trail,” he growled. “If your ears were any better, you could even hear their damn dogs.”
“My ears are just fine.” I sneered at him. “I can hear them.”
But that wasn’t where I needed to go. Gripping my bow, I pointed to the west. “You go on wherever in the hell you want. I’m going this way.”
West was wet. West had next to no path and I could also hear the slither of snakes and the rustle of gators.
As much as I’d like to pretend it didn’t matter…it did.
I didn’t want to go that way.
But I had to.
Something pulled me—
I couldn’t even define what it was. The cloying stink of wet earth, water, smells I just wasn’t used to flooding my head, but I wasn’t going east.
While he stood there glaring at me, I started through the undergrowth. A snake slithered over the toe of my boot. I managed to keep my hiss behind my teeth. Barely. Grass snake. Harmless. Fast. Still, a snake and not anything I wanted crawling across my damn boot.
A hand closed over my elbow and jerked me to a halt before I took another step.
“Why?”
Still staring at the tail I could make out in the grass, I thought absently, Because why would I want a snake on my boots…?
“Damn it, Kit…”
I lifted my head and stared into Damon’s eyes. Abruptly, I lifted my hand, touched his cheek. “You’ve got the most amazing eyes,” I murmured. A split second later, I realized what I’d done and went to jerk away while blood rushed up to stain my cheeks red.
He covered my hand with his, lowering his head and pressing his brow to mine. “I’d ask if that was your way of changing the subject, but considering you look like you just bit a lemon, I don’t think you mean to say that.”
“Ah…”
He nipped my lower lip. “Why this way, baby girl? Just answer me.”
Just answer. He made it sound so easy. But it wasn’t. I eased away and stared out into the distance. “Something’s calling me. I have to go this way.”
It was getting late.
The sun still blistered the sky.
We’d gone through half the supplies in our packs.
I was holding up a hell of a lot better than I had last time, but we hadn’t found anything.
I could still feel that odd tugging, drawing on me like a thread had been wrapped around my insides and it twanged every time I tried to stray from this path.
But it was getting late and we weren’t exactly equipped to camp in the Everglades.
“How long have we been out here?” I asked as Damon came striding back through the undergrowth after answering the call of nature. Men had it so easy. I lived in fear of a snake biting me in areas no snake should ever see.
“Six hours.” He glanced at the sun. “We have maybe an hour before we have to head back, if you’re up to walking. I can get you there faster if you need me to carry you.”
“I’m good. Today was easier.”
A grin split his face. “You hiked all damn day. Yesterday you sat in a tree.”
“Yeah. Unable to move, balancing in ways I’m not meant to balance.” An hour. Not much time. Brooding, I started to walk.
I hadn’t taken two steps when I was jerked up and whirled around. My head was still spinning, or at least it felt that way, because what I saw in front of me just didn’t make sense for a minute.
“What…” I licked my lips and shook my head. “What the hell is that?”
“We triggered something,” he whispered against my cheek. “I saw it just as you hit it. I’m sorry, kitten.”
Heart still racing, I stared down into the gaping, dark hole and felt my mind spinning away into the darkness of memories. Dark, awful memories.
“Let me out…”
Even though I knew I couldn’t climb the slick rock walls, it didn’t stop me from trying. Pain sang through my back from the latest whipping and every inch of me hurt, but that didn’t stop me, either. I had to get out of that pit. I had to. “Let me out!”
Rana stood over my head, staring down at me with eyes so like my own. Her face wasn’t creased with that smile that Grandmother so often wore. No, I couldn’t read anything on Rana’s face and sometimes, that made her scarier.
“You will stay here until our return,” Rana said. She glanced at the guards at her sides and then back at me.