Page 69 of The Wild Moon
“We’re being followed,” he said quietly.
Ice entered his eyes and washed over me like the water of a cold shower, bringing me back from my fantasies of getting laid and plunking me down into reality. Aaron knew. Heknew. But how?
“How can you know that?” I asked.
“Because,” he said, his eyes flicking around the campfire, “my team is very good at what they do.”
I followed his gaze, noting with surprise that none of his men were sitting looking at the fire. They had their backs to it, staring out into the forest. They were watching. I hadn’t heard Aaron say a thing. They were doing it on their own.
How did I miss that?
At some point, I’d become so wrapped up in myself I’d failed to notice the change in the team.
Johnathan. It had to be Johnathan. These men were used to being in the wilderness. They could sense when something was off. I had a cheat code in terms of my Soulbond, but it was also a blinder. I couldn’t see past it. I couldn’t focus enough on everything else to gain a sense of the world around me. The drums were too strong.
“Who is it?” I asked, wondering if he suspected I was aware of it.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.
He was telling the truth. I was sure of it. That meant he didn’t know it was because of me that someone had come out here.Probably multiple someones. Johnathan wouldn’t have come alone. Would he?
Unless he, too, was being driven by the Soulbond, like me.
“I was hoping you would know,” Aaron added when I didn’t say anything.
“I don’t,” I whispered, not sure of what else to say.
“Then, if you don’t know who it is, you won’t mind if my team takes care of it,” Aaron said.
It was a test. He was trying to get me to admit to knowing.
“Deal with it?” I asked, taking the third option open to me, besides admitting or denying any further knowledge. “You mean kill whoever it is, don’t you?”
Why did he want to kill whoever it was? Even if Iwasbeing followed, why would he care? There was no way Aaron could know I was more than just the daughter of a human explorer. So, why immediately choose violence?
Aaron didn’t reply. He just looked at me, his face immobile, like it was carved from granite. He wasn’t bothered at all by the idea of violence.
“Why? Are we being pursued by enemies? Do we even have enemies?” I pushed when nobody responded. “I don’t have any enemies. How do I know these aren’tyourenemies following us?”
“Exactly,” Aaron said tersely. “We don’t know that.”
Thatopened my eyes a bit. “Wait. You seriously have enemies, people that would follow you out here, that you’d just up and kill? Without questions?”
Aaron stared stonily, not responding.
“Who thefuckare you?” I asked, getting a sick feeling in my stomach. “There’s no way you’re just treasure hunters. There’s more. Are you some sort of mercenary group? Did you drag me into your issues? And why the hell would my father work with you?”
Sighing, Aaron stood. “There’s a lot you have to learn yet, Danielle. Now stay seated.”
I swallowed nervously. He’d never talked to me like this before. Aaron had always been kind. Calm. Sure, he’d roped me into being his unpaid thug, but he’d always beenniceabout it. This was an entirely different side to him.
One that I didn’t like.
“Fred,” Aaron said quietly. “Handle it.”
Fred stood, and I realized for the first time that he was holding a weapon in his hands.
“Where the hell did that come from?” I yelped. The semi-automatic rifle was far too large to have been the bulge hiding under his shirt I’d seen earlier.
