Page 59 of Kidnapping Their Third

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Cora

“I think I’d like being a bear,” Cora mused as she leaned forward until her chest was flat on his back, her arms and legs dangling down his sides. Pike’s gait was slow and steady, so she had no issue balancing.

Pike gave a little curious grunt. She took it as encouragement and continued talking. “I like the idea of being this big and ambling around searching for roots and berries. I’d get to be covered in fluffy fur like you. I'd never have to shave or wax again. Honestly, I’m not seeing a downside.”

Kimble was a silent figure, walking next to them, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. Her cell phone was in her pocket, and she made a mental note to set an alarm so they could head back long before sunrise. The last thing she wanted was for Kimble to end up a crispy critter.

“Paws are another bonus. If I was a bear, I wouldn’t be able to use a cell phone so no one could call me and demand anything. That sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? No worries or cares, just doing bear things without people around.”

Pike paused and started to run his claws over a patch of grass. She leaned to the side to get a better look at what he was doing. When he’d uprooted a patch, he grasped the end of it in his mouth and swung the bundle at her. Clouds of dirt smacked her in the face.

Laughing, she slid off the side of him and wiped the grime off. Pike crouched down at her feet and looked up at her with apologetic, puppy dog eyes.

“Were you trying to hand me the grass?” she asked, still laughing. Pike nodded his big head, the grass still clutched in his mouth. Crouching down, she planted a smacking kiss on his snout.

“Thanks, but I don’t think I can eat that,” she said and rolled back until she was sitting with her legs crossed. “This is edible though.”

She pulled a stalk of sour grass out and started chewing on one end. Pike backed up until he was sitting on his haunches and started chewing the grass in his mouth, the dirt clumped at the roots swinging wildly.

“Truly eat?” Kimble asked, looking worried and a little disgusted. Cora patted the ground next to her, and he sat with his usual grace.

“I only chew on it,” she admitted. “But I could eat those dandelion leaves if I was hungry, they’re safe too.”

“How know?” Kimble asked.

Cora debated about telling them the truth. Might as well, they’d seen the worst already. “When I was a kid, I dreamed about running away. When I was about ten or eleven, I read a book about a boy who ran away to live in the wilderness because he felt too crowded with all his siblings. I thought I could be like him if I learned all about the wilderness around here. Throughout middle school, I studied Southern California ecology and wilderness survival. I’ve forgotten a lot of it, but I remember some of the plants. I was endlessly planning my escape.”

“Did you?” Kimble asked. Pike had stopped chewing and was staring intently, as if he was deeply invested in the answer.

She made a face at the memory. “I did but it only lasted three days. I bedded down next to a red ant colony and got bit to hell and then had a reaction to the bites. I dragged myself home the next day. It’s funny, I didn’t think they would realize I was gone because it hadn’t been that long. When I turned on our street, I saw a ton of people at the house. At first, I thought they were having a party.”

She’d almost turned around and gone to her friend's house instead when she’d seen all the cars. She didn’t want everyone to see her covered in bite welts.

“It wasn’t a party. They’d organized the neighborhood into a big search. Everyone was so busy organizing the volunteers and sending people out and keeping track of areas that had beensearched that no one even noticed me at first. I was getting the calamine lotion when Dad found me. I’ll never forget the look of absolute relief on his face when he rushed to me. He cried. It was the only time I’ve ever seen him do that.”

Pike lowered his body and stretched his neck until his head was resting in her lap. He was so warm and soft she couldn’t help but curl herself around his bear noggin.

“I know Dad loves me,” she whispered. “But his love is very controlling and can be harsh. I think everything would’ve been different if Mom hadn’t died. Maybe Dad wouldn’t have been so worried about losing one of us or so determined about keeping me in line. I don’t know. It’s pointless to think about. Dad is what he is and except for Caleb, all my brothers pretty much do as he orders.”

“No excuse,” Kimble grumbled, flashing his fangs with anger. “Abusive control isn’t love.”

“Says the vampire who carried me off without asking permission,” she pointed out. She couldn’t see Kimble’s face, but she could hear the contrition in his voice.

“Sorry. Doing better. No kill father or brother!”

She laughed, feeling much lighter than she had in years. Her eyes still hurt a little from all the crying, but she felt light. It was as if she’d shed a burden she hadn't realized she was carrying.

She reached over and patted Kimble’s thigh. “You’re totally right, you’re improving and that’s important. They aren’t even trying.”

Kimble moved so his front was to her back, and his legs were stretched out on either side of her. “Will do even gooder,” he promised as he leaned forward and embraced her. “Much gooder.”

With a bear head in her lap and a vampire at her back, Cora let the rest of the world fade away. Maybe this time she had successfully run away from home. Unlike the boy in the book, she didn’t need a falcon and a weasel, she got a bear and a vampire instead.

Chapter 23

Cora

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