As if sensing my thoughts, he glances back, catching me watching him. A smile tugs at his lips.
“See something you like, Beta?” he teases.
Heat rises to my cheeks, but I refuse to look away. “Just making sure you can keep up, Nomad.”
His smile widens to a grin. “Race you to that ridge?” He points to a rocky outcrop about half a mile ahead.
Despite the ache in my side and the silver restraints, I find myself grinning back. “I have broken ribs.”
“Excuses.”
I eye the ridge. It’s not that far, and my ribs are healing nicely. What the hell. I need the energy burst.
I break into a run, weaving through trees and leaping over fallen logs, leaving Kier in my dust. He barks out a laugh, and I hear him give chase.
For a few precious minutes, we’re not escaped prisoners or wounded fighters. We’re just wolves, reveling in the simple joy of movement.
I reach the ridge barely a step ahead of him, laughing as I turn to face him. “I win!”
He’s laughing, his smile wide and easy and breathtaking. “So you did.”
For a moment, we just stand there, grinning at each other like fools. Then his expression sobers, his gaze shifting to something over my shoulder.
“Lithia,” he says quietly, “look.”
I turn, following his gaze, and my breath catches for an entirely different reason.
From this vantage point, we can see for miles—the foreststretching below us, the mountains towering behind. And in the distance, a plume of dark smoke rising into the clear morning sky.
“Wild fire?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
Kier shakes his head. “Too dark and controlled.” He points to another plume, farther east. “There’s another one. And there.”
I count five distinct smoke columns, forming a rough circle to the north of the area we’ve just left.
“Search parties,” I say grimly. “Burning as they go.”
Kier nods. “They’re systematically searching the area. Working inward and down toward the mountain.”
“They’re looking for us.”
“And making sure we can’t hide.” He turns to me, his expression grave. “We need to move.”
I nod, the brief moment of lightness gone. “We’ll keep to the high ground as much as possible. Use the streams and rivers to hide our scent.”
We set off again, pushing harder now, silent as we move through the forest. The journey we’d planned had been a slower one, accounting for our injuries. Now we’re in a race against time.
The sun climbs higher, the air warming, but a shift rides the breeze—faint, acrid, unmistakable.
Smoke.
I pause, lifting my nose to the wind. Kier does the same beside me, his brow furrowing as he tastes the air.
“That’s… close,” I murmur.
He rumbles his agreement, scanning the tree line.
Another gust of wind, this time sharp enough to sting the back of my throat. My stomach knots.
