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The cat stops. It’s staring at me. Why is it staring at me? It lowers itself closer to the ground. Oh my god, it’s getting ready to pounce.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
“Help,” I scream in from the top of my lungs.
Suddenly there is noise behind me, and it’s growing closer by the second.
I’m sure my heart stops with fright. Spots cloud my vision and I’m swaying on my feet.
Then Aiden runs past me with a water bottle in hand, spraying the wild animal.
Aiden.
He’s here!
How’s he here? Did he hear me scream?
I watch as the oversized cat runs back into the darkness of the trees.
I cover my mouth with my hand, gasping for air.
Flinging my torch into the fire, I run toward Aiden and jump up on him, throwing my arms around his broad shoulders and wrapping my legs around his waist.
And I hold on.
Hold on for dear life. All of me is shaking. My heartbeat everywhere—in my throat, in my ears, my fingertips, and my toes.
Aiden’s arms come around me, supporting my weight. He crushes me to himself, his arms crossing over my back.
I breathe heavily, as if I had run a hundred miles.Tears well up behind my closed eyelids, but strangely, I want to laugh.
“Shhh, lucida.Shhh. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re safe,” Aiden soothes over and over again.
I don’t know how long we are standing like this. It could be five minutes, or it could be five hours. Right now, time has no meaning.
My heartbeat slowly returns to normal, and when I stop shivering, Aiden slides his hands to my sides, holding on to my waist.
“Can you stand?” he asks softly. “I want to have a look at you. Are you injured?”
I slowly unwrap my legs from Aiden’s waist and he helps me slide down his body.“I’m okay,” I say, still with a shaky voice. “It didn’t attack me.”
Still, Aiden takes a step back and scans me from head to toe. Then he takes both my hands in his to pull me against his body, wrapping me in his arms once more. I go willingly, his familiar scent comforting.
“What was that?” I ask against his chest.
“A bobcat,” he replies. That was a bobcat? I’ve not seen one before; I thought they would look different.
Aiden lets go of me and guides me to the log I was sitting on before all of this started. “It’s rare to see a bobcat,” he says, lowering himself down, tugging on my hand to follow. “They’re normally shy and stay away from campers. They only tend to attack if they’re rabid. I’ll tell the ranger about it.”
“Were you close by the entire time?” I ask.
“No, lucida. My camp is a good ten minutes south. I was just really unsettled. I felt like you needed me.” He pulls me closer, kissing the top of my head.
“I really did,” I admit in a whisper. “Even before the bobcat, I was freaking out.”
“Why? What happened?” I hesitate. It’s pathetic and I’m also not keen to relive my panic all over again.
“Ella.” The use of my actual name has me looking up at him. “Open and honest communication is the key to every successful relationship. Please let me in,” he says softly.
