Page 47

Not able to speak, I blindly grabbed for her, pulling her to straddle my lap, my arms encasing her against me, willing her to slow her breaths in the same rhythm as mine. Her heart thrashed against my chest, her body still wiggling. I stroked her hair, plastering her to me. Her face dug into the curve of my neck, her mouth against my skin like she was trying not to be heard, a few words I didn’t understand escaping.

And then her teeth sank down.

My hips jerked, a groan catching in my throat as my cock hardened, engorging under the sliver of pain. I clutched the back of her neck, holding her in place, swearing her teeth were sharper than normal, hitting a core nerve.

For a moment, everything came alive. I could taste the eggs and coffee I had, smell the dank earth and her perplexing scent, see the flecks of dust sprinkling between the floorboards, hear the men above us shuffling around, her breath in my ear, feel the weight of her body on mine, the movement of her chest matching my rhythm.

Yet something hovered on the edges, a darkness, which scared me. I had never felt it before, something unnatural, but still ancient and old as time.

Then it was gone.

“Find anything?” Dumitru stomped in, his boots once again pausing right over us.

“No, sir. Nothing.”

“The dogs picked up their scent not too far from here,” he grumbled. “Have the canines go into the fields. They can’t be far.”

“Yes, sir.” Three men replied in unison, and a train of footsteps departed the room. Voices rose and lowered, and then the front door slammed. I sagged back into the wall, my hand stroking Scarlet’s spine, her pulse easing, her tremors drifting away.

It wasn’t until the sound of the jeeps roared away that Scarlet lurched back, her eyes wide like she now realized what she had done. Her gaze dropped to my neck, the sensation of her mouth still lingering there.

“I’m so sorry,” she cracked, her fingers swiping at the spot tinted with red. Raw pain circled her green eyes, which almost looked stained with orange or something in this light.

“It’s fine.”

“No.” She shook her head, agony still in her eyes, but she had a faraway look, like she was stuck in another time.

“Hey.” I clutched her chin, forcing her to look right at me. “It’s okay.” Going by my cock, it was more than okay.

Her gaze tracked mine, seeing the truth there.

The hatch above us whipped open. Anca peered down at us, her lids blinking before a small smile hinted at her mouth. “Looks like you guys are just fine. Got cozy in there?”

Scarlet scrambled off my lap, standing up and climbing out, her expression strained with embarrassment. I followed behind, taking in the red mark across Anca’s cheek as I shut the trap door behind me.

“Are you all right?” My impulse to help heal her, to get herbs to ease the pain, rocked me on my feet.

“I’m made of tougher stuff than that.” She batted away my concern. Her lips pressed together as Vasile stepped into the room.

“You guys need to get far from here.”

Scarlet looked around, her arms out. “But what they’ve done to your home. We can’t just leave you—”

“Yes, you can,” Vasile replied sternly. “You must.”

I agreed. They had already put themselves out for us. Their house was trashed, and Anca was assaulted—all because they helped us.

“Someday I will find a way to repay you,” I promised Vasile and Anca, bearing both of our backpacks, wanting Scarlet to carry no other burden but her cracked ribs.

“We help people because it’s the right thing to do. The harsher the world is, the more help should be given.” Anca kissed both my cheeks and went to Scarlet.

She took Scarlet’s hands, her head wagging, one hand reaching up to touch her cheek. “I can’t get over how similar you look to her.”

“Yeah. I get that a lot.” Scarlet leaned in, kissing her cheeks. “Thank you for your hospitality. I will make sure you are compensated for the damage here.”

I tipped my head, peering at her. Her speech was very formal, almost rehearsed.

“There is nothing to worry about. All old stuff anyway.” Anca and Vasile walked us to the door.