Page 29 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

She threw her hands up in frustration and stared daggers at him for another moment, then turned and continued walking away.

Damon hurried after her again, but this time, he didn’t try to stop her. He walked ahead, leading the way through the woods, and was relieved when he glanced over his shoulder and realized that she was following him, keeping a few feet of distance between them.

At least she’s not going to run off on her own, he thought.

He took in their surroundings, preparing to double back at the slightest sign of movement. The Collectors were out there somewhere, he knew, perhaps waiting for the right moment to strike. But they would get near Julia over his dead body.

He’d just gotten her back. He couldn’t afford to lose her again.

Chapter Twelve

A Startling Confession

Hello again, this is Julia Reel, reporting from Frost Mountain, and… yep, you guessed it: It’sfreezingup here. I don’t see the temperatures rising anytime soon, folks. I’d find shelter if I were you. Only a fool—or a couple of fools—would be traveling across this mountain right now.

It had grown surprisingly colder over the last couple of hours. To Julia, it felt like days since they’d stepped off the frozen lake. She wrapped the jacket more tightly around her as she trudged through the snow a few feet behind Damon. Overhead, the sun was slowly sinking in the distance, casting an orange glow across the sky.

Her stomach growled, and she bit her lip. It had been nearly a day since she had anything to eat. Between that and the fact that they’d been traveling all day, she was on the verge of collapse. But Julia wasn’t about to complain. Not tohim. Talking to him was the last thing she wanted to do.

In fact, she thought, glaring at his broad back, the only reason she was still following him was because she couldn’t afford to get lost or attacked out here. Well, that and the fact that as mad as she was at him, she didn’t really feel like leaving, especially not since she’d just gotten him back after all this time.

Damon glanced over his shoulder as if to make sure she was still following. His massive body almost filled her vision. His eyes met hers, sending a shiver through her body. He continued walking, marching forward without so much as a grunt.

A dull ache throbbed in Julia’s legs.A piggyback ride from him would be great right now…

She could just imagine wrapping her arms and legs around his wide, muscular frame, drinking in his scent.

Hmm…

Her pulse quickened at the thought, so she brushed the thought aside. She’d had enough excitement and danger for one day—or one year if she was being honest. She still couldn’t believe she’d crossed that lake with him. The whole time, she’d been certain the ice would shatter and they would both fall to their doom. Even now, hours after she’d stepped off the ice, the memory still haunted her. Crossing Laudville Lake had been scary enough. But everything was 10 times more terrifying when you were stuck on a magical mountain designed to kill you.

Or when you were being hunted.

Instinctively, she craned her head to look this way and that. No Collectors in sight. She hadn’t seen them since their last attack. They probably had good heads on their shoulders and decided not to chance crossing that icy lake like she and Damon had done. Either that, or they’d simply given up the chase. For all Julia knew, they’d seen the FBI jacket she had on and decided not to pursue them out of respect for authority.

Whatever the case, they were safe for now, well, as safe as anyone could be under the circumstances.

It seemed like an eternity before Damon stopped and announced, “We’re here.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, she gazed in the direction he was pointing, and her eyes widened.

Sixty feet northwest of them was a set of caves etched into the side of the mountain. The longer she gazed at them, the more stunned Julia felt. Even the smallest cave had to be at least 10 feet wide. No telling how deep they were. For a death trap, Frost Mountain sure had some amazing sights. If they weren’t in a separate dimension, the caves could have been one of the seven wonders of the earth.

And tourists would flock here in millions,she thought,not knowing it would be a one-way trip.

“We’ll take shelter in one of those for the night,” Damon said, returning his attention to her. The sound of his voice sparked a feeling of annoyance. “We’re going to need to rest and recover our strength for tomorrow. We’re getting close to Caprichor.”

With that, he continued walking, and she followed him silently, still staring at his back. They settled in one of the larger caves, which Julia figured was just as well. At least there would be plenty of space between them.

The cave was dark, but it took Damon no longer than a minute to produce a flame brilliant enough to illuminate their surroundings. They ventured deeper into the cave, where the light couldn’t be detected from outside, and settled down. Julia took a position opposite him, grateful for the 10 feet that separated them.

“You must be hungry,” he said as he rummaged through his bag. “Have some food.”

He handed her a piece of meat wrapped in leaves, but she simply frowned at it.

“Take it,” he insisted.

“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled, even though there was a gnawing feeling in her stomach. She turned her head away, gazing instead toward the mouth of the cave.

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