Page 76

He draws a circle in the mud around the print with the tip of his bone weapon. “Do you see that X?”

My heart races as I imagine the massive creature responsible for leaving such a huge paw print. Two small sticks lie in perfect symmetry across the indent in the dirt.

“The X means it’s canine,” he continues.

I shoot my head up. “Like a wolf?”

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Probably the one serenading us every night. It’s fresh, too. Stay here. I don’t want you to move. I want to find out if it’s a whole pack or a loner.”

A lone wolf like Micah, I realize, and here I always thought he was an alpha.

He rises and waves Maison over, and he disappears into the brush. I’m so tired, and the thought of Thomas and Jade cuddling by a fire makes me envious. It’s not long before Maison’s by my side again, and Micah comes back, and my whole body grows weak, lightheaded. I can hear the boys talking, but it’s like my mind can’t quite register.

“Just one I think,” I hear Micah say. “It may be a stray. I don’t see evidence of an entire pack.”

“You okay, London?” Maison asks as my wooziness intensifies. “Micah, man, I think she needs a break, or water… something. Look at her, she’s pale as fuck.”

I shake my head to snap out of it. “I’m fine… I’m okay. I think I just need a bit of water.”

And I could really go for a cheeseburger right about now.

Micah pulls a bottle out of his pack and hands it to me, just as my dinner order walks by.. A doe and fawn pause twenty feet away to graze. We duck down as the boys notice them, and I inhale sharply.

Micah motions for us to stay where we are and crawls toward it, keeping low to the ground, his weapon in hand. Maison rests his hand on my lower back before leaving me, getting into his position. “You got this, baby. Move to the left,” he whispers, and I tighten my grip on my spear.

Once Maison moves to his place, I follow his lead, but my foot catches on the slippery ground beneath me. I fall forward on my hands, dropping my spear, and take in a fistful of mud that splatters up on my face.

Fuck! The deer shoots it’s head up and bolts off like lightning before Micah can reach them.

“Damn it, London,” Micah blurts out.

I pull myself up and wipe my mud-covered hands on my pants. My chest tightens and face drops. “I’m sorry. My foot slipped.”

He slams his weapon on the ground. “I fucking had them. You need to focus, London. Be fucking quiet, just like I taught you.”

Maison approaches from behind, grabbing my face and inspecting me before slipping his arm around me. “Take it easy on her, Micah,” he warns, and my heart sinks. He thinks I’m weak—they both do.

Micah’s eyes flash with anger. “You can’t coddle her all the time, Maison. She needs to learn.” I’m also not thrilled with how they speak about me as if I’m not standing right in front of them.

The two of them are glaring at each other, and Micah cocks his brow as the tension between them thickens. Tension or something else, but it seems like they are having an entire conversation through their eyes.

“I’ll do better next time,” I blurt out, swallowing a lump in my throat.

Micah ignores me and addresses his brother, reminding me why I’m supposed to hate him. “It took us three fucking hours to find those deer. There were two of them, for fuck’s sakes.” He stomps off ahead.

Maison rubs my shoulder. “It’s fine, baby. It was your first try. We’ll find another deer.”

I sigh and stare off in the direction Micah stormed off. I’m mad at myself for screwing up, but mostly because Micah’s disappointed in me.

“Try to keep up,” Micah yells back at us.

Maison narrows his brows as I breathe, trying to calm my nerves. My legs and arms are shaky, and I don’t know how much farther I can go. I give him a tentative smile and keep walking.

“Yeah, we’re coming,” Maison mutters behind me and quickly finds my hand.

We walk for an hour, then stop briefly for a bite to eat—more dried meat Micah had in his pack. Micah sits on a fallen branch, resting his elbows on his knees before looking at me as I take tiny little breaths, crouching down.

“We can’t go much farther today,” he says, taking a good look at me, his gaze resting on mine. “Another hour, then we head back to camp.”