Page 16 of Tracking the Alpha
She knew she’d been compromised, which made Barrett wonder, how much had the general revealed? Not much, he’d wager. What Davidson did remained illegal and unethical, hence the elimination of those who might have seen and heard too much.
Having pinpointed the new hunter’s location, Barrett circled around, knowing the forest better than anywhere he’d ever lived before. The big tree fallen across the creek offered a way to keep his paws dry. The ridge of rock swept clean of leaves a silent place to pad across. In spite of his familiarity, he almost got caught.
The female might have claimed she’d be moving spots and starting her tracking over, but she’d lied. He abruptly paused by a tree trunk as he caught a hint of color that didn’t belong in the boughs ahead. A huddled form on a branch waiting for him to spring the many snares she’d placed.
She was good. He spent the rest of that afternoon watching, and she didn’t move once.
Probably because she wasn’t in the fucking tree!
Intuition had him suddenly lunging out of his hiding spot into the small clearing, just in time. An arrow flew past where he’d been lying in wait, and his paw only narrowly missed the lariat hidden under some leaves.
Barrett whirled and locked gazes with the woman slowly and silently advancing. The bow held up to her tanned cheek. Her gaze fixed on her target. Her hair pulled back, accentuating her serious mien.
A woman striking in appearance, and seemingly proficient in hunting, after all, she’d found him. He only had a fraction of a second to move as the second arrow came flying. He dove to the side hard enough he brushed against the tree holding the decoy. The shudder sent the backpack tumbling to the ground, and triggered the hidden snare.
Two close calls now.
He locked eyes with the woman, who cocked her head and murmured, “You are fast, considering your size, and surprisingly lucky, but that can’t be the only reason why those pricks want you back.”
If she only knew the truth.
Then again, if she did, the general would kill her. Actually, he’d kill her no matter what. Unless Barrett did it first.
His lip lifted in a snarl as he took a step in her direction. She calmly fitted another arrow into her bow and aimed it.
How many did she have in her quiver?
As the string twanged, he leapt, not to the left like the last time, but to the right. A good thing, since she’d aimed left in the hopes of driving him into yet another trap. How many had she fucking hidden in this clearing before he’d started watching?
Her lips quirked. “Clever.”
Thanks.
Barrett kept low to the ground and not once shifted his gaze from her.
She was the one distracted at a sudden crack of a branch over her head.
That second of inattention was all he needed. Barrett pounced, his long leap driving his front paws into her chest and knocking her down.
“Oomph.” She exhaled hotly as she hit the ground but didn’t panic or thrash. She stared right at him, the irises of her eyes a dark brown. Not hazel or golden flecked, but pure mahogany. They mesmerized him, along with her scent. This close to her, the urine couldn’t fully hide her true odor. The scent of it sweet and musky all at once.
He breathed into her face, waiting for her to freak out and fight back, giving him the opening he needed to tear out her throat, because he couldn’t do it while she lay still.
But she remained prone.
“How come you’re not killing me?” she murmured.
Because he needed to feel threatened.
“General Asshole and Major Prick claim you’re a psycho.”
Not by choice. He huffed.
“You should have left this area when you escaped,” she added.
How could he when his section remained prisoners?
“I don’t suppose you’d be a good boy and let me walk you back to the base?”
