Odin (Alien Adoption Agency #5) - Tasha Black Page 0,38

could ever be fully ready. And that Odin had trained him well…

“Odin?” Liberty said, dragging him back to the present.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

“I’m not surprised,” she told him. “But unless you have a better idea, I’m doing it, whether you go or not.”

He froze.

“I know you’re thinking about leaving,” she said. “It’s written all over your face. You won’t be the only important person in my life to leave me. But I’m asking you to help me with this before you do - for Colton.”

“Liberty,” he said helplessly.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” she said.

But he couldn’t tell her that. She was right, she had read his intentions before he had fully known them himself.

He didn’t like her plan one bit. Everything about it was wrong.

But just like before, it felt inevitable, as if the universe was pushing him to an awful conclusion, one he couldn’t extricate himself from.

“I’m going to get ready and meet Cora,” she said. “Either I’ll see you back here in an hour, or I won’t.”

“Liberty,” he managed.

She stopped and turned back to him.

“Please don’t do this,” he said softly. “It’s a bad idea, believe me.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t want to do,” she told him. “You don’t want to stay, you don’t want to help, you don’t even want to explain yourself. Well, I don’t have that luxury. I have a farm to protect and a son to raise. So like I said - meet me back here or don’t. It’s your choice.”

Odin called to her again, but this time when she walked away, she didn’t stop.

32

Odin

Odin woke up on the ground for the second morning in a row.

No.

Not in the morning…

“I have to get home, your honor,” Cora was whispering loudly. “Remember, I told you before, I have axe training at dawn with the volunteer cadet program of the Lachesis emergency service squad.”

Gods above.

They had fallen asleep after many silent hours waiting for an enemy that had never come.

“Your honor?” Cora repeated, nudging his thigh with her shoe.

“Yes, yes, I’ll take you home,” he told her, getting to his feet.

“Cora?” Liberty whispered from beside him.

“Seems like this was kind of a weird way to go camping,” Cora observed, handing Colton over to Liberty.

“We were just… enjoying some fresh night air,” Liberty said, putting on her sling and taking the baby to slide him into it before he could wake up.

“Yeah,” Cora said dubiously. “That’s nice. Just seems like you could have done that in the meadow, not hidden in the trees. It took me a while to find you back here.”

A sound emerged from out on the path, soft footsteps, barely audible - the sound of someone trying not to make a sound.

“Quiet,” Odin hissed, reaching out with his heightened senses.

Cora gave him an odd look, but Liberty’s eyes went wide with fear. She thought she knew what he was hearing.

But there was no way she really understood. His senses were picking up more than just the signs of one or two cattle rustlers.

There had to be at least half a dozen men out there, creeping closer. And they smelled like trouble.

Odin could taste the tang of gunmetal and powder on the air. It was the scent of evil, the scent of menace, the scent of memory…

“Listen to me,” he whispered to Liberty and Cora. “There’s no time to explain, but there are a lot of people coming - bad people. Take the baby and run.”

“But—” Cora began.

“I’ll teach you how to use an axe myself,” Odin hissed. “But right now, you need to run.”

Liberty grabbed Cora’s hand and dragged her deeper into the forest.

Odin watched after them. They were moving quickly, but they were making a ton of noise.

He was going to have to distract the enemy if he wanted to give them the best head start possible.

Determined, he stalked through the trees toward the meadow.

But before he reached open ground, his senses told him the last thing he was hoping for.

The men had heard Liberty and Cora.

Even now they were pursuing them through the trees.

There was no distracting them. Odin had to follow. And if he followed too quickly or closely, he could spook them into attacking the women.

Run, Liberty, he begged her through the bond.

But he had failed to claim her, and he had no idea if his words would reach her.

So he set off into the trees, willing his body to move silently and as quickly as he dared.

But a sinking feeling threatened to drown him. He