Page 111 of Bound
Chapter 40
Amoret
I pant and try not to fall under Bran’s weight. All the trees look the same and I cannot tell if we are even going in the right direction or if we are moving in circles.
“Amoret?” Bran gasps. “Stop. I need to rest.”
I glance over my shoulder as Renvi and Cusnu try to keep pace, but their cheeks are bright red despite the pallor of their skin.
Nodding, I shuffle Bran over to a thick oak and help him sit at the base. Renvi and Cusnu join him.
I walk several steps away and gaze back up the hill.
In the distance, I can just make out the tunnel we exited. Half hidden in evergreens and thick bushes, the stone cylinder was covered in an unlocked grate. The whole setup was odd.
Even for humans.
Distant rushing water is audible somewhere ahead. And I could swear that I heard the roar of a human vehicle earlier. Maybe more than one.
A roadway would be helpful. Perhaps we are close to Lock Lake, though I doubt it.
Gage said the soil tests from Jarrah’s clothes matched three different locations across three cities. Considering how large Lock Lake is … It is a lot of area. Perhaps even too much area for Gage’s team to find us.
Without him, I don’t know how I will get the others out. I can’t carry them, and I can’t fight. The weight of such a burden presses over me. I wrap my arms around my waist and watch the tunnel.
“Amoret?”
The voice is heart wrenchingly familiar.
I jolt and rush forward. “Gage?”
There is a soft rustle and I turn to find him sliding down a shallow embankment. His white hair flutters behind him, the strands so thick and streaked through with leaves.
My bare feet pummel the decaying pine needles and warm soil as he reaches the bottom, his stride eating up the ground faster than my shorter legs can manage.
He reaches me and scoops me up against his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his ash scented skin. His palms are scorching. All of him is, and even with the heat of late Summer, the warmth is welcome. It eases my fear. My worry.
“I told you I was right behind you, baby,” he murmurs into my hair.
I close my eyes and hold him tighter.
There is a forceful cough behind us.
Gage turns and sets me on my feet.
Branwen and the others stare at us. But it’s the blank cast to Bran’s face that leaves me moving a step away from Gage. Realizing what I’ve done, I stop and move back. But Gage sidles away, his jaw tight now.
“Gage—”
“I think I hear a roadway nearby,” he cuts in, without looking at me. He tilts his head back and looks at the sun. “We have a few hours of daylight left, let’s move.” He starts off into the trees.
Something inside of me wilts. “Gage?” I call, rushing up to him.
He turns, his eyes like dark green chips of ice.
I halt in place, heart in my throat. “Gage, please.”
His gaze raises past me and the carved lines of his face tense. “You got your brother back. That’s what matters, right?”
