AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’ll be a big boulder with a tree growing on top of it. The pack is buried at the base of the boulder,” I said, not removing my hand or my eyes from his.
The other corner of his mouth lifted, but that smile disappeared almost as fast as it came, and he broke our stare-off with a curt nod, then started bushwhacking around the lake. We stayed as quiet as we could, slowly weaving through the undergrowth for close to fifteen minutes until we finally came to the boulder.
I was still struggling with all the sounds, smells and sensations around me, but I kept pressing forward, determined not to be the weak link in this group. I was a Hellcat, a trained assassin. I couldn’t let a few extra smells and sounds trip me up. Not when my freedom depended on it.
Zane was about to step forward to go to the boulder when my hand shot out and I grabbed him by the shoulder.
Pure, rock-hard muscle bunched beneath my fingers. He was also in no more than a sleeveless shirt, like the other two, and his skin was warm against mine, despite the chill that hung wet in the air.
His gaze swung to mine, an almost savage look in his eyes.
I released his shoulder and took a deep breath, trying to tune out the onslaught of new smells around us. The lake was full of them. “If Moord broke Neffers and got him to talk, it could be a trap,” I whispered. The pressure continued to build behind my eyes, making it feel like my brain was trying to burst through my skull.
Without saying anything, he nodded. Rix and Jorik grabbed the automatic rifles from their backs, then Rix handed me one as well.
Zane just had to look at the other two guys, and they nodded at him and went wide. Zane looked at me, pointed, then pointed at the ground. He wanted me to stay put.
I rolled my eyes but nodded. I wanted to close my eyes and relieve some of the pressure, but I couldn’t. I had to stay alert. I had to stay ready.
Jorik and Rix had already disappeared into the woods. Not even a twig cracked beneath their feet. I turned to look at Zane, but he’d disappeared, too.
Phantoms in the night.
We were all trained to be phantoms.
Deadly phantoms that killed before you even knew we were there.
Something told me that these three had done more than just the simulations I’d gone through. They were experienced in the field, had numerous deaths under their belts, multiple missions. Unlike me, who hadn’t been allowed outside the compound walls in my life and had never even felt the bark of a tree on my fingertips or dirt beneath my feet.
A deadly princess locked in a tower, my blood used to make others strong, while I was kept away from humanity like some lecherous beast.
From where I crouched behind a tree, I could see the boulder with the tree on top. There was disturbed earth where something had been buried. The rest of the dirt held a healthy dusting of fallen brown pine needles, leaves, and low-growing shrubs. But this spot was churned with dark brown dirt.
Jorik approached the boulder, his gun out. He backed up toward it. Rix approached from the other side and covered Jorik as he bent low and began digging in the dirt with his hands. Quickly he unearthed the metal container, roughly three feet wide by two feet long. He brushed the dirt from it but didn’t remove it from the ground. Was he wondering if there might be a land mine? Because I was thinking the same thing.
If they broke Neffers, they could have easily run out here, dug up the survival kit and placed a land mine beneath it.
Only that would most likely kill me, and they wanted me alive.
Still, we needed to proceed with caution.
Carefully, Jorik slid his hand beneath the container, feeling around for any explosives. The way his back muscles relaxed said that he hadn’t found anything. He lifted the box, with Rix still covering him, and clutched it to his chest.
So far so good.
Maybe Neffers hadn’t divulged the plan. Maybe he was at the boat waiting for me.
I smelled him before I felt him or saw him. Zane.
It was the first time since he’d been this close to me that I was able to discern his scent so distinctly. Fresh, woodsy and faintly like linen.
My lower belly fluttered.
His heart rate picked up. Mine met its rhythm.
“Nobody but us is out here. No sign of tampering, either,” Zane said, his mouth next to my ear, his breath a warm feather against my cheek.
I closed my eyes and immediately felt a rush of pleasure through my body and a decrease of the pressure behind my eyes. That brief rush of relief allowed me to tune into the world around me and true enough, I felt no more human heartbeats nearby.
