Page 119 of A Cruel Kindness

The further into the forest we went, the darker the cover from light grew and the harder it was for me to see what was in front of me.

“Hold on there,” I said to Lucky, hopping off him to collect a handful of pebbles and rocks off the ground.

When we took off again, I started throwing rocks ahead of us. If there was a landmine buried somewhere, the vibration of the stones hitting the ground would set them off.

Lucky’s usual huffs of exertion were growing more intense. Despite my size, he was able to carry me with ease. The change of his breathing told me that it was something else, something more emotional. “You miss Clover, bud?”

Lucky snorted affirmatively and I had to laugh in return. Three of us—the Bond being the third—were now moody and missing their women.

There was still a laugh in my breathing as I threw the next stone.

Lucky felt it before me, reeling up to try to protect me.

The shock wave hit us first, flattening the trees around us and sending Lucky stumbling back.

I pulled his reins, forcing him to the side behind the cover of a large tree as the blast followed, sending scorching hot air by us.

I watched as the leaves wilted, burned by the explosion. They were thin enough to be killed by the heat, but for me it felt like stepping too close to a fire.

After a few heaving breaths as Lucky and I realized we hadn’t been turned into Muli barbecue, I led him out behind the tree to see the damage.

Thank God for the strength of my throw. The landmine seemed to have originated thirty or so feet away, scorching everything in a ten foot radius into oblivion. The blast had been directed upwards mostly, destroying the trunks of the trees around it.

Oh fuck no.

Right as an ominous creaking began ringing through the forest, I slowly backed Lucky away, looking for the trees that were about to fall.

A towering one that was likely several hundred years old started to crash down, falling away from us.

A sick feeling twisted in my gut seeing a piece of nature so old and strong crash down from something man made and built for war.

With my next breath in, I felt the brush of the Bond against my mind. I wasn’t going to read into any sign from God or Goddess. That I’d watched a tree fall when my bond with my paranima, marked on my back by a similar tree, was crashing down in an equally spectacular flourish.

Fuck this.

Bellamy and I could cover ground together, even if it took double the time.

Lucky flipped us around, immediately breaking into a gallop.

For a second I thought he’d preempted my thoughts, taking the first opportunity to run towards his mate. I’d seen him run towards Clover. He’d excitedly gallop towards her, moving forward quickly but still taking some time to sit in the anticipation.

This wasn’t an excited gallop. This was a sprint.

Relief tried to attack the anguish in my chest, but failed. I didn’t feel any better, even with the promise of seeing Bellamy in a few seconds.

Lucky barreled towards the tree line, his instincts taking over and allowing him to sprint through uneven ground with ease. We broke through the trees seconds later, and what we saw made me almost fall off him.

Clover was galloping across the field towards us, without Bellamy on her back.

My whole world crashed down around me, channeling my vision into the empty space over Clover’s back.

Where. Is. She. The Bond snarled.

“Faster,” I commanded, sending Lucky running even harder. My heart was about to beat out of my chest as the seconds slipped by far too slow. No amount of time would feel short enough to reach Clover.

When we finally did, Lucky went immediately for her side, licking a path up the gash on her flank.

My heart plummeted into my stomach.