“If that’s the case, shut up and walk.” Her tone was flame, eating through the last of my patience.
But I did. I kept my mouth clamped, nostrils flared, pulse thrashing in my ears. She was behind me, soft panting getting harder, almost frantic. I hated how my body tuned itself to her, every stagger a ripple under my skin.
Log ahead. I stopped dead, let her slam into my back. Felt the shock of it and turned on her before I could stop myself.
“You ever pay attention, or are you just programmed to crash into shit?”
She shoved me, reckless. Her fingertips dug in, left crescents on my upper arm. “At least I don’t storm through life like I’m on a kill mission. You ever try being a human, Caiden?”
Low blow. My chest went tight, a spike of old, familiar rage. I leaned in, crowding her, breath hot against her cheek. “Tried it once. Didn’t like it.”
Her jaw flexed. “Figures. Humanity’s too soft for you. You’d rather stomp around like a pissed-off gorilla.”
Cute. She thought she was clever. I braced my wrist against the tree and blocked her in, just to watch her squirm. I wanted to bite back, to snap something that would shut her up for five seconds.
Instead, I leaned in closer, crowding her until I could practically taste her spit and panic.
“You know what else I don’t like?” My voice dropped, flat as old blood. “Wasting my time arguing with you. If you’d shut your mouth and use your legs, we’d be out of here already.”
She stared at me, lips parted, lashes low. Like she hadsomething to say. I waited for the insult. She swallowed, then shot back, “If I wanted to hear a lecture, I’d call my deadbeat dad.”
I clenched my jaw, shoving past her, shoulders colliding on purpose. Let her chew on that. Every step, her muttering dogged my heels. Too close. Always too fucking close.
“You going to pout all day, Baxter?” she goaded, nearly ramming my back. “Or am I supposed to be scared you’ll finally snap and toss me off a cliff?”
I kept my eyes on the ground, every muscle screaming at me to stop, but pride wouldn’t let me. Not when she was watching, not when quitting meant she won. “Trust me. If I wanted to get rid of you, you’d already be down there.” I hooked my chin at the drop-off to our right. She glanced at it, face pale, but she didn’t break stride.
Her voice was pure venom. “You’re such a coward, Caiden. All threats, no action. Typical.”
Heat snapped in my chest. I spun, grabbing her by the upper arm and yanking her flush against me. Her hair whipped my mouth. I bared my teeth in a smile that wasn’t a smile.
“You really want to see action, princess?” I shoved her back, just enough to make her stumble over her own feet. She caught herself.
“I forgot. You’re only dangerous on paper.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My head pounded, nerves thrumming like I’d mainlined rage. I wanted to tear into her, rip her down and see what was underneath. But the other half—the hollow half that knew her too well—just wished she’d stop looking at me like I was something worth hating.
So, I trudged on. I couldfeel her behind me, every shaky breath, every wince.
Eventually, she caught up. Close enough I could hear the catch in her voice when she finally said, “Your dad really fucked you up, didn’t he?”
My hands fisted.
“Fuck off,” I spat.
She didn’t let it go. Of course not. She never fucking did.
“See,” she needled, boots splashing the mud right behind me, “you can’t even talk about him. That’s what makes you weak, Caiden. You keep pretending it didn’t matter.”
“I’m not weak,” I ground out, nose full of the stink of wet rot and mosquito buzz. “But clearly I’m stuck to dead weight. Maybe your dad should have taught you how to survive, instead of how to cry in people’s faces.”
She rolled up beside me, had to practically run to close the gap. “He didn’t teach me shit,” she hissed back, but her breaths stuttered. “Guess I learned to cling to life by watching you hate yours.”
“You going to whine the whole way, or just until you can’t walk?” I shot, eyes never leaving the thin thread of animal trail curling out ahead.
She scowled, hair tangled, jaw set. “I’ll walk circles around you, Baxter. Just give me a minute.” But her hand shook as she said it. She tried to hide it, tucking close to her side, but I saw.
“What, you want a break? Say the word and I’ll carry you.” The disgust flared, but something else twisted with it. A need to see her knocked down, then get back up. To see her crawl. To see her need me.
