"This looks like a good place to start hunting. We should stop here and get started," I said, trying my luck again to rid myself of this position.

"We’re not there yet."

"And how would you know that?"

"The trees have already been marked. When we get there, I’ll know."

Okay, that didn’t work.

"My ass is hurting. We should walk."

"Not anymore."

"How would you know!"

"I applied the ointment for the last two nights. Your ass should be in good shape."

I froze, whipping my head to him. He kept his full focus ahead until he lowered his eyes to me.

The last two nights, he had been coming to my room. The stale smoke Cynthia mentioned already hinted that, but rubbing ointment on my ass was just...!

I forced my eyes forward, feeling a rush of feelings overloading me. I’m either hot or cold, but right now I’m just bracketing both.

Don’t let it fool you, Ana. I mentally reinforce myself.

Zade’s hand settled on my waist. "You’re tense."

"..."

"I know horses scare you. You don’t have to be scared while I’m here."

I almost laugh at his words.

"We’re on speaking terms now? That’s a far cry from how mute you were."

"The silence was preferable."

"Say who?"

"Your attitude."

I scoffed in disbelief. Is he fucking being serious right now?

"Was Gabriel’s company much preferable?"

I angled my neck, and he dropped his gaze.

"You sound..." I paused. Even though it was highly unlikely. "...Jealous."

The horse came to an abrupt halt.

"Jealous? No, little kitten. Possessive."

My heart skipped a beat for a moment when he leaned close.

"I don’t want that red-haired popsicle anywhere near you again."

"Who I spend my time with is none of your fucking business. Especially coming from you."

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. I thought I may have angered him but his next words were far from what I expected.

"Be mad at me, hate me harder if it makes you feel better. It won’t change."

"Change what?"

"That you’re mine. No matter what."

My throat bobbled with annoyance. "I’d rather keel over and die than belong to murder like you."

I faced ahead.

"You already are."

I clenched my teeth. That cockiness of his was frustrating.

Does he really expect me to just let him have his way after that night? Not. A. Chance. In. Hell.

Never again.

I welcomed the silence that suddenly took over, just the chirping birds and the soft rustling of trees.

An hour later, I was still in a struggle to pretend he didn’t exist. It was a difficult thing to manage because the more I tried to silence him, the more I could feel everything.

From the steady rise and fall of his chest to the way he guided the horse with the reins clenched in one hand. It was like a sculptured wall behind me.

Finally, we stopped moving, and I saw the very obvious marked trees. It was easy to spot from a distance.

Zade got down, and I watched as he took out his rifle. He stole glances at me and noted a small smile playing on his lips.

"Need help getting down?" he asked, as he hung the rifle across his back with the sling.

"You put me here, so you bring me down."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!" I seethed.

"I could easily leave you out for being such a brat."

Horror clogged my throat. "Y-You can’t do that."

"It’s tempting," he muttered.

Suddenly, the distant sound of cracks came through.

"Hear that, kitten? That’s the sign to get started, or we’ll be left behind. I can manage going solo. I’ll be sure to make enough kills for both of us."

"Stop telling jokes!"

His eyes darkened. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

I panicked. "Z-Zade, don’t leave me here."

"I won’t. Under one condition."

Why do I get the feeling he was waiting for this moment?

"What condition?"

"Don’t leave my side. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded.

"Words."

I gritted my teeth. "Yes, sir."

He grinned, stretching his hands to take my waist, and I braced my hands on his broad shoulder as he helped me down.

The instant my feet found the ground, I pushed off him and swung my leg right at his jewels. Hard.

"Fuck!" he growled.

I grabbed my rifle and ran out.

"Anastasia!"

~☆~

I stopped running. Resting my hands on my knees, I tried to breathe. I had finally put some distance between that snake and me.

Phew!

I opened my bag, took out the stainless-steel water bottle, and took a long drink. Soon after, I coughed because of how I rushed it. I wiped my mouth and shoved the bottle back in the bag.

"Pair my ass. We can both go solo," I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed the rifle hanging on my back.

I probably won’t take much time here. One or two would do, that is, if I could even pull that off. My aim still needed work.

I continue my walk, keeping my eyes on the marked tree. They were really helpful. Each tall tree has red markers on it as though creating a path. They were everywhere, which meant multiple directions.

More importantly, Zade won’t know which direction I took.

The sharp crack of a branch reached my ears, and I froze in place. Is that...!

I whipped my head at speed and found a deer. That was easier than I thought.

Before I could set my rifle, it ran out, distracted by the cracking noise.

"Dammit!"

I followed the deer, keeping a safe distance so that I wouldn’t spook it any further.

Another branch snapped nearby, so I turned, stretching my neck to check, but there were no deer in sight.

I sighed, looking back to the one I was following, and found it gone.

"Shit!" I cursed.

Where do I go from here? It’s not like I could fucking track it.

I resumed walking, hopeful I’d find one lurking nearby. I ended up tangled in a cluster of bushes and had to force my way through, goosebumps rising on my skin as leaves brushed against my face.

Ew, ew ew!

I finally got out, but I tripped over something and fell on the ground. Lifting my face, I spat out a mouthful of dirt and forced my eyes open.

My blood ran cold when a pair of wide, lifeless eyes stared back at me.