Page 114 of Balance

Well, second most.

Miles glanced at me a moment longer, eyes narrowing, before he shrugged once, tossing a squirrel bone to the side. “Don’t tell me then,” he said. “But whatever it is, nothing could ever make me think less of you.”

I found that hard to believe. It was a nice platitude, but in every relationship—or at least the healthy ones—there had to be boundaries. Something that one person could do that would besoatrocious, that there was no turning back.

“You’re the strongest person I know,” Miles continued. “Whether you believe it or not. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

I almost believed him. My fingers curled in my lap, and my muscles wound so tightly with stress that I felt sick. My mouth opened, but no sound escaped.

What could I say?

His shoulders dropped as he gestured toward me. “Come sit with me.”

I wasn’t going to, but it was the plea in his gaze that drew me in. Before I could stop myself, I had crawled around the fire, curling into his side as he wrapped his left arm over my shoulders.

“That’s better.” He pressed his cheek against my head. “Now sleep. I’ll take first watch; I’ll wake you when it’s your turn.”

Miles did not, in fact, wake me for the second shift. By the time I woke, the fire had already gone out and the ground was cold.

My nose twitched, and I brushed Miles’s shirt back from my face. He’d slumped sideways, over me, and his soft snores sounded over my head.

I’d slept in more annoying conditions before—so why had I woken up now?

It was quiet—too quiet. The air had stilled, and our surroundings were eerily calm. Probably a good thing, though, as most of the dangerous animals would be hibernating. Probably.

I was just tired… and cold.

My eyes drooped and I rubbed at them, trying to stay awake. I was exhausted, but the fire had to be rekindled or we were in very real danger of freezing to death tonight.

“Miles…” I moved to my knees—he almost slumped forward without my support, but righted himself at the last moment, turning his face into the bark of the tree we rested on. I pushed against his chest. “Miles, the fire went out.”

I hoped he had more matches—I hadn’t even thought to ask earlier. Thankfully, the moon was bright enough to help light our immediate surroundings.

Didn’t do much for the cold though.

My words reached him, and I wasn’t forced to resort to more violent measures to wake him. He stirred—slowly at first. Then after a sleepy blink, he was fully alert.

“I fell asleep.” He glanced around, as if entirely surprised by this fact.

“The fire is out,” I said again, glancing toward it, rubbing my arms in an attempt to stay warm.

He groaned, reaching into his pocket with stiff movements. “Sorry about that. Let me get it.”

Then, without doing anything at all, he froze as his attention snapped to the space past me. My breath caught in surprise, and for an instant, all was quiet—the calm before the storm. There was something there, behind me—that white-faced look wasn’t all that difficult to interpret.

In the distance, an owl hooted, and Miles grabbed my hand, pulling me to him, before shoving me half-behind him.

“What’s that noise?” The fearful tone of his question pulled me from my half-asleep state. “Did you hear that too?” He pulled out the knife and pointed into the darkness. “Something’s there!”

“What?” I rubbed my eyes again, fighting back a yawn. “No, there’s not. It’s just an owl. We don’t have a fire, and bears are hibernating right now. We’re fine.”

“It feels weird—what if it’s a ghost?” Miles’s voice shook. “Do you think you should go see?”

Was he being serious? I lowered my hands and studied him.

His skin had turned pale, and his hands shook slightly.

Hewasafraid. And apparently didn’t think twice about sacrificing me…