“And I’m glad you gave me something to protect myself. I just hope I don’t have to use it.”
“Me, too,” he agrees. “I’ll make sure I do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen, but there may be a circumstance where I won’t be able to help you.” With that, he twists back around and signals for me to get on his back.
His last statement haunts my mind as I wrap my arms around him and hop onto his back. What kind of circumstances could there be where he wouldn’t be around to help me? Because we got separated? Because one of us was captured? Because he gets hurt.
That thought makes me feel sick to my stomach, and I make a silent vow to myself to do whatever I have to, to not only protect myself, but to protect all of them.
Harlynn
I don’t want to look weak, but I’m glad Asher is giving me a piggyback ride. I hadn’t even realized how slow I was walking until I climbed onto his back. The rest of the guys have gotten so far ahead of us that it takes a while for us to catch up. By the time we do, everyone is exhausted and frozen, which I find sort of odd. I wasn’t aware paranormals could get tired and cold. Then again, I’m exhausted and freezing. I just sometimes forget that I’m a paranormal.
I cling to Asher as he reaches the guys. Everyone is trudging forward with their heads tipped down, snow-flurries howling around us. Icicles have formed on everyone’s eyelashes except for mine. But that’s only because I have my face pressed against Asher’s back.
“Fuck this storm,” East grumbles as he pulls the hood of his coat tighter over his head. The snow is up to his knees, and his face is covered in snowflakes. “It keeps getting worse by the second.”
“I know,” Asher replies over the howling wind, his hair almost white from all the snow in it. “We probably should’ve waited until it blew through.”
“Yeah, well, it’s too late now,” East tells him with his head down. “And besides, it almost always storms here, so avoiding it is nearly impossible.”
“True.” Asher tightens his grip on my legs as we start up a hill.
“I think my eyes might be frozen open,” Arrow mutters as he rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Yep, they definitely are.”
My eyes widen. “Your eyes are frozen open? Aren’t your eyeballs going to get ruined?”
A wind-howling beat skips by, and then they all chuckle. Even Maxton, who’s been fairly quiet, lets out a soft laugh.
I blow out an exasperated exhale, smoke circling my face. “What’d I say this time that was so funny?”
Asher gently squeezes my legs. “Arrow’s eyes aren’t real. They’re mechanical, so they’ll be fine.”
My lips form an O, my breath puffing out in a cloud in front of my face. “Well, one of these days, someone really needs to sit down and tell me all the parts that are mechanical on Arrow and what parts aren’t.”
Silence encases us, and while I can’t see their faces, I can feel awkwardness mixing in with the icy snow.
Why, oh why, do I sometimes talk without thinking?
Gods, this is so awkward. I am so awkward.
I clear my throat. “How much longer do we have to be out here?”
“I think it might be just over this hill,” Asher murmurs, taking longer strides, the snow crunching underneath his steps.
Everyone follows his lead, picking up their paces, all their footsteps making soft crunches, four sets to be exact. And it makes sense, too, since we’re in the snow, but for some reason, my ears are sensing another set of footsteps. When I peer back behind us, though, all I see is snow. Lots and lots of snow. So weird. Perhaps I’m being paranoid.
Still, I feel a bit unsettled.
“You okay back there?” Asher asks as if he can sense that.
“Yeah.” I hold onto him tighter. “I just thought for a moment that I heard someone walking behind us.”
He grinds to a stop and hurriedly turns, searching the land. “I don’t see anything,” he mumbles.
“I know,” I say. “And I can’t hear the extra set of footsteps anymore, so I was probably just being paranoid.”
He brushes his fingers along the sides of my legs while his gaze remains glued to the frozen land behind us. “I’d say I can’t see any footsteps, either, but it’s snowing so hard it’s already filled in ours.”
“I know. And