Page 62 of Wretched Soul
“Oh, Shade. I can’t imagine how a child would process that.”
“This child internalized it,” I confess. “I took note when Reid was taught how to say mamma, and how he became the child the rest of us were ruled by. His feeding times. His sleep patterns. How he got carried while I trailed behind.”
“OK, I get how traumatizing it would be to find out your mom was your stepmom, but the rest?” Lily challenges gently. “I’m pretty sure I carried the same kind of resentment when Luke was born.”
I tug her arm so she stumbles against me. “Four-year-old logic is definitely flawed,” I agree. I rest an arm around her shoulder. It’s weird how I feel suddenly closer to her than ever before. “I hated Reid for a long time, but I never let it show because everyone else loved him, and I meanlovedhim. He’s a fucking ray of sunshine. He’s the one I share an apartment with now, so I did get over myself, but for a while there, I felt like a freak for not loving him the way the others did.”
Lily presses her hand to my chest. I don’t know if it’s deliberate, but her palm is covering my latest tattoo. “You’re not a freak.”
I place a hand over hers. “Are you sure about that?” I ask, my tone deliberately low and menacing. All this soul-searching is making my skin itch, and I need to recalibrate. “I hunted you down, dragged you to a secluded lodge and now we’re in the middle of a forest where no one can hear you scream.”
Lily’s steps falter, but when she looks at me, it’s not fear in her eyes. It’s a challenge. “Shade. Don’t you dare…”
As my pupils dilate, I lean in so I only need to whisper. “Run, Lily.”
Chapter 19
Lily
My heart stutters as Shade looks at me like a skilled predator sizing up his lunch. I hold his gaze just long enough to check that he’s not going to suddenly burst into laughter. He’s deadly serious. He wants me to run.
Do I feel safe in this moment? Absolutely. Has my body been copied in on the message? Judging by the adrenaline running through my veins, definitely not. It takes only a fraction of a second to assess my situation and plan my escape. We’ve been walking uphill, and if I’m going to stand a chance of making it more than a few steps in this snow, I need to head downhill.
The problem is, Shade is blocking my chosen exit. He lurches towards me – the bastard wasn’t even going to give me a head start – but I don’t step back like he’s expecting, I move to the side. As I twist my body, I shove him hard in the ribs. He’s over six foot and solid muscle, but my misdirection unbalances him. He’s laughing as he stumbles.
And because he’s still laughing, I extend my lead as I run, slip and slide down the hillside, following the channel we’d carved through the snow on our climb. When I reach a particularly steep spot where Shade had been chivalrous enough to pull me up, I turn sideways and force myself to take smaller steps.I chance a look upwards, and see Shade closing in. He’s not running by any means, but he’s making up ground.
“That’s not fair, you’ve got longer legs!” I shout at him.
“Your legs are just fine,” he calls back. “Especially when they’re wrapped around my shoulders.”
I wait until the ground levels off before I chance another look back. Damn, he’s close. “You wish!”
The cold air burns my lungs as I pick up speed again.
“Shit!” Shade cries out, and I hear a thump as he lands in the snow at the bottom of the incline.
I bark out a laugh. “You should watch where you put those size thirteen feet!”
I use the short reprieve to adapt my plan. I divert from the path we’d cut through the snow, and turn at an angle towards dense forest. Hiding behind the widest trunk I can find, I scoop up a handful of snow and pack it into a ball.
Shade stops at the point where I turned off the path. I can hear him panting. “I hope I haven’t tired you out, Lily.” He doesn’t raise his voice. He can see from my tracks that I’m nearby.
I step out from behind the tree, hand raised. “I’ve not given up the fight yet, Reid’s brother.” Shade’s eyes flare and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m flaunting the little tidbit of information he let slip, or if it’s the snowball that comes hurtling towards him. It’s not a perfect shot, I was aiming for his chest, but his face would have been my second choice anyway.
As Shade splutters, I start running again. There’s no chance of me getting lost. Shade will find me. Except I can’t hear him anymore. I leap behind another tree, make another snowball, and chance a look in his direction. Nothing.
Unease creeps over me. I think I preferred the sound of his boots crunching snow to the eerie silence. My eyes dart from tree to tree. Where is he? He has to be watching me, so I throw mysnow ball in his general direction, hitting nothing but shadows. No response.
I make a run for another tree, and as I round it, a handful of snow slaps into my face. My mouth was open and I’m spluttering in shock as strong arms rope around my waist and I’m hoisted off my feet.
“Looks like I win again,” Shade growls. “Now give me my prize.”
I don’t have a chance to respond before I’m face down in the snow. I rise up on all fours, and wipe melting snow from my eyes as Shade drops to his knees behind me. I scoop up a handful of snow to lob at him, but he manages to dodge the loose clump of snowflakes.
“You’re going to pay for that, Slayer,” he warns, grabbing hold of my pants.
I could lie flat, twist away, or even crawl to make it more difficult for Shade to take his damn prize, but instead I lift my ass. He can’t see my smile, but it’s in my voice when I say, “It didn’t even touch you.”
