Page 9

I barely slept that night. Every time I drifted off, I would dream about amber eyes and that deep, gentle voice, or I would jolt awake remembering the water closing over my head. By the time the other girls started stirring, I was already dressed and ready to go.

I slipped out into the grey pre-dawn air, planning to grab something quick to eat before heading to the field. I wondered if Heath would be there already, watching from the forest edge like he had before. I hoped we could talk again.

I was smiling to myself when voices from the direction of the stables made me pause. Fletcher's unmistakable growl was answered by another man's voice. There was something about their hushed, urgent tone that made me uneasy. I crept closer, staying in the shadows.

"...been tracking for thirty years," the stranger was saying. "If there's a beast in there, we'll flush it out."

"About time," Fletcher replied. "The thing's been lurking in that forest too long. Makes the workers nervous."

I moved closer, my heart beginning to pound.

Through a gap in the barn wall, I could see two men standing beside a wagon.

Fletcher I recognized immediately, but the other man was a stranger.

He was older, with the weathered look of someone who spent his life outdoors.

Three large hunting dogs sat at his feet.

"My hounds are the best in the county," the stranger continued. "Once they catch a scent, nothing escapes them. We'll put an end to the Beast of Dean once and for all."

I covered my mouth. They were going to hunt Heath.

"The dogs picked up something yesterday evening," the stranger continued, adjusting the rifle strap on his shoulder. "Fresh tracks near the stream. Whatever it is, it's big and it's been moving through these parts regularly."

"Good," Fletcher said with satisfaction. "Should be easy to track then."

"We'll start from the eastern edge,” the stranger said. “work our way west. If it has a den, we'll find it."

"I'll come with you," Fletcher said. "Show you where there've been sightings."

"Good. Give me an hour to get ready."

I pressed my back to the barn wall, my mind racing. I had to warn Heath. I waited until both men had moved away before emerging from my hiding place. My hands were shaking as I gathered my work tools, but my mind was already made up. I had to find Heath before they did.

Instead of taking the usual path to the far pasture, I headed straight for the treeline. My heart pounded as I slipped into the forest, leaving behind the safety of open farmland for the deep shadows of the woods.

The change was immediate. Cool, damp air wrapped around me, thick with the scent of moss and decaying leaves.

Ancient oaks towered overhead, their massive trunks disappearing into a canopy so dense that only scattered beams of pale morning light reached the forest floor.

Mist clung to the hollows between the roots, and everything was hushed as if the trees themselves were holding their breath.

My footsteps seemed impossibly loud on the carpet of fallen leaves and twigs, each crack and rustle echoing. Somewhere high above, a bird called out. The lonely, haunting sound made me shiver. The trees pressed in around me, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers.

I had no idea where to look for Heath. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, a labyrinth of shadow and green twilight. Ferns spread across the forest floor and I caught glimpses of movement amongst the leaves. Small things scurrying away from the trespasser.

I moved as carefully as I could, pausing every few moments to listen. Then I heard it. A rhythmic thudding sound echoed through the trees. The steady rhythm of an axe biting into wood.

I followed the sound deeper into the forest, my heart beating faster with each step. It had to be Heath. Who else would be chopping wood in the depths of the wilderness? The sound grew louder as I approached a break in the trees. I paused at the tree line.

Heath stood in the center of the clearing, his back to me, wielding a massive axe.

He had removed his leather vest, and the morning sunlight caught the ripple of his back and shoulder muscles as he brought the axe down in a perfect arc.

The log split cleanly in two, and he positioned another piece of wood without stopping for a breath.

I found myself watching the fluid motion of his work, the way he handled the axe as if it weighed nothing at all. There was something captivating about his easy competence, the controlled power in every movement.

I must have made some small sound because Heath suddenly froze mid-swing. He turned slowly, the axe still raised, and his gaze found mine across the clearing.

"Alice?" His voice was filled with surprise and concern. "What are you doing here?"

I stepped out from the trees, my legs feeling strangely unsteady.

"I came to warn you," I said, forcing myself to focus on the urgency of the situation rather than the way his chest rose and fell with controlled breathing.

"There are hunters. Fletcher and another man.

He has dogs and rifles, and they're searching the forest for you. "

Heath's expression darkened immediately. He set the axe aside and reached for his vest, pulling it on with quick, efficient movements. "How long ago did they start?"

"Just now." I moved closer. "They mean to kill you, Heath."

"I know." His voice was grim. "I heard the dogs last night. I should have left then."

"Left?" The word came out sharper than I had intended. "Where would you go?"

Heath glanced at me, something unreadable in his amber eyes. "Deeper into the forest. Or maybe further." He paused, studying my face. "You shouldn't have come here, Alice. If they find us together..."

"I had to warn you," I said. "You saved my life."

"And now you're risking yours for mine." Heath stepped closer, and I caught his scent. Damp earth and something uniquely masculine. "You barely know me."

"I know enough," I said, looking up into his face. "I know you're kind and gentle and nothing like the monster they think you are."

Heath’s eyes softened. For a moment we stood there, close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes and feel the warmth radiating from his large body.

Then the distant sound of baying hounds shattered the moment.

"They're getting closer," Heath said, his voice rough. "You have to go back, Alice. Now. And you can't come here again."

"What do you mean?"

Heath's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I mean this has to end. Whatever friendship we've begun, it's too dangerous to continue. For both of us."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "Heath, no—"

"Yes." His voice was firm, final. "Go back to your work, your normal life.” He sighed. “Forget about the Beast of Dean."

"I can't forget about you," I said. "I won't."

Heath closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they held a resolve that made my heart sink.

"You must," he said quietly. "Goodbye, Alice."

Before I could argue, he turned and melted into the forest, leaving me alone in the clearing with the scent of fresh-cut wood and the sound of hunting dogs growing ever closer.

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