“We’ll have to hunt for deer before the sun sets.”
Uneasiness twisted inside her as streaks of pink and gold stretched across what remained of the day. She loved watching sunrises and sunsets; they were usually her favorite times of the day, but she dreaded this sunset.
The Savages would be out in full force once more. She preferred to believe they’d left those assholes far behind, but she suspected they’d hear their howls again.
“You should probably tell me everything that happened,” he said.
Willow took a deep breath before filling him in on everything she’d been through for the past three days.
Declan’s fingers dug into his palms as he reminded himself to stay focused on the here and now. She’d been through hell, and he’d love to dismember every one of the pricks who terrorized her, but he couldn’t change what happened. He could only work to make sure she survived this.
When she finished, Willow dropped her hands into the dirt again, and her fingers dug beneath its cool, damp surface. When she felt something wiggling against her skin, she yelped and tore her hands free.
“What is it?” Declan demanded. “What’s the matter?”
Willow dipped her hands in the river and scrubbed at them. “Worms.”
“Worms?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes, worms; you know those things that crawl through the earth, shit, and catch fish?Worms.”
“I saw you tear the heart out of a Savage, but you don’t like worms?”
“They wiggle, and they haveno eyes. That’s not normal.”
“It is for a worm.”
She scowled at him as she continued washing her hands. Declan stifled a laugh.
“So why this hatred for the underground burrowers?” he asked.
“They haveno eyes.”
“Is that it?”
Her scowl deepened. “Maybe it’s irrational, but I’ve always hated them. They’re slimy, and they wiggle, and they havenoeyes.”
“That eye thing is a real dealbreaker, huh?”
“Damn right it is.”
Declan couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Good to know.”
“When I joined the Alliance, my younger sister, Cassidy, stuffed worms into one of my bras. I discovered them while I was unpacking.” Willow almost gagged at the memory. “I still owe her for that, which means we have to make it out of this.”
“Why did she do that?”
“My siblings and I have always pulled pranks on each other. My older siblings started them, and after they pretty much retired, the rest of us took over. Vicky and Abby never really got involved, but the rest of us have spent years torturing each other.”
“Sounds like fun.” And he meant it. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up in such a large, loving family. It definitely wouldn’t have been as lonely as his childhood.
“It was.”
Her melancholy tone tugged at his heart. No matter what it took, he would get her back to her family.
“Come on; we should hunt,” he said.
Willow finished washing her hands and leapt to her feet. Her mouth watered at the prospect of food.
