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“Well, whatever happened,” said Graham, “thank you for saving my life.“
The fears from yesterday were still so fresh and painful. I thought of his lifeless form on the deck and I shuddered, reaching for his hand without thinking.
His surprised eyes shot to mine and he squeezed my hand. “Oh, that reminds me of my biggest question.”
I felt my face heat up as I realized what he meant.
He smiled. “Did I wake up with this hand across my chest or was that nothing but a fantasy?”
I stared back at him, this question somehow the most terrifying of them all. I should’ve let go of his hand and pulled away, told another lie, laughed it off,anything. But we both stayed where we stood, my helplessness revealing the truth.
He laced his fingers between mine. All the energy in my body seemed to flow to the tips of my fingers, making the touch almost unbearable. I still didn’t pull away.
My eyes remained locked on his, afraid of what he’d do next, terrified of whatI’ddo next. On the outside, I was stone. Inside, my veins pulsed, my mind raced, and I fought a hidden battle without knowing which side I was on.
He lifted his other hand up my arm, to my shoulder. My skin shivered with anticipation. He brushed the hair off my neck and my eyes closed against my will. I leaned my face into his hand, wishing he’d stop but waiting for more.
I was about to give in and find out whatmorewould feel like when my mental battle was sealed with a single thought:If you don’t finish the job, I will.
My hand slid from his and I backed away, my eyes flashing to the trees around us. Cael could be watching. His threat was nothing to take lightly.
Graham’s eyebrows pushed together, confused and questioning.
Guilt and fear filled the space in my chest that had been blazing with life a moment earlier. I looked at the ground.
“Did you hear that?” Graham said, his gentle tone transformed to urgency.
I straightened up and listened, my ears alert.
A dog’s bark echoed through the woods. If dogs were close, so were people.
ChapterThirty
“Come on,”I whispered.
We continued through the forest as quietly as we could, but the dense trees and underbrush weren’t making it easy.
We heard the dog again, closer now.
The forest opened up to reveal a silver river gleaming at the edge of the tree line. I took my barrel and stepped to the water’s edge, placing it on its side in the cold current.
Graham leaned close and put a hand on my shoulder. “Look up.”
I lifted my gaze from the water. A large brown dog growled at us from the opposite bank.
The barrel slipped out of my hands with a splash.
The dog barked fiercely, and I thought I heard a shout.
I reached out and caught the barrel before the current swept it away. “Fill your barrel!” I said to Graham. “We need both.”
The dog continued barking at us with no less energy than before.
As Graham set his barrel in the water, a woman stepped out of the trees beside the dog. Her face was rugged and brown, framed by long black hair streaked with gray. She held an axe in her hand.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice deep and commanding.
The dog howled.
