Page 37 of Camriel
She held her weapon out so the rain could wash it clean, then wiped it on the grass.Trudging back inside, she’d lost her appetite after the unexpected encounter and gave up on searching for food.She returned to the freeway and continued her long trek.
The rain turned into a storm, forcing her to stop an hour earlier than usual.Hail began to fall and she hurried over to the trees.
“Standing beneath a tree in a storm,” Victoria said dourly.“What could possibly go wrong?”
The answer was a low, guttural growl.Unfortunately, it wasn’t her stomach this time.Again, Victoria turned slowly to see a menacing animal staring at her.It wasn’t a rabid dog this time.Instead, it was a black bear.
“You’ve got to be shizzing me,” she groaned.
Rearing up onto its hind legs, the bear roared at her angrily.She roared back, hoping to scare it away.It dropped back down, then charged at her.
“Fudge!”she shouted and took off running.It followed her onto the freeway, gaining speed.She was drained from running all day and couldn’t go any faster.Fumbling with her duffle bag, she unzipped it and pulled out an item.Turning to face the animal, Victoria drew her arm back and threw the can.It hit the bear in the head, knocking it out cold.“Saved by a can of apricots,” she said in shaky relief.
Leaving the dented can behind, she hightailed it away from the bear’s territory.She veered off the freeway half an hour later when she saw a large hollowed out log.“Perfect,” she said in relief and hurried over to it.With effort, she rolled the log over so it was facing away from the freeway.She crawled into the opening and awkwardly changed into dry clothes.
“What a shizzy day,” she grumbled, searching for something to eat.“Ew, Spam,” she said, wrinkling her nose as she examined the can.“Why the fudge did I bring this with me?”It was better than nothing, so she cracked it open and forced it down, trying not to gag at the taste.
It was warmer than she’d expected under the log.The rain and hail drummed down, lulling her into a drowse.Something furry brushed against her face a few hours later.She woke up with a jerk, realizing she’d fallen onto her side.A pair of yellow eyes blinked at her as a young bobcat examined her.Deciding she wasn’t dangerous, the wild animal curled up against her side.
Victoria stared at the bobcat in wonder.It was probably riddled with ticks, but she didn’t care.She wanted to pet it, but she also didn’t want to scare it away.If social media had still existed, she would have filmed it.Her fans would have eaten this up.
Grinning like a fool, Vic’s hopes that the world wasn’t completely fudged beyond saving increased.After killing dozens of people by now, she figured her soul had to be black.She’d needed a sign that she could be redeemed.Maybe this was it.Animals could sense danger, especially wild ones like this.If the bobcat thought she was harmless, then perhaps she wasn’t as far gone as she’d feared.
Again, she found herself dreaming about the handsome, hulking blond guy when she fell asleep.This time, she maintained control of the dream.“How did you break free the last time?”she asked as she circled around him.His gorgeous blue eyes stared blankly at nothing and he remained unresponsive.
Victoria tried to touch his face, but her fingers passed through him as if she was a ghost.Her talent to manipulate her dreams used to freak her out.Now, she found it more entertaining than anything.Except when she had nightmares, of course.At least she could wake herself up from them when she wanted to.She couldn’t become trapped inside her own mind.
Spending an unhealthy amount of time gazing at the man who’d risked his own life to rescue her, she wished she hadn’t run away so quickly.
“Who are you?”she asked.“What do you want with me?”
He’d called her a strange word, but she couldn’t remember what it was.Running the dream backwards, she paused it at the moment when he’d first spoken to her.
“My cambion,” he declared, but the word meant nothing to her.The look of pure satisfaction in his eyes made her shiver.He’d told her she was his and he’d saved her life.“That doesn’t mean I owe you anything,” she said, forcing herself to end the dream.Her gut told her they would meet again.Next time, he would hopefully be able to speak to her using more than just one or two words at a time.
She shifted to a different dream, putting her arm around her furry companion.The bobcat nestled against her, seeking warmth and safety while they both slumbered.
