by Anna Hub
They'd saved us and left us out here alone, what could they possibly gain from our freedom?
I thought again of Ethel insisting I had some kind of Enhancement that was yet to develop. She said it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Something she thought might be enough to counter the darkness in Brayden. Is that why she saved us? She thought I might owe her something in return? I shook my head, baffled by everything that had happened.
Then there was Randall and his attempts to reach me in the hut. I wished I'd taken the time to mention it to Tara. Did that have something to do with me and my apparent Enhancement? Or was that fuelled by his distrust of Brayden? Who was he working for? Ethel? Alana? Alana’s furious expression formed in my mind. She clearly had a reason to fear hunters but I couldn’t help feeling as though there was more to it.
The way she’d spoken at the trial seemed too manipulative. I got the impression she wasn’t doing it to protect the villagers; she was doing it to protect herself. She knew exactly how her words would influence them. I shuddered at the thought. There was no telling what would happen next but I hoped never to see her again.
I was relieved to be away from them all, but suddenly wondered what else was going on? The situation clearly ran deeper than I'd realised. Although Matt and Tara insisted we were safe here, I couldn't help thinking about the villagers coming after us.
I checked the forest surrounding us. Once Brayden woke, we could figure out what to do next.
Restlessness set in and I picked dirt from beneath my fingernails while Brayden slept. His breath had remained even but as I looked upon him, it paused. I reached for his wrist to check his pulse and he sat bolt upright. His grey eyes searched the forest before settling on me and I couldn't help tensing as he stared. I held a hand out in an attempt to calm him. "Brayden?"
After everything he'd been through, it made sense that he would be grey as he first came round. His head tilted to the side as though he could hear something I couldn’t.
Slowly, I rose to my feet. "What is it?"
He shifted onto the balls of his feet, rising into a crouch. I grabbed the food bag in case we had to make a sudden run for it. He remained so still; I couldn’t even see him breathing. The seconds ticked past slowly and I couldn't stop the panic building.
I stretched my hand out, bracing in case he retaliated when I touched his arm. But he didn't react. "Can you hear me?"
It felt like whole minutes passed. His pale eyes stared back at me, leaving my throat tight before they finally splintered around the edges and turned brown again. The skin on his face loosened and frown lines appeared where previously they'd been ironed out.
I exhaled heavily, closing my eyes in relief.
"Where are we?" Brayden's frown deepened.
Where should I even start? “You’ve been unconscious for a few days.”
“The last thing I remember is being surrounded by cats.”
“You were hit by one of the whip tails.” A lump formed in my throat as I relived the memory.
Brayden checked the skin on his arms, then rotated his neck as though a sudden headache had struck him. In the darkness, there had been no way to check on his wound but now I realised I should have already done it.
He remained still while I sat behind him and found a long piece of tree bark covering the damaged skin. I pulled just a small section away to expose a green poultice and hints of the flesh exposed beneath. It looked better than I expected.
“I thought you were going to die.”
He turned at the dryness in my voice. “What happened?”
“I ran into the mountains when you collapsed and found people to help us. They carried you back to their camp. There were lots of them, Brayden, a whole village.”
He checked over his shoulder. “Where are they?”
“We’re not in their village anymore.” I told him about Ethel and the things she'd said about him. “At first, I thought she was going to use it against us. But she told me she was trying to help me.”
“How could they use it against us?”
“She said they wouldn’t let you live if they knew about the grey in your mind.” His expression tightened as I continued, “The healer put you under a sleep seal to buy me time. She wanted me to find a way to convince the villagers they wouldn’t be in any danger if you woke up.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“So they think I'm a hunter?"
I nodded slowly. "What you did that day, at the edge of the valley, it wouldn’t have been possible for anyone else.”
He took my hand. "But you don't think I'm one of them, right?"
I stared at his hand resting in mine. Finally, I did know that. "Of course not," I whispered.
He straightened, as though he recognised that for the first time. I really meant it.
“The way you fought them was ... I don’t even know what it was, but I knew you'd come back. The villagers wouldn't know that though. They would just see the expression on your face and the colour of your eyes." I swallowed. "They took a vote, and they wanted to have you killed. Some friends took a chance and helped us escape.”
"But we're on our own again?"
I nodded.
"Are you okay with that?" he asked.
"Honestly? I really thought I might lose you in that village." I still gripped his hand tight, wanting to hug him. "I'm just glad you're alive."
He seemed to recognise my longing and pulled me into an embrace. I surrendered, resting my head against his shoulder as he held me tight. We hovered in that position for a long time and when he pulled back a little, I found myself unable to let go.
He laughed. "Are you feeling okay?"
I breathed in the scent of his skin, thinking about all the times he'd tried to make a move and I'd resisted. If he tried that now, I wouldn't hold back.
"Sel?"
I drew back, meeting his gaze. "It was horrible seeing you so vulnerable in there."
"I didn't know you cared so much." He winked as I let him go. I looked to my feet, completely unsure if this was the moment I should confess how I truly felt. "I'm kidding."
"I know."
"Why so serious?"
I licked my lips. "I'm still just a little shaken by everything that's happened."
Brayden leaned back, resting against the outer cave wall. "Tell me what happened with the cats."
"They herded us into a trap. Each time we tried to move in a different direction, they were there waiting. We made it to the edge of the forest and they were all waiting by their den. Do you remember any of it?"
"No."
"You moved faster than I could make sense of. Like you knew what they were going to do before they did it.”
"And what about you?"
I shrugged. "I was hit on the shoulder by one of their tails but the cats were mostly focused on you. And when they got too close to me, you were always nearby, distracting them."
"Somehow, you're a part of this too," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Although I don't remember what happens when I'm grey, I have this feeling about you."
My pulse quickened, but he'd spoken so casually, he obviously didn't mean that the way it sounded.
"It's as though you're a part of this instinct I have. I don't know how it works but I know it works to keep both of us safe."
I thought again of Ethel and what she'd said about my own Enhancement. Did his instinct recognise that too? I considered telling him but then thought better of it. Even if Ethel was right and there was something different about me too, I had no idea what it was.
He stared at me intently. “What's bothering you?"
"Nothing."
"I can see your mind working overtime."
How could he be so ruthless with his instinct and yet so astute when it came to me? And how had I missed this before? I'd spent so much time worrying about his true nature instead of taking the time to realise how much he
cared about me.
“We’re going to be okay,” he said quietly. "We'll find our own way."
I nodded, breath catching in my throat as I considered kissing him. The thought sent a tingle of nerves through my body. He'd already made it clear how he felt, why not just lean in and show him how I felt too?
"How far is the village from here?" he asked.
I sat back, pulling my lower lip into my mouth. "A couple of hours that way." I pointed.
He nodded, eyeing me suspiciously. "Something's weird about you today."
I blushed and he frowned as though he'd finally realised what was on my mind. Once again my heart raced and I shuffled forward, resting a couple of feet away from him. "There's something I can't stop thinking about."
He held my gaze, eyes drifting to my lips as I leaned closer. "What's that?"
I reached out, hand resting on his shoulder. He placed his over the top, his fingers slipping between mine. My stomach flipped as the distance between us closed. The warmth from his body already spreading through me.
"Over the last two days, I've had to face the reality of losing you," I whispered. "And it made me realise I'd been hiding how I truly felt."
His free hand traced the side of my jaw and down to my neck as he swept my hair aside. My mind turned foggy as his fingers cupped the back of my head. The heat of his breath rushed across my nose as I lifted my chin.
"I always knew how you felt."
I paused. "You did?"
"Chemistry is everything." He grinned, repeating the words I'd once said to him.
"Right." Was that part of his instinct too? To know that I was attracted to him.
His smile straightened and his hand tightened on mine. I looked at his mouth one last time before closing my eyes and finding his lips with mine. He kissed me back, gently, his hands running along my skin and leaving goose bumps in their place. My fingers traced up the back of his neck, resting in his hair; loose curls caught in my hand—just as they were in my dream. I sank into him, finally surrendering any memory of the doubt I'd had. No one else would ever trust him in the way that I did but none of that mattered. For the first time since I lost my old world, I felt truly alive again. I'd never be entirely whole, but with Brayden by my side, I could be happy.
I pulled back; completely unprepared for how breathless that would make me feel.
"I've wondered what that would be like for a long time," he muttered as he held me close.
"And how did it shape up?"
He lifted my chin with a thumb, pressing his lips to mine once more. I'd hoped he would do that again. My body warmed as his tongue softly parted my lips and I kissed him back more forcefully this time.
We stayed that way for a long time, hands exploring each other's bodies as our kisses deepened. But I pulled back sharply, battling to ignore the way the grey had splintered through his eyes as he looked at me.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
I breathed heavily and pressed two hands against his shoulders to create distance. "We should stop before things go too far."
He laughed. "Too far?"
"Too soon, I mean." I brushed the hair from my face. "We don't exactly have anyone else to spend our time with, so we should take it easy."
He nodded, rubbing his face. "If that's what you want."
"It's one thing to maintain a friendship when you've kissed someone but another entirely if you've gone further."
"Maintain a friendship?"
"If we decide we don't want to pursue this, I mean. What if things get weird and we don't want to be together?"
"I've spent enough time with you to know that I'm making the right choice." He straightened and kissed my cheek. "But I understand what you're saying."
I nodded, still fighting to find my composure. "Hungry?"
"Starved." He raised his eyebrows as I handed him bread from the bag of supplies.
Chapter Twenty Eight
We discussed leaving but decided we'd, at least, wait for Tara and Matt's second visit. Brayden could do with more food before we risked being on our own again, and part of me was curious to find out exactly why they'd helped us.
Over the next couple of days, we rationed our food and found a small stream nearby for water. There were fish as well but at this stage, we couldn't risk having a fire so we would have to do without the extra nutrients.
I checked Brayden's healing wound every morning and every evening. Although I was no expert on injuries, I felt sure the same injury would have taken much longer to heal on a regular person. Then again, the cut on my shoulder was healing well too. Just as Tara had said, Ethel was obviously very good at her job.
As the time passed, I gradually relaxed into my new world. Spending time alone with Brayden, with no danger of hunters or screaming cats nearby, made me feel as though I was living a normal life once again. As Matt had suggested, this forest was nothing like the valley where we'd run from.
Late in the afternoon, I was close to falling asleep, Brayden's hand gently tracing along my shoulder, when a crack in the forest startled me. I sat up, using Brayden's eyes as a gauge to the approaching danger. Grey splintered out from his pupils before exploding to cover his full iris. The forest fell silent once more but we both rose to our feet.
Brayden turned, his expression frozen by instinct as Tara appeared.
She had her arm raised, with an arrow pointed right at us. I stepped forward, examining Brayden's reaction as she came closer. A vein throbbed in his neck and his shoulders tightened.
I held my hand out to make Tara pause. "What are you doing?"
“Just a precaution, Selena.” Her braid hung over her shoulder beside her well-placed shadow. Matt appeared behind her in a similar stance.
"Lower your weapon." My throat tightened at the thought of Brayden attacking them. I wanted to believe he wouldn't but in reality, we'd never interacted with other people before. I had no idea how he would respond. "Please."
Tara remained where she was, her jaw tense.
I turned to Brayden, slipping my hand into his as though that might help to keep him close. "These are the friends I told you about. They rescued us. Twice."
Brayden didn't respond and there was no way to tell if he'd even heard me.
"Your arrow is making his eyes grey." I grew frustrated. "Please, just lower it a little."
Tara gave in first before Matt followed her lead, each of them keeping their bows loaded as they pointed them to the ground.
"They're not here to hurt us," I explained again, relaxing a little as the grey weakened.
“What’s going on?” Tara asked.
I waved an arm to silence her. “Just take a few steps back. Give him time.”
She did as I asked while Brayden examined her movement with his instinct. He looked the same but I somehow felt as though the distance made a small amount of difference. I motioned for her to keep going and tried to talk to him in case it was enough to snap him out of it. I watched his eyes carefully until a streak of brown flashed through.
"He's getting better," I called out.
“We don’t have much time," Matt said.
"Do the villagers know you're here?" I asked.
"No," he replied. "But they'll notice our absence if we're gone too long."
Brayden's eyes remained the same, his expression blank.
Tara nodded toward him. "Is everything okay with him?"
I hesitated. "I think so. As long as you don't intend to harm him, he should remain the way he is.”
Tara watched from a distance, her expression curious. "It's fascinating," she muttered.
Part of me rejoiced in hearing that but we weren't exactly in the clear just yet.
"Can he hear us?" Matt asked.
"When it's this strong, I'm not too sure how much conversation means to him."
Tara took a step closer. "So there are varying degrees?"
"Sometimes the grey is no more than a ring around his eyes, and then there are times when it t
akes over completely. Like now."
Tara raised her eyebrows. "I wonder if the other hunters are like that too."
Somehow I didn't think so. Brayden had never shown the same kind of aggression they did. He fought to survive not destroy.
Matt hooked his bow on his shoulder and held out a bag. "We brought you more food."
Brayden's eyes seemed a little lighter. Perhaps Matt unloading his bow had something to do with it.
"It's not much, but it's hard to take enough stock without people growing suspicious," Matt continued, dropping the bag to the floor where we could collect it later.
"Thank you."
"Are you getting by okay out here?" he asked.
"Compared to where we've come from, this place is paradise."
He nodded. "I thought as much. It might take a while for the villagers to calm down but hopefully, we'll be able to spend more time out here with you soon."
I shifted, my hand tightening on Brayden's. "Why are you helping us?"
Matt frowned. "Who are we to decide who lives and dies?"
"But by helping us, you've already taken part in that decision."
"Helping someone live is very different from deciding who dies," Tara added.
"You're right. But you've risked a lot for us and I'm struggling to understand why."
Tara held my gaze. "Sometimes the thing you fear, is the very thing you need to move forward. For a village living in terror, making the decision to have faith and take a risk, isn't something that comes easily to them."
So it was true, they expected something in return. "To have trust that what?"
"That you and your hunter are an opportunity," she answered.
"To learn more, she means," Matt jumped in. "Too many people want to hide away and just get by with what we know. But the more we learn and the better we understand this world, the more progress we can make. This isn't just about us, but the future of our population in the Shadowlands."
