“Don’t worry.” I took a slow step in his direction and almost pumped my fist in celebration when my knees didn’t buckle. Who cared if it took every ounce of concentration to pull it off? Confidence spoke wonders. “I can still kick your ass.”
“In fairness, I didn’t fight against you,” he said and rubbed his nose, emphasizing the crooked section that I’d broken. “You can barely stand, and even though you caught me off guard, I didn’t hurt you.”
“Stop rambling, and let’s get this over with.” I didn’t want to hear about how pathetic I was. If he was going to force me to leave with him, we could bypass the chitchat.
“Look-” He walked slowly toward me like I was some sort of cornered animal.
Adrenaline coursed through me, making my body a little more sturdy. I swung my arm, trying to slice his chest.
He growled as he jumped back, the sharp edge narrowly missing him. “You need to calm down.” The momentum of missing him threw my body off balance, and I caught myself before I could fall.
“Not happening.” I stood back on my feet, ready to attack again.
“I’m trying to tell you-” he started, but I jumped toward him.
He spun away from my attack, and I landed hard on my feet, jarring my neck.
Before I could face him again, a hand gripped the wrist that held the knife, and an arm snaked around my neck. He pushed his weight on me so I had to kneel.
Here it was. What I’d been waiting for. My breathing grew rapid as I strained to hear some sign of the others.
“Calm down,” Killian commanded. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Really?” I spat. “Because this doesn’t feel great.” I’d never felt so weak before. I hated the feeling and never wanted to experience it again.
“You obviously have someone hunting you, and you almost drowned.” He blew out a breath. “I was trying to be understanding, but you forced my hand.”
“Where are the others?” I lifted my head, scanning the woods.
“There are no others,” he said exasperatedly. “I keep trying to tell you this. You are safe. No one is here to get you.”
I waited for the sulfuric scent of a lie to hit me, but nothing came. “So you came out here alone in human form to fish?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “It was my sister’s favorite spot.” Was.
She must be dead.
Dad’s face flickered in my head. Mom. Zoe. Grief tried to wash over me, but I couldn’t let it. At least, not yet. I wasn’t safe. “I’m sorry about breaking your nose, but I need to leave.” “I gathered that,” he said, but his hold didn’t slacken.
“They’ll be combing the river, and it won’t take long before they get here.” Actually, I had no clue where I was. “If you release me, I’ll go without causing you any more issues.”
His arm loosened slightly. “Are we good now?”
“Yeah.” I dropped the knife, letting him know I had no intention of using it.
“Thank God.” He let go of me and stood. “Who the hell is chasing you?” That was a question I had myself. “No clue.” I picked up my knife, making him tense.
“I thought you said we were good.” His eyes glowed faintly, his wolf peeking through.
I locked eyes with him as I bent down and placed the knife back in my sheath. “We are, but I’m not going to leave this behind.” I placed a hand on a tree trunk, letting it brace my weight as I stood. When I felt steady enough on my feet, I strolled farther into the woods.
The sooner I moved out of the area, the faster my scent would dissipate, which would make finding me harder.
“Hey, wait up,” Killian called as I heard him run back to the river.
There was no way I was waiting. Considering how slow I was moving, he’d be able to catch up to me in no time.
No matter how much I pushed myself, my speed never increased. I bet a freaking turtle could have beaten me.
“Of course she didn’t wait for me,” he grumbled. “She’s too damn headstrong, like Olive.” He trudged in my direction.
In a matter of seconds, he caught up to me, his fishing pole slung over his shoulder. He bit his bottom lip. “So, where are you heading?”
“I shouldn’t tell you.” If somehow they figured out he’d run into me, they’d torture him for information. “The less you know, the safer you’ll be.”
“Okay, so, if you don’t know who, do you know why they’re after you?” He slowed his pace to walk beside me.
“Once again, best if you don’t know.” What was with all the questions? “So, where exactly am I?”
“You don’t know?” He pursed his lips. “How long were you out?”
I couldn’t keep the venom out of my words. “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be asking where I was now, would I?” I grimaced, immediately regretting biting his head off. I blew a raspberry. “Look, I’m sorry.”
A smile flitted on his face. “For what exactly? Punching me in the gut, breaking my nose, trying to stab me, or being rude?”
Ouch. “In fairness, I thought you were an attacker. So, in this instance, I’m purely talking about biting your head off.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.”
“Is withholding information my punishment?” I felt comfortable around him, which was odd. Normally, when I was around other wolf shifters, I got nervous and anxious, afraid I’d slip up and give them a hint of what I was.
“Maybe.” He waggled his eyebrows. “But in all seriousness, you’ve landed in Shadow Ridge.”
My shoulders sagged with relief. No way. Could I actually have gotten this lucky? Granted, after a day like today, I deserved some kind of break. “The bordering wolf shifter town to Shadow City?”