His clawed, three finger hand touched my face gently, but those eyes narrowed on me like I’d ruined his life by showing up here. The upper lip of his snout lifted enough to let me glimpse the large canine teeth, ready to tear me apart.
He leaned down, making me feel even smaller beside him in all my five-foot glory. He snarled in my face, making me retreat harder into the tree, but that didn’t create any new space between us.
Hateful determination filled his eyes, but I was lost in the marvel of how expressive they were. Solid red eyes with a reptilian slit that started wide, but as time went on narrowed into nothing more than a black line.
He snatched his hand away as if I was the one intruding into his personal space and growled with the same veracity as a predator who finally caught its meal. I stood there for what felt like hours before he turned on his heel, whapping me with his thick tail in the process and knocking me to my hands and knees.
I trembled as I watched him return to the water's edge, where he stopped to look back at me, for a few seconds that I wasn’tsure would ever end, and then sank below like he was nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
I inhaled loudly and realized I hadn’t been breathing. Maybe that was why nothing made sense.Yeah.
Because intelligent predators didn’t give up and walk away like that.
Why was I still alive?
Chapter 6:
BythetimeIreached the campsite, the sun had fallen hours ago. The cold had settled deep into my bones, yet I was still sweating. As I stepped into the base of operations, I checked the water one last time for red, searing eyes.
Hopefully, I’d lost him.
“What the fuck, Talia!” Shannon hissed, stomping to me. “I looked for you for hours.”
“The water we crossed has a cavern underneath. I fell through.” I leaned close to whisper. “Wait until you see the video.”
Her eyes widened with bright excitement that made her even more gorgeous, before her face scrunched with forced disapproval. As if she couldn’t bear the idea that I did good. “I told you to take it easy on the donuts this morning.”
I rolled my eyes at her. I hadn’t eaten in three days since the school cafeteria closed, and we were told to get what we wanted. Sue me.
“It went to your ass,” she whispered like it was a huge conspiracy.
Oh, to be a perfect ten in every way. La-di-fucking-da. We couldn’t all be dolls. I flipped her off, and she returned it with a sneer.
“What did you find?” I asked.
“Nothing, because I thought you drowned or something.” She jabbed her finger into my chest. “So you better have something phenomenal to make up for it.”
She walked away, but I didn’t miss the relief in her eyes.
Professor Gale laughed as he passed her, stopping in front of me with a smile that didn’t sit right. Something about it was too forced and practiced for my liking. “Shannon’s a worry wort.”
Considering he was one of the leaders for this expedition, he himself should have been more concerned. Instead, he was playing it cool like he had something to prove.
“Not you?”
“I’ve seen you get out of all kinds of scrapes. I know you can take care of yourself.” He put his arm around my waist, hugging me too close to him. I noticed that his hand was significantly lower than the last time he touched me. He whispered with his mouth touching my ear. “Please don’t get separated again. Shannon’s not ready to be on her own.”
It was true. I’d gone on twenty-one field expeditions with him. This was the first time he put one of my classmates up to join us.
“She’s not as precious as she looks.” I hated that about her too. That she could be so pretty and pure, and still be tough as nails. She didn’t take any shit and didn’t hold her tongue for anyone.
The secret part of me that respected her didn’t like what he was implying. “Besides, it sounds like she’s been doing field work through other means. This isn’t her first rodeo.”
“You’re always so considerate of others.” His hand moved down my waist, brushing the puncture wounds from the swamp creature grabbing me. The wounds throbbed in response, andI pulled out of his grasp. Unease made my blood thrum, and I found my eyes searching the swamp again.
“You’re wounded.” He frowned, pulling the wet beige shirt away from my body and caressing the dark red stains on the bodice of the shirt.
“Not really. It’s fine.” I shrugged. “But I do think we need to talk about what grabbed me. There was a…”
