“Two.”
Oh, gods, what happens when he reaches one?
She decides not to find out and dives into the thicket.
Her bare feet pound through the underbrush.
Thankfully, her winters of wandering the Salt Province without shoes will finally yield some benefit, even though the air still bites at her wet skin.
She doesn’t spare a glance over her shoulder.
A current courses through her veins, urging her onward, while part of her wishes to offer herself to him as a full-course meal.
The rustling of leaves at her back has her checking over her shoulder just in time to see a black shadow shift behind a tree.
When she finally halts to catch her breath, concealed behind a massive boulder, only the rising moonlight shines as her guide. She looks around each side once her heart returns to a normal beat.
No sight of him.
She nibbles her bottom lip at the ominous sensation curling in her stomach.
What does he plan to accomplish?
Will he capture her and drag her to the Southern Handle as a prisoner?
Or will he consummate their budding affair?
She leans her back against the smooth stone when a faint snap of a twig stops her breath.
When there is no other noise, she darts into the darkening woods as fast as her legs will carry her.
The only sound is her frantic bare feet falling along the forest's underbrush.
She changes course whenever she feels the unnatural icy air settle in, sensing him not far behind.
She is confident in her agility yet wonders if he is toying with her, letting her wear herself out before striking.
An overhang on the side of a hill nears, and she hunkers down inside. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and a light rain falls upon the darkness.
She watches the downpour without feeling the cold.
Maybe he abandoned the chase?
The fat raindrops quickly change to ice crystals, collecting along the ground.
Shit, he is here!
She darts out, flinching as the frozen pellets strike her exposed flesh.
The pounding shower lightens to a drizzle as she approaches a trickling stream.
Rubbing her arms for warmth does little to mitigate the frigid air encasing her naked figure.
She turns away from the stream and follows it toward the hot spring and her encampment.
Night has fully settled over the land, slowing her movements.
As she weaves through the trees, she spots the boulder from earlier.
