Page 67 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Flicking my eyes open, I glance over my shoulder, sensing more movement.

Placing my finger on Jed’s lips, I point in front of us, put one finger up, then point behind us. He nods. I point to my back then his. He tilts his head to the side and raises an eyebrow, making me roll my eyes and crawl around him, placing my back against his.

Even I know, patience is a virtue in these situations. Jed, however, missed the memo. His warmth leaves my back as he rushes toward the unknown predator.

A whoosh of air sails toward us. Launching myself on top of Jed, I push him to the ground. He grunts. We glance up at the white feather tipped arrow lodged in a tree above our heads.

Jed teleports us about a hundred meters away, and I waste no time. Pushing up, I dart off, with Jed keeping pace at my side.

Two arrows glide past my face as I lean to the right, then the left.

Still running, I point at a tree ahead.

Jed frowns—it’s times like this that it would be helpful to have telepathy.

Launching myself up the side of the tree, I grasp its lowest branch to haul myself up; the sharp bark scrapes my palms, causing me to lose my grip and slip. A strong hand hooks under my arm and drags me back up. Jed grins.

I sprint along the strong branch and somersault to the next tree. When I turn around, Jed’s eyes are wide. I smirk at him. He follows, landing next to me with grace.

“Me, Tarzan; you, Jane,” he whispers in my ear. I suppress an inappropriate giggle. It doesn’t seem to fit with this life-threatening situation.

Another arrow whizzes past us.

We get moving through the trees and are so focused on avoiding being skewered that we don’t anticipate the clearing ahead. I stop halfway up the final tree, and Jed slams into me, knocking me to the ground. I roll to my feet and dust off my pants.

“Nice entrance, Locks,” Duncan mutters behind me. I swivel and find swaths of dirty rope binding him to the tree I fell from. Jed jumps down next to me. At least twenty men and women dressed in scraps of fabric point arrows and crude knives at us.

Behind them is the gaping mouth of the cave, dark and ominous. Three men lift their bows and pull back, placing tension on the strings. I panic—an urgent swell of power inside me releases, making me gasp.

Trees groan in protest, and every single one of the tribe fly onto their backs, including the ones that have crept up behind us. Five men immediately spring back to their feet—impressive. Knives in hand, they rush toward us, wearing murderous expressions. I pull my other sword from my back and widen my stance, ready for the attack.

But it doesn’t come.

They hit an invisible barrier, which flexes like a trampoline and throws them back once again. Two of the men stand and begin to communicate in indecipherable, clipped tones, followed by several women, who add arm gestures to their speech, jabbing their index fingers toward me, their features tense and bodies stiff.The conversation abruptly ends and they turn me with wide eyes. As one, they get on their knees and bow, placing their hands on the ground. I glance at Duncan, who’s now free from the tree and pushing his hand through the air as if touching something.

“Whoa, Locks, that’s new—but useful. Good timing,” he says.

More of the tribe arrive and fall to their knees.

I spin in a slow circle. “Well… this is unexpected.”

“They seem to like you.” Jed chuckles while scratching his head and frowning at me, like he’s unsure of who I am.

“What now?” I mutter.

Duncan pushes me toward the edge of the barrier. “Time for first contact.”

I put my swords away. How can I communicate with humans who, as far as I know, haven’t had any contact with the outside world?

A short, plump woman with a beaded necklace steps forward. No, not beads—bones. I cringe.Please let them be animal.

Keeping her head lowered, she offers her hand. I look at Duncan and Jed, and they shrug, staring at the woman. Following my instincts, I step toward the barrier and notice it isn’t totally invisible, as it distorts the air slightly. I run my fingertips along the surface, watching it ripple, the sensation sending little electric tingles up my arm. It’s mine, I did this—therefore, logically, it shouldn’t hurt me. Right? Taking a deep breath, I reach through the barrier, the sensation like pushing through water, and it disappears with an audible pop.

I take the woman’s offered hand. She jerks my arm toward the cave, causing me to trip. This is going better than expected—unless they change their minds and roast us for dinner. Duncan and Jed stay close behind me. The old woman turns and barks out a harsh word, pointing back to the group; several of the tribe surround Duncan and Jed.

“I don’t think you’re welcome,” I mutter to them, while keeping my focus on the woman’s chocolate brown eyes.

“No way. We all go, or we don’t go at all,” Jed insists.

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