Page 26 of Donovan
I swallowed hard. “I’ll fix this.”
His eyes flicked back to mine, searching, desperate. “How?”
“I’ll get you food. I’ll hunt down an animal, bring it back.” I leaned forward slightly, trying to anchor him with my presence. “You don’t have to drink from a person, Declan. You never have to do that.”
“And what if it’s not enough?” Declan demanded.
“It will be,” I answered confidently but deep down? I wasn’t entirely sure.
He stared at me, and for a moment, the room felt too small, the space between us charged with something I didn’t quite understand.
We were close. Closer than we had been in weeks.
And yet, everything about this was different. The way his gaze lingered. The way my own pulse betrayed me, thrumming too fast in my throat.
His jaw tensed. He looked away. “You should go before I do something I regret.”
I hesitated. “Declan.”
“Please.”
I didn’t like leaving him like this. On edge. Teetering. But I also knew pushing him right now would only make it worse. So I nodded.
“I’ll be back soon,” I assured him.
He didn’t look at me when I left. But as I stepped out the door, I heard him whisper, “Hurry.”
After getting dressed properly and gathering my gear, I stepped out of the cabin.
The air was crisp with the bite of the night, the scent of damp earth and pine thick around me as I adjusted the strap of my rifle.
Every instinct screamed at me to stay, to not leave Declan alone in that cabin. Not when I’d seen the way his hands had trembled, the way hunger had darkened his eyes.
But I had no choice.
I had to do this. I moved further into the woods, my boots crunching softly against the damp ground. Before I got too deep, I glanced back at the cabin.
The cabin sat in the middle of nowhere, the kind of place that didn’t show up on most maps. That was why I’d chosen it.
The owner had listed it online, but he was off in another country, meaning no one would be checking in anytime soon.
Just us. No people. No distractions. No one to get hurt if things went wrong.
The bedroom window was partially visible between the trees, its thin curtains shifting with the wind. And then, movement.
My pulse kicked up as I spotted Declan pacing behind the curtains, his figure restless, agitated. I clenched my jaw. He was struggling.
Even from here, I could feel it, like a wire pulled so tight it was seconds from snapping.
Guilt settled in my chest, but I turned back toward the forest. I had to get this done quickly.
Hunting an animal was a whole different skill from hunting the things I was used to. Paranormals were predictable to me, their patterns ingrained in my mind.
But animals? That was something I hadn’t done in years. Still, instinct took over.
I moved silently through the trees, scanning the underbrush for signs of movement.
It took longer than I wanted, but eventually, I caught sight of a deer grazing in a small clearing.
