Page 14 of The Hidden Guardian

He sniffs the pants. “Roton,” he repeats.

“He’s dead.” I mimic a slice across the throat, then close my eyes and stick out my tongue. “Dead,” I sob.

He nods, solemnly coming closer to wrap his arm across my shoulders and draw me into his warm, naked body. He’s warm as a furnace and his embrace feels different, special. Being in his arms feels … warm and comforting—like my cabin used to. More like home than my cabin felt without my Mother, and now Colton. So when the exhaustion of the day hits again, I melt into his arms and fall fast asleep.

ChapterNine

RENALL

Acalm, even heartbeat reverberates through the bond. Fire crackles in the distance, but I can’t stop staring at her.

Content. Content is how I feel right now with my Guardian, in my arms. Her golden hair glistens in the firelight as her pale lashes fan her cheeks. I’d been told it would look like autumn leaves, I assumed they meant gold. I see now it’s a mix of yellow and reds, but not quite either.

She came. She answered my heartcall. I still can’t believe this is real. Even without understanding or training, she found me in the woods and rescued me from the Demon’s snare. A true Guardian. My Rawe-tum.

I’ve waited centuries for this moment. To be honest, at times I thought it might never come. The fates have a sick sense of humor though; the language barrier, I was not expecting. I knew she couldn’t have been part of our clan … but I didn’t think she would be so … ill-equipped, untrained, and quite frankly, a liability. She’s basically a cub. I was seconds, mere seconds away from losing her today. I growl, slipping her out of my embrace, propping her up against her clothes by the fire. I have many preparations to do if we want to reach the clan by the end of the week, more like a month at the pace my Guardian sets for us. Her foot garments will not do, that’s the first thing on the agenda to fix. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was in pain. Stubborn as a mule, my Guardian is. I glance over at her sleeping form just to make sure it’s not a dream.

Totally exhausted. I should have noticed how bad she was doing, how ill-prepared she was for this journey. I should have sensed. But alas, we haven’t mated, so how could I have known?

From what I have gathered from my short time with her and searching for her, my Rawe-tum is in pain inside as well as out. Our bond grows stronger the more we are together. Sometimes my insides hurt with the pain and sorrow she feels. Her pain, it’s what drew me to her. Guiding me to her like a beacon in the night. Her wolf brother has returned to the Earth that made him, his scent in the house was as stale as those rice cakes Onai makes on Solstice.

His death troubles her greatly, so deeply I wonder how she finds the strength to move at all. The way that it affects her makes me wonder if she was hisGuardianbefore mine.

That is why I can’t push the Joining on her, not like this. Not when her heart is in pain; I want to deserve her. I’ve waited centuries, so what is another few days? Until then, I will just have to anticipate what my Guardian needs. Hopefully the Joining will happen before we arrive back at the cave. Otherwise, the fates are truly cruel, indeed, as I bring an unmated female into the wolf’s den.

ChapterTen

AUTUMN

The sounds of scratching awaken me. I’m still propped up on the large rock with my shirt balled up as a pillow. My feet feel funny. When I look down, a sticky paste covers my blisters. Wiggling my toes, my raw skin feels ridiculously better. The fire is dying and goosebumps prickle along my bare legs. The fleeting dusk light filtering in through the cave mouth casts long shadows on the wall beside me. Through them, I spy Renall, his back hunched over and his arms moving intensely. His concentration must be high because I climb to my feet without grabbing his attention.

“You’re up early.” I yawn, slipping back into my clothes.

He spins around at the sound of my voice, motioning me over to his side with his hand. I wince in preparation as I put weight on my feet, but amazingly my blisters are only a mild annoyance. Over his shoulder, I spy what looks like the skin of the rabbit, only it’s inside out.

He holds it up for me to view. Renall has sown the rabbit skins over the soles of my former shoes. Hemademe a pair of shoes. Carefully, he holds one open for me to slip into. Leaning on his shoulders for support, I slip my foot into the right shoe. The rabbit fur is so soft to the touch, my foot feels like it’s walking on a cloud.

“Oh my, these are the softest shoes I’ve ever owned.”

He grins a proud smile. Although I don’t think he understands a word I’ve just said, he still holds out the next shoe and helps me inside it.

I’m still wiggling my toes in my new rabbit slippers after I dressed when Renall hands me a cold, charred stick of meat. I barely have a chance to finish it before he stomps out the remaining embers of the fire and casts us into darkness. His footsteps start to recede away from me toward the mouth of the cave before I stumble after him.

I guess it’s time to continue our journey.

* * *

The edge of a lake stretches out before us as far as the eye can see, ending in mountains across the far side. It’s a windless day, causing the water to be so still, it looks like glass. Renall wanders over to the water’s edge first, he tastes the water before motioning me over with a jerk of his head. He wades farther into the water, causing the only disruption in the entire lake. I kick my shoes and pants off and begin washing my face and sweaty places. I must be making too much noise because Renall grunts and slips seamlessly deeper into the lake. He dives in. The water stills around him. Not a bubble or ripple to be seen. A moment of serene silence falls over the lake. When he breaks through the surface, there’s a large bass between his teeth.

His hair is wet and plastered to his face, the fish hanging limp from his fanged teeth. His face, his eyes, and the edges of his mouth are tipped upward, luminous with pride. It reminds me of Colton on his first fishing expedition. He attempted to reel in the biggest fish and ultimately fell overboard. When he shot back up from the water, he held the fish in his hand. We cooked it on a fire out behind the house. Colton had a proud smile on his face then too. That was right after Mother passed. It was also the first time he felt like he could provide for me. I’ll never forget it. Renall’s smile fades. I wonder if he can sense the turn my thoughts have taken.

Renall makes a tiny fire in the noon sun and cooks the fish quickly before putting the flame back out again and tossing water over the fire. Without another word, he’s jogging into the tree line. I open my mouth to ask where we are going, I’d also like to know how much longer we’ll be running. Truth is, it doesn’t matter. The longer I’m running away, the less time I have to stop andfeelsomething.

* * *

Sweat drips down my forehead as I continue after Renall in the afternoon sun. We’ve been at this pace since the lake, and I’m running on fumes. Renall is swift as a jungle cat, leaping over fallen trees and navigating the dense forest. Me, on the other hand, I’ve walked into every spider web possible. My rabbit shoes are comfortable, but they also get hooked onto rocks and roots more easily. I’ve tripped a dozen times and I’m sweating and panting loud enough for the largest, and possibly blindest, predator to find me. Exhaustion has officially kicked in when I stumble onto a tree for support.

“Renall,” I cough, gasping for air. “I can’t go any farther.” I lean my forehead onto my arm to catch my breath. “I’m not built for this. I can’t keep this up …”

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