The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,57

fall back and let you two walk at a distance. One of you can ride ahead and—”

“Dammit, Mel. There’s a snake!”

My eyes widened in horror when, in my periphery, a long reptilian creature slithered across the water in my direction. After that, my mind went blank.

A scream poured out of my mouth, and I charged out of the water with flailing arms and five pints of adrenaline shooting through my veins. I couldn’t think straight or even feel my feet touching the ground. All I knew was that a giant anaconda was chasing me.

When I emerged naked from the water, Lakota stumbled backward with a startled expression and slammed his eyes shut before turning away.

I didn’t just run to Lakota—I flew. Crawled right onto his back like a monkey climbing a tree, wrapping my arms tightly around his head.

“I can’t see!” he bellowed.

“Where is it? Where is it?” I shouted. “Get it away from me!”

“It’s not going to hurt you. It’s not even a foot long.”

Tak cleared his throat from somewhere above. “You two kids hurry up down there.” His laughter echoed in the swimming hole, then faded as he walked away.

Lakota finally shook me off his back. “Look, it’s harmless.”

I shuddered when I saw the snake swimming away. “I hate snakes.”

Since I’d grown up in the woods, wild animals were a part of life. But venomous snakes were particularly deadly to Shifters since shifting wouldn’t eliminate the venom.

Lakota turned away from me, and despite everything that had just transpired, I felt a flicker of desire as rivulets of water dripped down his back. We were alone, wet, and mostly naked. A flutter of tingles surfaced in places that made me feel exposed and vulnerable.

“I’ll shift,” he finally said. “You can wear my clothes and ride back. My wolf will stay close, and Tak will keep him in line if anything unexpected happens. How’s that for a plan? Acceptable?”

Walking naked to a funeral wasn’t, so at this point, I was willing to take whatever options I could. “Promise not to wander far?”

His head turned but not enough that I could tell if he could see me. “Why?”

“I don’t know Tak,” I whispered. “And neither do you. Not really.”

“I’ll stay close.” He swiftly shifted into his handsome wolf and licked my hand before racing off.

After putting on Lakota’s T-shirt, I stepped into his jeans, which swallowed me. “I need to gain some weight,” I muttered, laughing at the situation.

When I walked upstream and climbed the hill, I caught sight of Tak sitting on his horse, his hands gripping a branch overhead. I had half a mind to startle the mare and leave him dangling from the tree. But we had no time for mischievous behavior.

“Your friend shifted. He said he’ll stay close,” I called out.

Tak twisted around and looked me over. “So I see.”

I approached the Appaloosa and hesitated. The horse didn’t have a saddle to help me mount.

“Need a little help?” he offered.

Even though I did, the condescending tone of his voice was enough to make me dig in my heels. I circled around to the left side, and when I reached for her mane, my pants fell to my ankles.

Able to see my head and lower legs from the other side of the horse, Tak chuckled. This was going to be harder than I thought. I discreetly bent over and lifted the pants.

“Let me help you before the sun goes to bed.” Tak hopped off his horse and moseyed around to my side. He lovingly stroked the mare’s neck before locking his fingers and bending over. “Step up.”

I gripped the waistband of my jeans on the right side to keep them secure. The moment I put my left foot between his cupped fingers, he launched me onto the back of the horse. Before I could situate myself, Tak slapped the mare on the rear, and she took off like a bolt of lightning.

As I bounced on the horse, struggling to hold on, my T-shirt flapped up and down and my pants slid so low that I could feel the wind on my ass.

So much for modesty.

Tak’s boisterous laugh eventually faded once I rode out of earshot.

We traversed the woods for an hour before my thighs began to stiffen and ache. Lakota’s wolf remained out of sight most of the time, but every so often, I would catch him peering at me through the trees. It comforted me unexpectedly, even though I wasn’t in imminent danger. Just the idea of