulled the waterskin away with a gasp and held it back out to him again, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. “Happy?”

Telok accepted the waterskin and returned her spear. He lifted his chin in the direction the others had gone. “Walk.”

“Valai’zirkita,” she muttered.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing! There’s just a lot of dirt here!” Lacey hurriedly returned to the path made by the thornskulls, using her spear as a walking stick while fanning herself with the leaf. Their companions had gained distance, but she knew they wouldn’t go too far without her or Telok.

Lacey heard Telok following close behind her, and she felt his eyes upon her. She glanced back at him.

He wasn’t just watching her…he was avidly staring her ass.

Her core clenched at the open yearning in his eyes.

Yep. He definitely wants to fuck me.

Lacey faced forward and let out a long, slow breath. She wasn’t sure how to act around him now that she knew the truth. And she…

God, I want him to fuck me too.

That was another big part of why his behavior toward her lately had hurt so much. She’d had a huge crush on the grouchy vrix, and she’d thought that he liked her back…at least until he’d started acting like he very much did not.

But if he wanted Lacey, why was he so standoffish with her? Why did he treat her with such cold detachment? Why did he often avoid her? None of it made sense.

They hiked until a branch snapped and the undergrowth rustled violently up ahead. Telok was instantly in front of Lacey, spear at the ready. Around his large frame, she saw a beast leap from the vegetation, only for it to be impaled by two spears thrown by nearby thornskulls.

The creature fell with a pained cry, and with stunning speed, Ayali was atop it. She finished the beast with a thrust of her knife to the back of its head, likely severing its spinal cord.

Telok relaxed with a heavy exhalation that bore just a hint of a growl.

Lacey stared at him as something warm and giddy spread through her chest. He’d placed himself between her and the threat. His first thought had been for her safety. No, not even his first thought, his first instinct, his first reflex.

Garahk approached the beast, retrieved his spear from it, and lifted his gaze to look around. The shadows were already deepening, signaling the approaching sunset. Soon, the bioluminescent plants would begin to glow, and the nighttime sounds of the jungle would settle into place.

“We will make our wild den here,” Garahk declared.

Lacey could’ve collapsed with relief. Her legs felt heavy and numb, threatening to give out where she stood. She hadn’t been this exhausted since their initial trek to Kaldarak all those months ago. Still, she forced her legs into motion as everyone busied themselves.

Ayali and Garahk lifted the beast and carried it away to prepare for the evening meal. It looked like an alien hybrid of a goat and a deer, with forest green fur, impressive antlers, and thick, claw-tipped toes that seemed unnatural to her on such a creature. The thornskulls called it a zex. Herds of the animals were common around Kaldarak, and the thornskulls often hunted them.

After propping her spear against a nearby tree, Lacey removed her backpack, set it on the ground beside the weapon, and joined Cole to gather kindling for a fire. Telok stood watch, presumably for the whole camp, but it seemed like every time Lacey glanced at him, he’d moved a little closer to her.

While she and Cole cleared a spot on the ground and built a fire, the remaining thornskulls hauled their supplies up into the trees, where everyone would rest for the night.

She wasn’t particularly thrilled about sleeping in the trees without four walls enclosing her, especially since she’d always been a restless sleeper. Back on Earth, she’d woken herself up more than a few times by hitting the floor after rolling right out of bed. She really didn’t want to think about what would happen if her tossing and turning took her right off the edge of one of these branches.

Kneeling, Cole dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a fire starter. It was one of the few they had left from the Somnium’s emergency supplies. When he pulled the trigger, there was a tiny, electric buzz, and the kindling ignited almost immediately.

Lacey crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. “What are we gonna do when those things eventually stop working?”

“Build up a lot of forearm and hand strength doing it the old-fashioned way.”