Page 115 of Ensnared

Ishrug.Mytongue presses against the edges of my teeth untilItaste blood. “Whatever.Shedies, she dies.”

Luckyshoves me then in a rare burst of temper. “Oh, shut the fuck up,Jayk.Don’tsay shit you don’t mean.”

Iround on him, butJasperstands and yanksLuckybehind him, giving me a warning look.Mystomach clenches bitterly.Yeah, likeIwould take the stupid kid’s head off for a shove.

Jasperspreads his hands. “Jaykob,Iunderstand you must be feeling—”

Iroll my eyes and flipJasperoff, heading for the door, sick of this.Sickof every-fucking-thing here.

Ifshe’s not back by tomorrowI’mgoing after her, whatever any of them say.I’llmake sure she gets back toBristlebrookand that every inch of her perfect little ass is safe—but thenI’mdone.Thesedays, there’s probably more than enough groups ready to take an asshole like me.Trainedsoldiers are in high demand, especially ones who know how to crawl in the mud.

AllIknow isI’mdone being the cast-off.Theembarrassment.Therude, uneducated lowlife who’s going to fly off the handle.Arisk to be managed.I’mtired of being feared and looked down on and knowing that, sooner or later,she’sgoing to start looking at me like that too.

She’sgot enoughPrinceCharmingshere.

Edenwill get her fairy-tale ending—andI’llgo play the villain somewhere else.

Chapter27

Eden

Survivaltip #1

Killor be killed.

Wefound their camp last night.

OrBeaudid, anyway.He’dscouted ahead and came back forty minutes later saying they’d set up for the night.HeandDomthen had a “strategy meeting”—Iwasn’t invited—and decided to rest for a few hours.Domtold me that they planned on surprising them in the early hours of the morning when they would be less on guard.

Domtold me becauseBeaustill hasn’t looked me in the eye once since the nearly-shooting-me incident yesterday, let alone spoken to me.

Now, the dark sky tells me it’s hours before dawn, andBeauis bent over a small pan, preparing a quick breakfast over a low fire—the growth is too thick to worry about it being seen.Onelook at his stiff shoulders warns me against offering to help.

Rollingup my compact sleeping bag,Isigh.Dom’seyes settle on me again.He’sbeen watching me almost as often as the trees, expression unreadable, and it’s starting to make me nervous.

Glancingat him,Iraise a tentative brow.

Helooks over my pack, my boots, the canteen at my hip. “Whatelse did you bring?”

Iblink. “Um, well,Ihave a change of clothes, my compass, a small knife, a first-aid kit, matches, a lighter, water purifiers, rope, a flashlight, solar blanket, and rations.”Ithink.Idecide against mentioning exactly how much cheeseItook from the fridge.Wereally need more goats “Oh, andIhave a small pot.Anda book.That’sit,Ithink.”

“Youmanaged to steal all of that without the others noticing?”Dom’svoice is dry as dust.

Ituck my hair over my ear. “Iwas just... borrowing them.”

“Uh-huh.”Helooks back out at the woods. “Youknow how to use this stuff.”

It’snot quite a question, andIstifle a sigh at the undertone of surprise. “Yes.”

Domnods.Histhick black hair catches the dappled light through the trees. “You’redifferent out here.Differentto howIthought you’d be.”

Iglare, taking a seat beside him. “Useless, you mean.”

Thecorner of his mouth kicks up, just a fraction. “Yep.”

WhenIhuff, he looks over at me again. “Don’tgive me that look.Youput the help in helpless the last timeIsaw you out here.”

“Whenyou last saw me out here,I’dbeen running for days under threat of my life.”

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