Page 75 of Hunted in the Shadows
“It’s nice overthere, too.” I pointed off in a random direction of the forest.
“Move me.”
“If you’d like to stay for target practice, be my guest,” I said gamely, summoning particles of ice around my hands.
He clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Light up that magic again, and I won’t share any of this.” He pulled out his favoriteflask and gave it an enticing shake. If there was ever a time to get a little drunk…
No. I needed to stay vigilant.
But a few sips wouldn’t hurt.
“This is whiskey,” he said, falling to a seat at the base of my tree as I drifted down to meet him. “Don’tchug it.” He poured a bit into the cap for me and handed it off.
I perched on his bent knee and raised the liquor to my lips. “Doesn’t stop you.”
I thanked him quietly, eyeing him suspiciously over the metallic rim of the cap.
“If you came out to tell me what a dumbass I am, save it. I don’t need a lecture,” I said before he could open his mouth.
The drink burned my throat, but it was the gentle look in Cliff’s eyes that made the tears I had been holding back spill free without my consent.
“You’ve been through some tough shit today. You came out the other side of it but… I didn’t think you should be alone,” he said.
I sniffled, wiping my eyes hurriedly though I knew it was too late. I allowed my walls to drop, swallowing as I looked at him, beseeching. The mere extension of kindness made the weight of everything crash down on me with renewed heaviness—fighting Jon for our lives, the car swerving into the water, the dark stares of the elders as I was banished from the only home I had ever known.
“Can you just—can you tell me everything is going to be okay?” I croaked out.
Cliff studied me hard, and I could see atough shit, sweethearttalk on its way.But he surprised me—cupping his hand around me with a solidity that made me feel molten and safe, the way he might’ve thrown an arm around my shoulders.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Cliff murmured.
I indulged the heat of his touch for a few moments. My exhaustion deepened, beckoned by the delicious comfort that Cliff’s presence promised. His familiar features—strong jaw dusted with a faint five o’ clock shadow and mossy eyes—were a solace in any storm. No longer a predator hunting me, but my ally. Myfriend.
But I could be stronger than this. I wiped my puffy eyes on my sleeve, pushing him away.
“I’m not convinced,” I mumbled.
Cliff rolled his eyes, cracking a wider smile. “Oh myGod. What do you want, then?”
“A do-over, starting with yesterday,” I said, looking down at my distorted reflection in the whiskey. “Maybe all of this would have turned out differently if I could have just kept my shit together in the car with that damn storm. That’s when everything started going to hell.”
“Sweetheart, things started going wrong when you decided a haunted house was a good place to spend your Friday nights.” Cliff chuckled, throwing back another sip from the flask. He sucked on the liquid for a moment, his gaze turning flighty. “On the road during the storm… I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I know those panic attacks aren’t your fault.”
I blinked.An actual apology? From him? “Back home, I would take myself straight to the ice caverns if a thunderstorm was brewing. It was a safe outlet for the inevitable magic that burst from the panic.” I wiggled my fingers with a bitter smile.Weak.Always so weak. “Maybe my magic could’ve protected me better if it was storming out there today.”
“Hey—you handled yourself just fine. Pretty badass, actually,” Cliff said. I gave him a flat look that only emboldened him. “Seriously! I swear I saw one guy piss himself when you got the upper hand with that spear. The back and forth was insane. If I wasn’t shitting bricks myself, I would’ve thought to record it.”
His voice lifted with fervor that was hard to refute. A smileghosted my lips at the thought that some of the cruel onlookers had suffered a little indirect misfortune at my hands—much to Cliff’s obvious relief.
I took a thoughtful drag of my drink. “Sounds more like you were turned on.”
He hesitated for too long before scoffing, “You wish.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise, and laughter promptly mingled with my tears. “Stars, you were!”
“Don’t kink shame me.” He nudged my left shoulder lightly, but his eyes widened when I winced at the contact. “Fuck, Sylv. How bad does it hurt?”
I peeked at the angry red mark and shrugged. “More annoying than anything. I think I’m going to have to heal like a…human.” I shuddered dramatically.
