Page 25 of Ensnared
At that moment, Princess Penny slips between my feet and bounces down the porch steps to where Aiden is standing on the frosty grass. With her dainty paws, she dances around him, her fluffy tail fluttering in the breeze. He stoops down and scratches the traitorous dog behind the ears, then smirks up at me.
“Uh!” I slam the door on them. They canbothwait outside for all I care.
I stomp around the cabin and dress mostly for warmth, not style. This concept is still foreign to me, and I pout at my perfect curls in the mirror, then tug a burgundy hat over them. Hiking boots—the pair I’d cleaned and dried after I’d splashed through the sea waves with them—and several layers of clothes complete the look. I won’t win any fashion shows, but I’ll be warm enough for whatever hike Aiden has in store for me. The last thing I want to do is give him the satisfaction of seeing that I’m ill-prepared for Alaskan weather.
I write Jack a quick note in case he returns before me. I still don’t have a phone, so I scribble,Gone with Aiden to train. See you for dinner. xo, S.Then I cross out the ‘xo’ and write,Love, S.instead. I bite my lip and consider scrapping the paper and starting fresh. Then my dog barks, and I realize I’m agonizing way too much over a simple message. With a sigh, I grab my woolen mittens, stick them in my pocket, and rush outside.
Aiden waits on the porch steps with Princess Penny in his lap. She reclines over his legs, her feet in the air, getting an epic belly rub.
He turns his head in my direction. “She did her business, but then her paws were cold, so I picked her up.”
He scoops up the happy, panting dog and hands her to me. Our fingers touch as I take her, and I try not to show any reaction to it. But I notice everything about Aiden, as usual. His fingers are warm, and I’m pretty sure I’d be panting in seconds, too, if he took me in his lap.
No.I give myself a mental slap and twist away from him. I have no idea what supernatural abilities sea dragons have beyond shifting and breathing underwater, but what if he can read minds? I make a mental note to badger Jack until he gives me a full list of what I need to be careful of.
I lift Princess Penny so she’s level with my face. “Your paws were cold, huh? Are you sure you’re not part vixen? You have this big bad dragon completely whipped.”
I let her go, and she scampers inside to her doggy bed where she settles down for a nap. I close the front door and lock it—there’s no one here to steal anything, but it’s a force of habit.
The whole time, Aiden watches me.
“What?” I ask.
He shakes his head, but I could swear his mouth twitches a little.
I have no idea what to think of him, but I’m still angry. I’m holding on to that hot nugget of emotion as though it’s an ember inside me. This entire mess is his fault. If he’d told me at the start what he and his villagers were, we wouldn’t be in this situation.
Or maybe you would have freaked and escaped from here before you even got to know any of them.
Yeah, that’s a distinct possibility. If I knew in advance what I was getting myself into, I would have turned tail and returned to San Diego on the first available flight.
I don’t notice where we’re going until Aiden stops at a narrow stream.
“Watch your feet,” he warns, “the ground is soggy.”
He offers me a hand to help me jump over the water, but I ignore it and carefully balance on the slippery rocks. My stamina has improved in the past weeks. Must be all that walking around the village and long strolls with Princess Penny every day. I can’t say I’m a true hiker yet but I definitely don’t get winded as easily. Besides, I’d rather chew off my own fingers than accept Aiden’s help right now. He clenches his jaw and lowers his hand, then leads the way deeper into the forest.
“Aren’t we going to the meadow we practiced at the last time?” I ask, alternating between staring at his broad back and taking care where I’m putting my feet.
“No,” he replies without looking over his shoulder. “I don’t want to create a scent trail to any particular location.”
I mouth the words ‘scent trail’ in silence. “You can track by scent?”
He makes an affirmative noise, and I’m suddenly even more sure I have to question Jack at the earliest opportunity.
We walk on until Aiden suddenly stops under a tall spruce and puts his phone in a Ziploc bag.
“I’m leaving this here,” he says. “I don’t have another one to lose until someone flies to Anchorage.”
Heat rushes to my face. “I’ll try to be more careful this time.”
“It’s not about that.” His mouth twists in a grimace. “I know I’ve been an asshole. But I’m genuinely trying to help.”
My muscles tight, I dart my gaze away from him. This isn’t an apology, nor did I ask him for his help, but Iwilladmit that I need it. I can’t go off on my own, trying to shoot fireballs in the woods, because I might pass out from overexerting myself and get eaten by wild animals. And as much as I dislike Aiden right now, he’s the one who came up with this crazy training plan.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He ties one end of a red string to the tree and has a fist-sized ball of it in hand. “This will be your way back if we need it.”
