The snake paused, its body quivering as though it were irritated by my intrusion. Just when I thought I’d have to fight it with my bare hands, it loosened its grip. One coil slid free. Then another.
With a sharp hiss, it dropped to the ground and slithered away. Within seconds, it disappeared into the underbrush as though it’d never been there at all.
I checked on Maya, who was still frozen in wide-eyed terror.
“It’s gone.” I placed my hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “Maya, it’s okay. The snake’s gone.”
That seemed to break through her trance. She let out a shuddering gasp and sagged against me. “Oh my God.” Her voice shook. “I thought—I hate—”
“I know,” I said softly, rubbing circles on her back. Thegesture was more intimate than I normally allowed myself, but nothing about the past day had been normal.
I also knew how much Mayahatedsnakes. One time during boarding school, I’d pranked her by placing a rubber snake in her bed. She’d fainted, hit her head, and had to be rushed to the nurse’s office. I’d been riddled with guilt for weeks.
Her trembling finally subsided, and she lifted her head to look at me. “How did you know the snake wasn’t venomous?”
“I didn’t.”
Her eyes widened again, this time with shock. “You mean you literallypoked a potentially venomous reptilewith a stick?”
“Technically, I didn’t poke it, but for all intents and purposes, yes. It was either that, wait for the snake to leave on its own—ifit left on its own—or watch it kill you.”
“It could’ve killedyou.”
I shrugged. “It didn’t.”
“You’re…” Maya paused as though she were struggling to find the right words. “Thank you,” she whispered.
My chest twinged.
I could deal with snakes and getting stranded in the woods; I couldn’t deal with her rawness. Not like this.
She rarely let her guard down around me, and without that shield to protect me, I feared I would lose myself in something I’d sworn I’d never revisit.
Maya’s fingers clutched at the front of my sweater. Her breathing was unsteady, but her face softened as the air shifted around us.
I swallowed, my throat dry. The forest fell away, and suddenly, all I could focus on was her.
Her eyes. Her skin. Her lips. How her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat and how badly I wanted to press my mouth to that exact spot so I couldfeelwhether she craved my touch as much as I did hers.
And even though our relationship was fraught most of the time, and I had no business thinking about any of those things, especially in our current circumstances, I couldn’t stop if I tried.
I lowered my head. Her breath hitched, and she tilted her chin up a fraction of an inch, just enough for me to—
A loud rustling noise shattered the moment.
We whipped our heads around in time for me to feel a stab of horror as something large emerged from the bush.
Maya
I’m going to die.
It wasn’t the first time I’d thought that in the past forty-eight hours, and honestly, it should be illegal for the universe to dole out that many near-death experiences to one person in such a short time frame.
Only this time, I might have had to take out the “near” part.
My heart slammed against my ribcage as a bear of a man entered the clearing. He appeared to be in his late fifties with thick gray hair and a beard. He wore a flannel shirt and a grizzled scowl as he surveyed us.
Oh God. This was it.Thiswas the axe murderer who lived in the woods. I had a vision of our mutilated bodies being broadcast on the nine o’clock news or, worse, being buried where no one would ever find us—until the man spoke. His voice was surprisingly gentle for someone so big.
