Page 28 of The Hunt

“I don’t like this.They haven’t sent any bandages either.I don’t know what this means.”He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“It means I got hurt, and we’re going to be fine.I don’t like us being close to this water,” she said.“We don’t know what else could be lurking.”

He smiled.“Well, we better get used to it, because we are not moving until you feel better.”He put a hand on her forehead, and sure enough, she felt fine, but he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure if she wasn’t starting to have a fever.

“You’re worried.Don’t be.We’ve got this.You and I will always have this.”

Jaxson couldn’t argue with her.“I’m going to get some stuff together so we can make camp.”

He went to move away but she grabbed him.“It’s going to be okay.There’s no reason to panic.”

The only problem was, he didn’t believe her.He didn’t know if he was starting to panic, or if she was in fact pale.Either way, Calliope was not looking good.He needed to figure out how to fix her.

Jaxson couldn’t even remember the game clearly.They had been getting older at this point, and it seemed so trivial.Also, he had started to understand his feelings for her had changed.She was no longer just his best friend, but a girl he thought about kissing.A girl he did in fact want to mate with.

Collecting some firewood, he noticed their bags were not replenished this time.

It was up to him to go and find them something to eat.He didn’t have a hard time coming up with what he needed.There were fruits around them, and he knew he would be able to grab some fish.Calliope wouldn’t appreciate him catching fish though, so it was a fruit diet for the night.

“How are you feeling?”he asked, with the fire set up, and without any warning it went from daylight to night.As if someone clicked a button.

He heard her deep inhale.

“I’m fine.Really,” she said.

He had seen the perspiration dotting her brow, and as he moved closer to her, he pressed a hand against her forehead.She was burning up.

“Damn it,” he said.

“It’s going to be okay, Jaxson.Don’t worry about it.”

“No, this is not good.That wolf wasn’t even fucking real, and you shouldn’t be burning up like this.”He pulled her into his arms and tried to offer as much comfort as he could.

“I’m fine.”

And he knew that to be a lie.

She was starting to feel weaker in his arms, which he didn’t understand.That wolf hadn’t been real.Even when he was fighting it, and smelling it, there was no wolf.He kissed the top of her head, and she tilted her head back.

“Maybe you should kiss me.That is what you did when I was sick.Remember?You kissed me and declared me as your mate?”she asked.

She was shivering and burning up and he felt this panic rushing through him.This couldn’t be happening.

With her head tilted back, and her looking directly at him, he took a chance and kissed her.And then he kissed her again, not wanting to stop.He wanted to be mated to her.He wanted more than anything to be her whole world.Kissing her was just the beginning.

He felt her tears sting his cheeks.

“I’m dying, aren’t I?”she asked.

“No, hell, no.You’re not going to die.You’re going to live, and you and I, Calliope, are going to get out of here.We’ve got plans.”

“We have?”

“Yeah, to make up for lost time.The two of us, together, you’re going to be my mate, and then you’re going to be my wife.I’ll be your husband, and we’re going to make this work.We’re going to have kids.”

He saw the smile on her face.“Kids?”

“Yeah, kids.We both want a big family, remember?Dozens of kids, that was the plan from the start.”

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