Page 32 of Born to Bleed

“But you’re hesitant.”

He shrugged, the muscles of his back rippling with just that small movement. “I’m always hesitant to trust. Logic says they’re on my side, but only time can really tell.”

She nodded, understanding that. Trust wasn’t exactly easy in this world.

Hence her horror at the ease with which she found herself giving it to the man beside her.

The fire went out, the distant voices quieting down. Anna’s nerves began rising up inside of her, her gaze flicking through their surroundings, searching for threats. There were none, of course, but better safe than sorry. Maybe she’d scan the trees one more time.

“Is my brave, adventurous Anna afraid of the dark?”

Hayden’s voice was a low rumble in her ear. When had he gotten so close? It did not make sense how a man so large could move so quietly.

“I am not afraid of the dark.” She immediately denied it. But, maybe she wasn’t the biggest fan of the dark. A dark cabin or house, that was fine. Being out in the open, in the woods? That might’ve brought up some old memories that were best left buried.

Flashes of herself, a mere fourteen years old, running through the forest in nothing but a shift, rushed through her mind. Her racing heart, her bleeding feet, her rumbling belly and parched throat. The fear of being caught, of being found by the officer charged with training her.

“You can talk to me, Anna.”

“I’d prefer not to.”

She turned her back to him, staring out into the dark woods. Anna did not feel afraid of much in this world, but her past? That scared her sometimes. Sharing her revenge plans with Hayden, or lack thereof, was one thing. Even her being betrayed by Greene… sharing that was different. Sharing that didn’t make her weak, like this did. Being angry, vengeful, even a bit impulsive? That made her dangerous. Being afraid of a dark forest? Not so much. She might’ve been warming up to him, but hell would have to freeze over before she started sharing her weaknesses with him. With anyone.

“You know,” Hayden whispered. “The UNR has very odd beliefs when it comes to training.” A chill ran down her spine, immediately knowing where this was going. “They take fresh female recruits, usually thirteen, maybe fourteen years old, and assign them a male trainee a few years older.”

Anna was breathing far too quickly, and still, it felt like the air got stuck in her throat.

“They have the young girls run, and charge them with surviving for seven days with no supplies or clothing. And the male officers hunt them. If the female survives, she graduates to the next level of training.”

And if she was caught by her male officer, he could have his way with her. His reward, for doing his duty as a trainer, and her punishment, for failing as a student. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she internally cursed.

How dare Hayden know what she’d been through? How dare he remind her of it this way? How dare he bring it up when she was already feeling vulnerable as hell from earlier?

But when his hand closed over her arm, she found herself leaning into his touch. “How about this… I’ll hold you throughout the night, and if anyone comes within fifteen feet of us, I’ll slit their throat.”

Her breath hitched in her lungs. “Even if it’s one of your friends over there?”

“Anyone who scares you is not my friend.” A few seconds of silence stretched between them. “Unless you don’t trust me.”

Anna bit her lip. “I don’t trust anyone.”

Too much time passed before Hayden spoke again. “Eventually, you have to trust somebody.”

He didn’t understand how hard it was, though. Hayden had his brothers, while she had nobody. She had been on her own for as long as she could remember, and the few times she had a friend, it was really just a person she was taking care of. No offense to Julia, who she loved to death, but… this was different. This was asking a whole lot of her.

This was asking her to put herself on the line for somebody who she’d only known a few months, who’d destroyed her plans and handcuffed her to a pipe. Who’d helped her make new, better plans, and prioritized her safety over his own… who’d treated her better in the short time he’d known her than anyone else had in her entire life.

Who’d lied about being the son of the man who tortured and sterilized her.

The man who’d tortured him, too, she recalled… the person responsible for the endless scars that seemed to litter his face and torso.

“I don’t blame you,” she finally admitted. He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “I wouldn’t have told me, either. I wouldn’t tell anyone if I was related to someone like that. Especially not an enemy soldier.”

Defected or not, Anna had still worn the UNR insignia on her arm at the time. She’d stolen from him, fought him at every turn… of course he wouldn’t give up that information haphazardly.

“You want him dead, right?” she asked, knowing the answer already but needing to hear it aloud.

“Unquestionably.”

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