Page 86 of Dare To Fall

Eli

I’m pretty confident the bear isn’t going to attack us. It’s not a grizzly. Black bears are more timid. If I was alone, I’d step forward and shout, but something tells me that if I do, Ari will think I’m trying to get the bear to kill her to save me the job. So, instead, I keep a tight grip on her hand and slowly move us backward.

The bear watches, its head high, nose twitching as it sniffs, but it doesn’t move, and step by slow step we inch out of its view.

“We should run.” Ari’s voice is trembling.

“We should definitely not run. Just keep moving. You walked in a circle, so we’re not far from the cabin.”

“But—”

“I know it goes against everything in your nature, baby, but you have to trust me right now.” I clamp my mouth shut.

Fuck. Did I just call her baby?

I keep watching for the bear, while guiding her back, and when I feel confident that it’s not following us, I turn so I can lead her to the cabin.

It takes us a while to get there, and she hangs onto my hand the entire way, starting at any noise. When we finally reach the cabin, she bolts for the door and runs inside. I don’t follow her straight away, taking a walk around the outside of the property to check there are no bears nearby and to make sure the smaller building holding the generator is locked up so nothing can get in there. When I’m sure everything is as it should be, I return to the cabin and go inside.

There’s no sign of Ari. I guess she’s gone to her room. I lock the front door, then walk into the kitchen to start the coffee machine.

I need caffeine.

Lots of it.

First, though, I start a fire. There’s a chill in the air, and if Ari does decide to venture out of her room, I’d like the place to be warm.

I’m crouching in front of the hearth when I hear a footstep behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I’m just in time to see Ari disappear into the kitchen. A few minutes later, the smell of bacon frying fills the air.

I smile to myself.

Ari likes to cook, so when I was making my plan to bring her here, I made sure all her favorite foods and ingredients would be available. We’re stuck here for a week. If she has something to do that she enjoys, I’m hoping she might concentrate more on that than plotting my death.

My stomach grumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten since the half sandwich I put together at lunchtime.

I should have thought this through a little more thoroughly because the smells coming from the kitchen are torture. I don’t know what she’s throwing together, but I am willing to bet half of my fortune that there’s none for me. Unless, of course, she finds a way to poison it.

I chuckle, thinking about the little mantra we’ve thrown at each other.

Feed Me. Fuck Me. Fight Me.

Right now, the only one she’s doing is fighting me. Although, it’s mostly a silent war since she’s barely acknowledging my existence.

After the fire is lit, I make my way into the kitchen. Ari is sitting at the breakfast bar, tucking into her food. I take the bowl from the drainer, where I’d left it that morning, grab the cereal box and fill it, then add milk, and find a spoon. I don’t hang around or try to talk to her but go back into the living room and drop onto the couch, so I can prop my feet on the coffee table.

When I’ve finished my cereal, I set the bowl to one side, pull my sketch pad toward me, and pick up the pencil. Flicking to a blank page, I close my eyes and build up the picture of the bear in my head, then start drawing.

“Let me guess. You’re sketching a scene where the bear rips me apart while you watch and laugh.”

I glance up to find Arabella standing in the doorway. I give her a half smile.

“If I was going to draw you being ravaged, it’d be by me, not a bear. And the only death involved would be la petite mort.”

Chapter 56

Arabella

Insidious memories of the last time we’d fucked whisper through my head. The tomb, where I’d clawed and bit him like a wild animal. It hadn’t been enough to rid myself of the explosive emotions he kept evoking inside me. Eli and I might be drawn together, but everything between us is tainted.

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