Page 33 of Ensnared

“No?Let’stry something easier.Howabout ‘Why,Dom,Iam justfixin’to rearrange your features,’” he mocks in the most atrocious accentI’veheard in my life. “HeavenstoBetsy,Ihave never been so riled up in all my born days.”

Istop and gape. “Idon’t sound like that.I’venever sounded like that.”

Domrolls his eyes, then continues in the same exaggerated drawl, “Well, howdy,MissEden.Ain’tyou just plump as a peach.Let’sget you back to the farm now, andI’llhave you barefoot and pregnant before this here night is out.”

Atthe mention ofEden, my teeth grit again. “It’s‘plump as a dumplin’’ and you’re not even a bit funny.”Domdoesn’t respond but gives me a dry, sideways look, andIadd, “I’mnotmad.”

“Right,” he mutters under his breath, then pauses.Hecrouches to study the ground.Ashe smooths over the boot print in the dirt with his palm, his lips compress.

Concernreplaces my frustration. “Theydidn’t track us,Dom.Wewould have seen them by now, or some sign of them anyhow.”

Hestands and keeps walking, careful to leave no trace, but his fingers curl into a fist.Ifollow, moving up untilI’mby his side, likeIhave been for the past four hours.LikeIhave been for half my life.Wefind our rhythm again, falling into step like an old married couple—just without the man-on-man action.

Orthe communication skills.

Finally, the grim line of his mouth cracks. “Itwas careless.Weshould have realized there were survivors—Edentoldus how many there were—andIled us straight back toBristlebrook.Didn’teven attempt to cover our tracks.”Helets out a hard breath. “Wegot lucky that they didn’t follow us.”

Domshakes his head once, a sharp, angry gesture, andIcan just about see the silent self-flagellation he’s delivering.He’sbeen this way ever since military school.Heliked to get a head start on beating himself up over his so-called failures before his pa,ColonelSlade—the piss-your-pants terrifying, legendary head of the 75thRangerRegimenthimself—could voice his disapproval.I’mhalf sureDomwasn’t born so much as carved out of theRangerHandbookand made flesh by sheer force of theColonel’swill.

Andthere are no mistakes in the handbook.

“Youdon’t think any stragglers might have been put off by the giant pile of their dead buddies?”Iask.

Dom’sdark brows lower. “Maybe.”

“Therewere three of us out there.Notjust you.Weall messed up,”Ioffer, knowing it’s useless.ToDom, it’s all his responsibility.

Hemakes a noncommittal sound, his shoulders still tense boulders beside me.Wepick our way through the forest carefully, making our way back to the clearing-of-death.It’sslow going—we need to stop and erase every sign of our passage from two days ago.Domis right about that, at least; we don’t want any surviving hunters tracking us toBristlebrook.

Afterthirty minutes, he’s still kicking his own ass, and it helps me push down my prickly feelings.I’vealways been better at soothing tempers than stoking them.

“We’remaking good time,”Itry again. “Atthis rate, we should be able to make it back home by dinner.”

Dom’shead swings toward me. “We’regoing to town, then home through the caves.”Hesnorts, shaking his head as he keeps moving. “I’mnot about to undo half a day’s work so that you can bat your eyelashes at the new girl.”

Igrab his shoulder and yank him to face me beforeIeven clock the impulse.Domstudies my hand on his shoulder, then looks at me with a curious tilt to his head.Helooksamused.

“Thatwill takedays,”Igrind out.

“Three, probably.Maybefour.”Dompicks my hand off him, then shrugs. “Butthat’s no problem, right?Afterall,you’re not mad.”

Hesmirks, andIpress my tongue against my teeth so hardIreckonImight pop one out.Days.Edenis skittish.Indays, she could be gone.

Abreeze swirls around us like it’s trying to cool us down before we get too hot.

“I’mfine,”Ireply automatically, but the words come out stiff... and tasting slightly of sour bubbles.Mymama would have rinsed my mouth with soap for telling such a bald-faced lie.

Domrubs a hand over his face. “Fine?”

“Anddandy,”Iassure him tightly.

“Oh, sure.Soundslike it.”

Westare at one another for a moment, andIwork to stifle the words pushing at my lips.Domsighs again, then turns like he’s about to keep on, and it all just comes bursting out.

“Look,Ijust think it’s real funny how—”

Dom’shead drops back. “Herewe go.”

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