Page 31 of Ensnared
She stops and turns, and I see how much this is costing her. Her lips are tightly pressed together, and her face is pale from effort. Then a tear rolls down her cheek, swiftly followed by more.
“That’s it,” I bark. “I’m carrying you.”
“No—” she protests.
But I pick her up anyway. Because there’s no way she’s making it back to the village at that speed, and I can’t risk her staying out here for too long. If she’s this tired, she could get chilled faster, and Alaska can be deadly to humans even in mid-September.
She squirms in my grasp, so I toss her over one shoulder in a fireman’s hold.This should work. But I didn’t count on Skye’s fury. She shrieks and battles me on every step, pinches my side, and finally tries to bite me in the side. Her small, straight teeth are completely ineffectual, of course. I follow the trail with the red string, knowing I’ll have to come back here later and unpick it from the trees, as well as collect the flashlights we left in the clearing. But it’s more important to get Skye to safety now.
I carry her to the Lodge, where she’ll be able to get some food. She yells for me to put her down, and I’m glad she isn’t as tired as she was after our last training session. If she has breath enough to scream at me, she’s fine.
Jack appears at the front door, his eyes going wide as he sees me carrying her.
“What happened?” he shouts and jumps over the railing to meet us in the driveway. “Skye! Are you hurt?”
I disentangle Skye from me and place her on the gravel in front of him. “She’s fine. A little tired from our, er, walk.” I glance around to see if anyone else is near, then add in a lower voice, “She over-extended herself working magic.”
Skye steps back and slaps me across the face. My head whips to the side, but I don’t think she put her full strength into the blow. Not that she could really injure me. It stings my pride more than anything else.
“Don’t youeverdo that again,” she hisses, her eyes flashing.
I loom over her, deliberately crowding her. “If it comes down to saving your life, I’ll do it every damn time.”
Her breath hitches, and I swear there’s an undercurrent of desire hidden beneath all that fury. “There won’tbea next time.”
“Whoa.”
We both turn to glare at Jack, and he lifts his hands in the air.
“Let’s calm down, what do you say?”
“I’m calm,” Skye forces out through gritted teeth. “I’m so calm, I’m going to murder him in cold blood if he ever tries to carry me again.”
Fuck. This woman.
“Fine. I’ll leave you in the forest next time. Maybe you’ll find some bear friends and maketheirlife difficult for a change.”
“You arrogant—” She stops herself and growls, then whips around, stomps up the porch steps, and lets herself inside the Lodge.
The front door slams behind her.
I groan and rub my face with my palms. “Why me?”
“Well, you did bring her here,” Jack says from beside me.
I drop my hands to my sides and glower at him. “Don’t start.”
“Fine. Anything I need to know?” He inclines his head in the direction that Skye disappeared in.
“Just feed her something warm. And let her rest.”
Though if her exit right now was any indication, Skye has already recovered from her tiredness. The thought has me grinning. She’s tougher than she seems.
Jack salutes me and turns to leave. Then he pauses and looks over his shoulder. “Would it kill you to be a little nicer to her? She’s really great.”
“I know,” I admit with a sigh.
And that right there is the problem.
