“You’re too clumsy,” he said, grinning. “If the horse didn’t throw you, you’d fall off all on your own.”
“Rude.” I accepted his hand and swung my leg over, crashing into him seconds later as I lost my balance. “Not a word.”
Callum brought me closer, shaking with a soundless laugh. “You’re too precious, Ev. So much you make my heart ache.”
As he held me against his chest, letting one of those laughs slip free, he kind of made mine ache too.
He then pulled away and turned toward the man. “Let’s take a look at that wheel.”
This whole day had been confusing. Being around Callum felt different than usual. His voice. His laugh. The crinkle at the edge of his warm brown eyes. All of it stirred something in me.
Duke clapped me on the shoulder before following after him. Baden and Quincy each ruffled my hair and joined them.
Knowing I’d be in the way if I tried to help, I left them to it and checked out the area. The sea glistened in the distance, visible beyond the rolling hills. Woods stretched to the right, and a layer of snow covered the ground, crunching beneath my shoes as I strolled along the perimeter.
What should I cook for dinner? Fish and potatoes? Maybe a cheesy chicken casserole with squash medallions for a side and blackberry cobbler for dessert. Something filling and yummy. Hopefully it’d help Briar regain some energy. Poor guy was overworked.
A red glow came from the trees.
I stopped and squinted. The sun might’ve shone all around me, but the woods remained shadowed. Dark. The ground sloped toward the tree line, and I carefully inched that way, trying to get a closer look.
Then, I did what I did best. My shoe slipped on the snow, and I tumbled down the short hill.
Right into the dark forest.
Chapter Five
Where the Red Flower… Glows?
Face planting into a prickly bush wasn’t how I’d seen my afternoon playing out. But there I was, face crammed in deep and body hurting all over.
It hadn’t even been a big hill. More like a ditch. Leave it to me to roll down it anyway and crash into the trees below. It was a gift. Truly. Muffins had impressive momentum.
Groaning, I rolled to my back on the forest floor and stared up at the trees. “Thanks, necklace.” I sluggishly slapped a hand to it and patted once. “You always have my back. But can you maybe start protecting me from myself? I’m more dangerous than any bad guy at this point.”
A pained whine reached my ears.
I sat up with a wince and scanned the area. The forest was dense, blocking out the sun and preventing me from seeing too far in front of me. The whine came again, this one more frantic. It sounded like a puppy.
Was it hurt?
Forgetting about my own aches, I forced myself to my feet and stumbled forward, catching myself on the nearest tree trunk. A sharp pain in my side had me gasping. One look almost made me throw up. I’d been impaled.
Well, kind of.
Two thorns had pierced through my shirt and lodged into my skin. Not deep, but still. I plucked them out and gagged as I tossed them to the ground. Great. After so many boastfulcomments about defeating a thorn bush, it finally came back for its revenge.
Maddox would never let me leave the cottage again after this.
Wandering deeper into the shroud of trees wasn’t the brightest idea I’d ever had. I should’ve been heading in the opposite direction. Back to Callum and the knights.
Another pained yelp pierced the air, the sound brutal on my heartstrings. Leaving an injured puppy alone was out of the question.
So, I forged ahead, deeper into the forest.
Thick foliage slowed my advance as I stepped over hollowed out logs, skirted around more evil thorn bushes and vines, and passed between trees. The trickle of water sounded from a nearby stream, and the greenery thinned. I hadn’t gone too far from the entrance of the woods, but it felt like I’d been stumbling around for ages.
The leaves rustled from the shrub in front of me.
