them by finding the pocket of silence around them. Everything is afraid of them.”
Zoe didn’t hear silence either. “Then why are we out here?” she asked, opening her eyes.
“If they find them, they can bring them to you faster than it would take to drag them all the way back to the car. Come on, we’ll walk this way for a while.” Liam nudged her so she was heading in the right direction. It felt like when her old dog used to push her the way he wanted to go while keeping track of her at all times.
Liam was such a puppy.
She stopped and looked around, trying to figure out where they were. “Do you remember where the car is?” she asked, freaking out for a second. Zoe had no idea where they were in relation to the trail they’d started on.
“You’re adorable.” Liam pulled her in to his side and kissed the top of her head before letting her go like that kind of contact was completely normal for them.
Zoe felt a little dazed as she watched him continue walking through the forest like nothing had happened. Liam had adjusted to whatever this was faster than she’d expected, but part of her was pleased.
He was trusting her to take things slow sexually and she supposed he felt safe in the little touches throughout the day that grounded her more than she’d anticipated. Liam was good at the relationship stuff which didn’t surprise her at all.
“I could remember where the car was if I really wanted to, but I tagged the location on the GPS after we parked.” He showed her the phone and then raised an eyebrow when she was still just standing there. “I’m surprised you didn’t think to do the same thing Ms. Control Freak.”
“I didn’t drive.” She forced her feet to move and took the phone from him so she could memorize the map. “How do you get service all the way out here?”
“Kai got us satellite service after what happened with you and Chris.” Liam grimaced as they walked through the forest in a spiral to cover as much ground as possible. “We got lucky with you.”
“Ironic considering that Chris is the one who’s still unconscious,” Zoe muttered, feeling pissed off all over again. It didn’t make any sense why he hadn’t woken up. There was literally nothing medically wrong with him.
“Sometimes trauma like that makes it hard for people to come back to reality.” Liam shrugged, sounding far more serious and intelligent than whatever persona he showed everyone else. “It’s even harder when they don’t have something or someone to fight for. I knew when I first saw you that you were a fighter, Zoe.”
Her irritation at Chris faded as she focused on Liam. “How could you possibly have known that just by looking at me?”
“You tried to kill me with your hatchet.” The massive grin Liam gave her made Zoe feel slightly self-conscious. “It was cute as hell.”
“There’s something wrong with you.” Zoe glanced at him and wondered why this one out of all of them was her mate. Was it as simple as opposites attract?
What she found interesting though was that they had a lot in common, and a lot of differences that complemented each other.
“So, what exactly do you do for a living?” she asked, letting herself take a step closer to him so that she could feel the warmth of his body in the cold.
Liam took his phone from her and studied it like it held all the answers he could possibly need. For a second Zoe didn’t think he would tell her. “Noah and I work at the garage with the rest of the pack. We’re well known for our custom work. When we’re not working on a vehicle, we’re usually doing paint jobs.”
“You’re an artist?” Zoe blinked and studied Liam from head to toe all over again. He blushed a little under her scrutiny. “I suppose that’s not really surprising now that I think about it.”
“Really? Why not?” Liam drifted closer to her and tucked the phone away, his eyes flicking from the trail to her face constantly.
“You’re really empathetic.” Zoe felt her fingers brush against his and the shock that went through her had her licking her lips. It was insane how her entire body felt attuned to his to the point that she was aware of his every breath.
Liam froze and instinctually she did the same, registering the sudden silence. Zoe grabbed his hand, heart pounding