Page 352

An African American guy my age had his hand on the chest of a smaller guy wearing a denim jacket decorated with colorful enamel pins, pressing him against a tree while kissing him as if the world were ending tomorrow.

When I realized who it was, my eyes widened.

Cody and... Hunter?

Cody's hands slid under Hunter's dark green hoodie, moving closer and closer to his belt, while Hunter, lost in the kiss, ripped at Cody's belt.

I pressed my lips together and disappeared behind the nearest tree.

Oh my God. They had a thing going on? Hunter always acted like he wanted to push Cody out the nearest window.

I left the path as quietly as possible until I was sure I was a good three hundred feet away from them. Only then did I shoot through the thicket at my Ruisangor speed, further and further, in search of the lake.

Suddenly, there was a crack behind me.

I stopped immediately.

A mistake.

With violent force, I crashed into the nearest tree.

Pain shot through my otherwise strong new body, and for the first time in a long time, I felt weak.

Groaning, I rolled around on the wet forest floor, trying to feel my way up the tree trunk behind me, but I was too dizzy.

The pain in my head made it almost impossible to keep my eyes open.

The last thing I saw was a dark silhouette.

“And so, we meet again,” a deep voice reached my ear. “Lillian Champson.”

Chapter 45

Emely

Tension Rising

RealTunesStudio

Stunned, I stared at my rival, who was grinning at Mikhail as if he were sure he could beat him.

But he wasn't prepared.

The Rolanows were raised differently from the Senseque in Blairville. The Russian pack feared the Ruisangors. So much so that they had developed a fundamental hatred, coupled with the desire to slaughter all Ruisangors on this planet in the most brutal way possible.

Horror spread through my stomach, and too late I realized why my heart was pounding wildly against my chest. I didn't want anything to happen to him. I was worried about my enemy, damn it, without even wanting to be.

Shock mingled with my growing emotional chaos.

Miles' gaze landed on me.

I felt the heat rush from my chest to my cheeks, but I couldn't look away.

“Are you hiding behind your new bodyguard, Copeland?” he asked with an intense look, and the heat in my face doubled, as did the pace of my heartbeat.

I hadn't expected him. Not today. Not here.

I had warned Larissa. She wasn't here. But he was.