Chapter 19 Willow
Chapter Nineteen
Willow
“He should have been back by now!” I say for the tenth time as I pace back and forth.
“Willow, you need to calm down. It’s only been a few hours,” Bo says, trying to step in front of me to get me to stop.
“But what if he’s hurt?”
“Ronan can take care of himself,” he reminds me.
“But there was no one with him to watch his back. Why has he been gone so long?”
“I’m sure he wanted to take the pelt far from our cave. Maybe he saw people on his way back and is trying to avoid them so he doesn’t lead them back here.”
I fold my arms over my chest, not liking that he’s being logical when all I want to do is go out there and find Ronan. At first, I wasn’t worried at all. Bo and Hawk helped clean me up and get me dressed, then they fed me. Then we checked out all the new growth throughout the cave.
But now? Now I can't sit still. I can’t focus on anything other than why Ronan isn’t back yet.
“How about a swimming lesson while we wait?” Bo suggests, but I shake my head.
“I’m not in the mood for it right now.”
His lips twist to the side as he assesses me, then he nods. “Perhaps you’re right. Maybe a change of pace is needed.”
“What are you thinking?” Hawk asks as he steps up to our side.
“We should give Willow some combat lessons.”
“Yes!” I exclaim, excitedly.
At the same time Hawk says, “No.”
“It will help her blow off some steam and teach her how to defend herself. It’s a win-win!” Bo tells Hawk as he gestures to me.
Hawk studies me for a minute before finally nodding. “Fine, you do hand-to-hand. I’ll do weapons.”
Bo smiles before winking at me.
“I’ll go first,” Hawk says, pulling a small knife from one of the many strapped to him. He begins to tell me about the different parts of the knife, and then moves on to show me the best way to hold it.
He demonstrates the different ways to use it: swiping forward or back-handed, stabbing, throwing. We decide to leave throwing off the table for now and focus on close combat.
He shows me the best places to injure someone and the most likely spots that will kill them.
I try to take it all in, never thinking that I’d learn something so savage. But this is not my world. And if I ever do go back to mine, I’d love to be able to protect myself against my father.
Hawk continues to teach me until my hand grows sore.
“You need to take a break. Let’s get something to eat,” Bo says as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and leads me to the bed, which is still the most comfortable place to sit in the cave.
He digs out portions of the grimclaw meat while the three of us sit and eat in silence, staring at the cave entrance.
I glance at their faces and see the tension there. It only makes me worry more. “You guys are worried about Ronan,” I say as they both turn to me.
“I am surprised he’s not back yet,” Hawk says tentatively.
“But it doesn’t mean he’s in trouble,” Bo adds.
“How long do we wait?” I ask.
“Wait for what?” Bo says with a tilt of his head.
“Until we go look for him?”
He frowns, his eyes meeting Hawk’s as they stare at one another in some weird silent conversation. “I’d like to give him until sunset,” Bo begins.
“But we can’t look for him when it’s dark,” Hawk finishes.
“So we go now!” I say in conclusion, but they both shake their heads.
Hawk looks up at the hole in the cave ceiling as he speaks. “It’s barely midday. Let’s give it two more hours. If he hasn’t returned by then, then we go.”
“How do you even know when two hours have passed?” I ask.
He points up at the ceiling. “By the placement of the sun.”
“Is it time yet?” I ask for the fiftieth time in the past twenty minutes.
Bo sighs as he and Hawk exchange a glance, then he nods and pushes to his feet.
We managed to get in a little hand to hand combat after I agreed to wait two hours, but after an hour I lost all focus, unable to stop staring at the entrance. Bo used that time to braid my hair back into a ponytail so at least it was out of my face.
But I’m unable to concentrate on anything else right now. I have an awful feeling in my gut that something terrible has happened to Ronan.
They take time to strap a knife to my thigh, hidden under my dress, as well as give me a more accessible one that hangs from a thin leather belt around my waist.
Bo wraps some thick leaves around my feet as makeshift sandals since I told him that I don’t want to be carried this time. I’m too restless for that. Besides, I’m hoping I’ll be able to guide us to Ronan using that tether in my chest.
It hadn’t worked when I’d been taken from them, but I was panicking and running for my life then. I’m hoping this time I can concentrate enough to let it guide me.
“Alright, let's pack everything up, just in case we can’t come back here,” Bo says as the two of them start packing all our possessions in their bags. I attempt to take Ronan’s bag, but Hawk refuses, placing it over his head along with his own.
“It’s going to be okay,” Hawk says, giving my shoulder a squeeze with his free hand, his other wrapped around his spear. “Ronan is tough. We’ll find him.”
All I can do is nod, praying that he’s alive and that we find him quickly.
When we get out of the cave and down to the forest floor, I take a moment to try to feel the tug in my chest. I can feel it pulling me a little to either side, where Bo and Hawk are standing, but there’s a third there, it’s stronger and tugging me forward.
“That way,” I say, pointing straight ahead. Hawk nods and moves in front of me, his spear at the ready. Bo walks behind me, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. They’re more on guard than I’ve ever seen them before.
We don’t move too quickly, afraid to walk into danger, and I tap Hawk’s back whenever we start to veer off course.
After an hour and a half, my worry grows deeper.
We don’t have too much daylight left, and we’ve seen no sign of him.
Why would he be so far away, unless not by choice?
I’m absolutely convinced that he’s been caught or injured, and that fear only makes finding him more difficult, the panic drowning out the tether.
A few times we have to stop and Hawk and Bo hold me in a tight embrace, kissing the top of my head and reassuring me that it will be okay. But they can’t know that. Only the closeness of their bodies pressed to mine helps to calm my panic, allowing me to think clearer and lead us forward.
“If we don’t find him in the next half hour, we’ll have to stop for the night and find somewhere safe to sleep,” Bo says quietly after another hour of trekking through the woods.
“We can’t! What if he’s stuck somewhere and won’t survive the night!”
They stop walking, and Hawk takes a knee in front of me, pulling me close. “Angel, Ronan would kill us if we had you marching through this forest at night. It’s much too dangerous.”
“But—”
He shakes his head, cutting me off. “We can’t help him if we’re hurt or exhausted.
We need to have our full strength and wits.
Understand?” His voice is firm but gentle, and I find myself nodding in agreement.
As much as I don't like it, I understand. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to sleep though, since my feet are sore and in need of a rest.
“Thirty minutes?” I ask, glancing up to where the sun hangs low in the sky, already casting shadows around us. He nods and stands, then takes my hand as we start to move again.
As we start to approach the half hour mark, Hawk suddenly freezes and presses a finger to his lips in the universal sign for quiet.
My ears perk up, straining to hear what’s caught his attention. Then I hear it: the distant crackle of a campfire. Hawk glances back at Bo, who nods and slowly moves past us, both swords drawn as he stalks forward.
We follow him as the sound of the fire gets louder until the low murmur of male voices starts to join it. Hawk squeezes my hand tight as he stops walking. Bo continues forward, and I try to follow, but Hawk shakes his head, holding me back.
I guess Bo is going to check it out. I wait nervously, watching Bo until he disappears into the trees. I practically hold my breath as I wait for him to return.
“Don’t move,” an unfamiliar male voice says loudly from behind, making me jump in fear as we both turn to face the threat.
Hawk pulls me behind him and jabs his spear forward, but the other man is ready for him, knocking the spear to the side and spraying something in Hawk’s face that has him dropping to the ground unconscious like a bag of rocks.
“Hawk!” I cry, as I try to drop to my knees beside him. But a second man, one I hadn’t seen, is there, wrapping his arm around my waist and hoisting me back before I can reach him. “No! Let me go! Bo! Help!” I yell, which only makes the first man laugh.
Finally, I look at him. I don’t recognize him. He has short brown hair, styled back, and wears green and brown clothes that blend in perfectly with the forest. He has multiple knives strapped to his sides as well as a rather large sword. But worst of all is the satisfied grin on his face.
“What did you do to him?!” I holler as I struggle to get away.
“He’ll be fine, it’s just a little knock-out potion.”
“Potion?” I ask in confusion as I stop struggling. “Like magic? Isn’t that illegal?”
He shrugs, then steps around Hawk and motions for the man holding me to follow. “You can walk, or I can carry you. Either way, you’re coming,” the second man says, his voice gruff and uncaring.
“I’ll walk,” I tell him, wanting him to touch me as little as possible. He wraps his meaty hand around my wrist and drags me with him. I glance back over my shoulder at Hawk, wondering if he’ll be okay and how long he’ll be out.
It only takes a minute to walk to their camp, my eyes widening when I see Bo, sitting unconscious at the base of a tree, one man holding him up so he doesn’t fall over, and two others wrapping rope around his body and the trunk, securing him in place.
“Bo!” I yell in worry as I try to move toward him, but he doesn’t respond.
“Willow!”
My eyes find Ronan instantly. He’s tied up to a tree like Bo is, about ten feet away.
“Ronan, you’re okay!” I try to run to him, but meat hands just tightens his grip. “Let me go!” I cry angrily as I try to pry his fingers off me, but it’s no use.
“Get your hands off my mate,” Ronan seethes, but the man doesn’t release me.
“Good job, Jackson. You found her.” I turn to the new man who’s speaking. He’s a little taller than the first guy I met, and looks even more confident as he stands there with his hands on his hips, his eyes trailing up and down my body.
“They brought her right to us, just like you said,” Jackson, the man who sprayed the potion on Hawk, answers.
“Yeah, well, the way this one stunk of her, I had a feeling they’d come looking.” He gestures to Ronan and I can see his face redden with anger.
A loud dragging noise has me turning to see three men dragging in Hawk’s unconscious body. They tie him to a tree beside Bo, and I watch in frustration, wishing I could go check on him and Bo and make sure they’re okay.
“I’ll tell them what you did!” I yell, turning back to the man I think is in charge. “When you try to claim you won the Mating Hunt, I’ll tell them you cheated and used magic!”
The man smirks as he takes a step closer to me.
“Stay away from her!” Ronan yells, as he struggles to escape his binds.
But the leader ignores him, moving to stand right in front of me with an amused smirk on his face.
“Honestly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.” I stay silent, unsure what he means. “You’re far too skinny, and you’re not even the most attractive woman in this year’s Hunt.”
“Great, then you’ll let us all go,” I say, not offended at all that I’m apparently not this man’s type.
He huffs in amusement and shakes his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. We’ve been paid rather handsomely for your capture. And I always make good on my business dealings.”
I glance at Ronan, but he looks as confused as me. “Paid by who?” I ask.
“A group of men who want you for their mate. They know they didn’t have the skills to take down these barbarians, so they paid us to do it, and capture you for them.
They’ll come in on the final day and whisk you off to the finish line.
Their hands will be clean of using any magic, and therefore their claim will be approved. ”
“I don’t care,” I say, trying to wrench my hand from the big guy's grip. “I’ll refuse. They can’t force me to marry them.”
He smirks knowingly. “Actually, they can. When you signed up for the Mating Hunt, you signed a form saying you would honor the claim of whoever wins you.”
“But I didn’t sign any form!” I exclaim even though I know it’ll do no good. He’s right. The other Willow signed it, and that will be enough.
Looking at Ronan, I tell him, “I’ll just run away as soon as I can.”
“Oh, if you think you’re going to run back into the arms of your cannibals here, think again. I know someone willing to pay handsomely for live Redmere tribesmen.”
I glare at him, trying to read between the lines. “Why would someone want to buy them?”
“Some people believe their cannibalistic ways are an abomination, that their entire people should be wiped out.”
“But they’re not cannibals!” I yell angrily.
He just shrugs. “Either way, I get paid, and your safety net is gone.”
I look over at my three mates, tears blurring my vision. They have done so much to help me and take care of me since the moment I met them. I’d be damned if I was going to let a group of controlling men take them from me.
With my free hand, I grab the dagger from my side and lunge forward, jamming it right into the leader’s chest, a primal scream ripping from me as it sinks in.
“Fuck!” he yells, staggering backward as something is sprayed in my face. That’s the last thing I remember before everything goes dark.