Setting my remaining bread and cheese aside, I stood and slowly approached the animal, holding the meat out like a peace offering. The ridges of its ribs grew sharper as I neared, evidence it was living on borrowed time. I paused ten paces away, wondering if it might lunge for the food, aware this was still a wild animal with very sharp teeth.
But just like yesterday, it sat on its hind legs. There was a pulse of gentle heat in my chest, and I…I wanted toknow.
One step at a time, I crept forward. The wolf didn’t tense or twitch. Harthon’s sharp attention was a weight on my body, but with our need for silence, he couldn’t call out to stop me. He could rush me, sure, but we both knew that might spook the wolf into attacking.
So it was just me and this animal, this predator that was so much more than that. It was survival and untamed nature. A piece of life the Domus hadn’t been able to siphon away.
Two paces away, I could make out the rivers of gold and brown in its eyes, which watched me with a shrewd knowledge. Or maybe I was reading too far into it, searching for a connection that wasn’t there. One more step, and—
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, ripping the delicate moment in two with brutal hands.
Chapter 26
The wolf bolted into the trees, and I spun in a panic.
Everyone was alert and on their feet, reaching for weapons. Aric’s brows knitted as he listened. There were no further sounds, no rush of feet stampeding through the brush. After several strained seconds, he waved us off.
With no obvious threat upon us, Harthon’s focus moved to me, his expression warning of trouble.
Ididjust attempt to pet a wolf.
Preparing for a battle, I made my way over. Harthon didn’t say a word, though his jaw ticked. The effect was far more intimidating than him speaking his mind.
Aric, meanwhile, pinned me with an incredulous look. He shook his head, like he was trying to shake my idiocy from his memory, and in low tones, explained, “Sound travels far here. That was either someone they’re actively hunting, or a poor fool who stumbled across them. Let us hope for the latter.” He took a deep breath, revealing that he was just as affected by that as the rest of us. “Every time someone ventures to this Territory and makes it back alive, we update our maps with whatever they’ve managed to find. We’ll skirt around known encampments, but it’s no guarantee they haven’t moved. For that reason, we move slowly, but steadily.”
The chances we’d come up against at least one adversary were high, then.
“And while you should already know this, let me remind you. If any of us dies, the others will not spare time to bury them or collect the body. If you take issue with that, you can go back through that mountain pass now.”
His words had the effect of a rolling boulder, flattening any spirit we might have had remaining. The magnetic warmth in my chest pulling me deeper into this land reminded me this was still worth it.
When Harthon came behind me on the horse, his body was tense. “You do not seem to understand the importance of your health and safety, despite the fact that we just spoke on it this morning.” He spoke so quietly, I almost couldn’t make out his eerily calm words.
Twisting so that my lips touched his cheek, I whispered, “I was cautious. The wolf has shown me no signs of aggression, and I needed to know if there’s more to it. Some kind of connection.”
“I want you to explore that connection, but now is not the best time.” His hand snaked up to my jaw and tilted my head back. His hold was tender, but his words were not. “Aric already spoke with you, but let me be clear. If you do something reckless or dangerous here, I will not hesitate to stop you, whether you like it or not, whether it makes me an ass or not. Your safety matters more than your feelings.” A thumb brushed along my chin. “This is your warning.”
Anger and annoyance cascaded through me. I understood his reasoning. Harthon was a beast in battle, while I was hardly equipped to survive, nevermind protect myself here. But the way he said it prodded at all the wrong places.
“You’re already being an ass,” I informed him.
“I don’t like putting you in a cage,carella.But this is an extraordinary circumstance.”
I sucked in a breath to emphasize that this was only temporary.
A stern thumb pressed into my lips. “I cannot focus on keeping us safe if I need to worry about you,” he whispered, the confession softening his hard-edged commands.
Explanation or not, it was tempting to bite his thumb and show him exactly how his high-handed delivery felt. I found my maturity instead. Somewhat.
“I will do what’s needed to keep you at your best. But know that once we leave First, I’m going to rip into you for this.”
“That is something I look forward to.”
We would survive this trek into the Domus, if only so I could do just that. And train more, so I could effectively kick his ass.
Certain my eyes were now glowing, I wallowed in my annoyance as we moved, welcoming the way it drowned out my worry. Our pace slowed as time dragged, Aric stopping every few minutes to listen to the wind. Sometimes, it carried indistinguishable sounds, and others, it was uncomfortably quiet.
We reached the base of the mountain and delved into the valley, where naked trees blanketed the rugged ground. The occasional bird flitted through the branches above, and a squirrel or two scurried over boulders and craigs. Aric led us in a twisted route, circling wide, cutting across sparse slopes, and backtracking.
