Page 26 of Ensnared
“Why?”
During our last training session, he’d had to carry me, but he knew exactly where to go. I’d bet Aiden knows these woods like the back of his hand.
“Just in case,” he murmurs. “If anything happens to me, you’ll follow this string, return here, and call Ty or Jack for help. Got it?”
“Fine,” I grumble. “But I don’t need it. We’re not that far from the village.”
Aiden presses his lips together, then suddenly steps forward. “Close your eyes.”
For a moment, I consider not obeying. He’s being a jerk, but I’m going to be the bigger person here and go with the plan instead of objecting on principle.
I close my eyes. I feel him near me, though his steps on the forest floor are almost completely silent. For such a big man, his movements are stealthy. I guess that comes from being a large predator.
His fingers touch my cheeks, and I start. He’s right in front of me, smirking.
“No peeking.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes and close them instead. With a quick tug, he pulls my knit hat forward, almost covering my nose.
“There.” Then he takes my hand in his and clasps it firmly. “Come on.”
We walk slowly, our boots shuffling through the fallen leaves. Aiden directs me to step over a fallen log, his fingers tightening on mine. I resist the urge to have my other arm extended in front of my face and trust him not to lead me into a tree.
After ten steps or so, we stop. He takes my shoulders and turns me in a circle, once, maybe twice. I can’t be sure, and he stops before I grow dizzy.
“You can look now.”
I lift the edge of my hat and blink in the sunshine. The forest seems no different from where we were standing earlier. I don’t see the thick spruce with the red string tied to it, but we can’t be far from it. I raise my eyebrows at him.
“Tell me which way to the village,” Aiden says.
I lift my hand to point at a direction, then lower it again. Ithinkthe sun was to our left as we were walking. I’m not sure because I wasn’t paying attention. Pursing my lips, I walk to the left and try to orient myself. It’s morning, so the sun would be toward the east, but…Hmm. We’re way up north, and it’s nearly the autumnal equinox. Does that impact where the sun rises? Perhaps more to the south? And would knowing that even help me if I don’t know where the village lies in relation to other landmarks? Not that I see any: the forest extends in all directions, the terrain varied but not very distinctive.
I close my eyes and try to listen for any sounds other than the wind. If I could discern the waves crashing on the shore, I’d know which way to turn. But we’d been walking for at least a mile and a half, maybe more, so I already know my attempt is futile.
Ashamed, I face Aiden. He’s not judging, just watching me with that cool, sober gaze.
“I have no idea where the village is,” I admit.
He nods. “Can you tell me which way you’d go if you wanted to find the tree with the string?”
I shake my head, my cheeks flaming. “No.”
He sighs and inclines his head to the side. “Come on.”
We reach the spruce in twenty seconds. Aiden doesn’t lecture me, nor does he crow at his triumph. This exercise was intended to show me how easy it is to get lost in the Alaskan wilderness, and he succeeded. The string makes sense, and I won’t question him again.
We continue on into the forest, making our way through the dense undergrowth that’s drying slowly. The green color has leached out of the leaves and the ferns, and the world is turning brown. The treetops rustle overhead, and an occasional bird calls out, warning forest creatures that intruders are passing through their home.
“I could teach you,” Aiden says, breaking the quiet.
I’m still walking behind him, so I can’t see his face. “Teach me what?”
“Tracking,” he replies. “Wilderness stuff. So you don’t d— So you could go out on your own if you wanted to.”
So, that’s reassuring. Aiden is worried I might die. I’m not certain I’ll ever be comfortable walking in these woods alone. They’re too wild, and we’re too far from civilization for this city dweller to be completely careless here. I’d rather explore with him.
I catch the thought and nip it in the bud. I’d rather explore with Jack, that’s it. It would be good to not be completely helpless out here, though, so I answer with a quick, “Sure.”
