Page 15 of Bryce

Until he reached the bowed trees and his foot slipped out from under him, the loose soil finally giving way. Until the expression of grim determination and self-assurance turned to an instant of wide-eyed surprise, perhaps even panic.

“Bryce!” I gasped, my heart clenching for one painful moment. I reached for him, nothing more than a reflex, as there was no taking hold of him from such a distance, but my hands stretched out for him, nonetheless.

He took firm hold of one of the two trees, stopping himself before falling. “No worries,” he called up through gritted teeth.

I could breathe again. My heart could beat again.

My treacherous heart.

I stepped away from the edge, far enough from the others that I could release a long, shaky, furious breath. What was wrong with me? Turn away from him, I warned my dragon with all the concentration I could muster. There is nothing with him. No future. Nothing.

The dragon said nothing. She merely glowed inside me when he reached the top with nothing more than dirt on the knees of his cargo pants to show for his close call.

“My heart was in my throat!” Leslie gushed.

“I should’ve been more careful. I was warned, after all.” He found me, his gaze settling on me. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” I shrugged, arms folded, eyeing him with no small amount of suspicion while he drank deeply from his water bottle. If only he didn’t make such a beautiful picture, standing there with the mountain peaks behind him, a blue sky framing his tanned body and dark hair. He was like a gleaming god sent down to earth.

A god who’d hurt me. Who’d forgotten me in spite of the sweet words he’d whispered during the breathtaking sunrises we’d enjoyed together.

Had any of it meant anything to him? Had it all been a convenient lie, a way to relieve his boredom between missions?

“It’s midday,” Logan noted, taking stock of the sun’s position in relation to ours. “We ought to stop for now and eat. We can still get a solid four or even five hours in before it’s too dark.”

“We can see in the dark,” I pointed out. “Why stop?”

“Other creatures can see in the dark, too.” Bryce dragged an arm over his forehead to catch a few errant beads of sweat. “Creatures I’d rather avoid.”

“What? Are you afraid of a wolf? A great, big lion like yourself?” It was wrong and likely ill-advised, but there was no helping it even when I knew I’d be suspected of some agenda if I did not stop singling him out.

It was Gate who replied. “I’d rather not be forced to shift out of the blue, for one. Inconvenient. Not to mention dangerous should we be seen.”

“Who is going to see us out here?” I swept an arm over the rolling hills, steeper peaks and wooded valleys below.

A rustling noise brought us all to attention, the five of us snapping our heads about as one, to see who or what had made its approach. The energy surrounding the group went from calm to alert in an instant.

A trio of young people—two women, one man—emerged. All of them carried packs roughly as large as themselves. One of the women even held a sleeping baby in a sling across her chest. They were fresh-faced, healthy, energetic.

And friendly.

“Hey, there,” the woman carrying the baby called out with a wave. “Gorgeous day, huh?”

I found my voice first. “Yes, it is. Can’t beat the fresh air.” I caught Leslie’s eye and found her snickering. What else was there to say?

“Where are you all heading today?” the man asked, removing his knit cap and running a hand through floppy, brown locks.

My immediate instinct told me to ask him why he wanted to know. What sort of question was that? Had any of us asked such a question? No, of course not. It was none of our business. My dragon watched, waiting, ready for the moment when I’d allow the shift to take over. She would make short business of these humans.

Though there was a baby involved, and even a dragon respected such fragile human life. That small, sleeping form was enough to hold me back.

“We don’t have a set destination, I guess,” Bryce shrugged. “Just getting out and enjoying the day now that the ground seems to have finally firmed up after the storm.”

“Oh, that storm,” the third hiker groaned. “I wouldn’t care if it never rained again.”

“I think you’d care after a while,” the other man joked.

“Take care out there.” The woman with the baby looked us over. It occurred to me that we were carrying far too many supplies on our backs to feign a casual stroll through the woods. I tried to tell myself it didn’t matter, that these people had no reason to suspect us of anything. There was nothing wrong with going for a hike.

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