Page 106 of A Sweet Destruction

My mind calmed into a steady buzz as my body worked harder and harder, though I realized the Bond was a little more alive than normal. I looked forward to Esme, trying to look out for anything the Bond was warning me about.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

It calmed considerably when I reminded it all was okay, but didn’t go fully quiet.

I didn’t want to pander to it, especially when this ride was supposed to be about taking some time to reset. Esme certainly seemed to be enjoying herself and I wasn’t about to stop her.

Sky and Shadow were having the time of their lives, running and skipping over little obstacles on our way up into the forest.

Freya had told us that there was a little clearing about halfway up our side of the mountain, close to the waterfall. A perfect place for some peace.

The very second that thought crossed my mind, all attempt towards peace slipped between my fingers.

A sharp zing rent through the air, just as an arrow blurred across my vision and planted itself in a exposed tree root not two feet away from Shadow’s leg. I already had my feet out of the stirrups by the time she was rearing back, sliding off her back and pulling out my gun.

“Go,” I commanded, knowing she’d find me when everything slowed down. Right now, she needed to hide. Whereas I could hide behind a tree or climb up it, Shadow was a big, walking target.

Her form was a dark gray blur as she ran away, followed by a lighter gray streak behind her. Sky.

I caught only the barest glimpse of Esme shooting behind a tree before another arrow whipped past me, far too close for comfort, and I had to take shelter myself.

Making sure my gun was fully loaded, I clicked off the safety and tried to quiet my breaths.

There was a light rustling, but nothing on the ground. They were up in the trees then.

Help me, I called to God, the Goddess, and the Bond, with that last plea the strongest. You’re helping me save Esme.

It was strange, feeling the Bond slide over my limbs and encasing me in a strength that made me feel like I could launch straight up into the highest tree branch with little effort.

“Come out and play,” a feminine voice crooned, as light and melodic as a bird song. “It’s no fun when you hide.”

“Then get out of the tree and let’s have some real fun,” Esme called back.

My heart seized in fear, despite knowing her better than that. As Esme had planned, another arrow shot through the air, landing with a thwack in the trunk of a tree.

Very likely the one that Esme had been standing behind before popping to the next on silent feet. Smart, because now we knew that whoever was hunting us was tucked up in a tree somewhere to the northeast of our position.

I scanned the trees, looking for just the right angle that would have allowed her to shoot behind me, but not see me. If she had, I imagined that arrow would have been sticking out of my chest by now.

My eyes had sharpened over the years, not always having the benefit of a scope to aid my precision. Maybe it was the Goddess blessing us, that it had been me who was here, someone uniquely able to spot the rustling of the leaves high in one tree.

The wind was a soft whistle today, moving the forest side to side in a slow sway. Now, that little cluster of leaves was moving up and down. From someone’s weight pressing on the branch.

Though I could probably execute a decent kill shot, making assumptions about stance and height, I needed to see who had ambushed us.

Moving my aim down an inch, I pulled the trigger. Birds flew out of their nests, shocked by the sound. Another wave followed, ignoring the first blast of sound but unable to avoid the crashing of a human being falling to the forest floor.

For a second, I thought I really had killed her. She was laying on her back, unmoving. I took one step forward, trying to get a better angle on her face.

A hand wrapped around my arm, stopping my pursuit. “Don’t you dare.”

I reacted, at first, like Esme was someone I didn’t recognize. Her voice was lower and rougher than I’d ever heard it. Her hair was wild around her face, falling out of its braid, and her eyes were blazing with a near feral ferocity.

The Bond was shocked back into focus, not giving a fig about anything else than getting Esme the fuck out of here. I grabbed her hand and took off running, only dragging her behind me enough to get a head start then pushing her in front of me so I stood in between her and an arrow to the back.

As we ran, I could feel Shadow’s presence looming. She was close, probably right near the tree line. We were hurtling down the slope of the hill, only moving on pure instinct driven by the Bond, blindly jumping over fallen branches and curving between trees.

I could still feel someone at my back, trailing us. It had been a far fall, enough to cause serious damage, but if our attacker had managed to catch herself and land with some sort of grace, she could have recovered fairly quickly.