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Pain laced his movements as he undid the buttons to his shirt, then he sat and watched Eva grab a small bag from the backpack. She positioned herself in front of him and began to examine the wound. Teeth marks marred his skin, but they didn’t appear to be deep.
Eva opened the first aid kit and sifted through the items before removing antiseptic wipes and bandages, then made quick work of fixing him up.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Her words broke the silence that hung between them as she placed the first aid items back into the bag.
As he rebuttoned his shirt, he said, “Do what?”
“Push me out of the way of the coyote. You put yourself in danger, and you shouldn’t have—”
He looked to her, resting his hand on top of hers, stilling her movements. “Angel, I would make the same choice a hundred times over to save you from pain or worse... You are someone worth hurting for.”
Krieger heard her deep intake of breath as her eyes swirled with an emotion he couldn’t place. Her cheeks flushed under his gaze. He couldn’t help but notice that the rosy color of her skin made her green eyes stand out. Time seemed suspended as they just regarded each other. She’s so beautiful.
A moment later, she broke the trance by averting her eyes and zipping up the bag. Her face became unreadable—her wall was firmly back in place. Would that wall ever crumble for him?
But as she stood, she stilled and looked at him over her shoulder. She hesitated only a second before she said, “Thank you, Krieger.”
Once they were on foot, Eva was silent as she ascended the landscape, determined to find the lean-to. The clouds looked ominous, the wind was picking up again, and the temperature was dropping.
“Are we close?” he asked.
She stopped once she crested a steep summit. She was winded, no doubt still feeling the bullet hole in her shoulder.
With heavy breaths, she pointed and said, “It’s just over there, within that tree line. I think.”
As they scaled to higher elevation, the trees held bountiful leaves. Ranging in color, it looked like a different planet from where they had just been. He adjusted the pack on his back as he closed the distance between them.
“The flood waters don’t reach this place?”
She shrugged. “Not usually. The quakes can be felt here though. It’s still dangerous to be out this far from Everwood. We will have to take turns to be on watch.”
Krieger couldn’t help but notice Eva’s face; her eyes were hollow from the lack of sleep and stress of the last few days. She would need to eat and rest soon. A large open field separated them from the tree line; they could make it before dark and still have time to scout for fire wood.
Eva scowled at him, as if she could see the concern for her in his eyes, and said, “Let’s get going, I don’t like the looks of these clouds.”
He wanted to ask her so many questions as they made their way through the field. But if he had learned anything about her, it was that she did not take well to being pushed. She would open a door in that wall of hers to him when she was ready. Hell, he’d be happy with a window, but now was not that time...
The grass here was sparse. Half of it was already dead or dying. The ground was gritty—sand lay beneath his boot. That could only mean one thing. Water had come this way, at some point. He didn’t know how much more they could take of the terrible-awful. He wondered if last night’s flood was Mother Nature’s ultimate checkmate.
Krieger would give anything to give Eva a time-out from all of this. She deserved that and more.
As they approached the trees, the lean-to came into view, and Eva visibly relaxed, the tension easing out of her shoulders and neck.
The lean-to had three sides, with an open-face front. The dirt floor had the same fine sand mixed in throughout. Eva entered and rested on her haunches against the side wall, and he removed his pack and set it next to her.
“I’ll find some firewood. Why don’t you set up a pallet for the night?” he said.
His eyes were drawn to the dark circles that had appeared under her eyes when she said, “Here, take the pistol. Just in case.”
A deep ache settled in his chest. He hated seeing her this way. He accepted the gun and rounded the lean-to. This would give him the opportunity to get the lay of the land here. What evil beast roamed these woods?
With the mood he was in, the beasts should be scared of him.
The area behind the lean-to was under a canopy of tree branches and leaves, and he collected twigs, large sticks, and a handful of dried leaves before returning.
He had no sooner entered their camp when a low rumble eased over the land. Eva was kneeling on the tarp, laying out the pelt, when she looked to him. They froze, waiting for what may come next. The earth shook hard, sending Krieger into the side of the structure.
“Krieger!” Eva yelled to him as the trees let loose their leaves.
