10. Garron
10
GARRON
T he underbrush crunches beneath my boots as I stalk through the dense forest. Evening shadows stretch long fingers through the trees, and the weight of my spear feels reassuring in my grip. My knuckles whiten as frustration burns in my chest like smoldering embers.
"Never again," I mutter, my voice low and guttural in the gathering dusk. "No human female will cloud my judgment."
That face from my past flashes unbidden in my mind—those wide, innocent eyes that hid such treachery. I snarl, shaking my head to dislodge the memory.
"Fool," I growl at myself. "You're becoming weak, seeing her ghost in every shadow."
The forest pulses with life around me—leaves rustling overhead, distant bird calls. I force myself to focus on the hunt, channeling my anger into something useful. Something I can control.
A flash of movement catches my eye. There—a stag grazes in a small clearing, its proud antlers silhouetted against the dying light. My muscles coil as I drop into a crouch, years of training taking over.
The spear leaves my hand in a blur, cutting through the air with deadly precision. The stag lets out a strangled cry as the weapon finds its mark, burying deep in its side. The beast collapses, its legs kicking weakly before going still.
I approach my kill, but my thoughts refuse to stay focused on the task at hand. The girl—Mara—her presence here gnaws at me like an itch I can't quite scratch. The way she moves, speaks, even the tilt of her head—it's too familiar. Too much like… her.
"You're making the same mistake," I tell myself as I grip the spear shaft and pull it out of the stag's carcass. "Letting another human female in again."
Blood coats my hands as I begin field dressing the stag. "Lazir and Calo are blind to the danger. Just like you were back then," I whisper to myself.
I soon drag the heavy carcass behind me, its weight a welcome distraction from the turmoil in my mind. Mara. Her name alone is a whisper of danger. I grit my teeth, the scent of blood and pine needles filling my lungs.
The cave entrance looms ahead. I bring the stag inside and leave it by the entrance where it's cooler. My senses prickle, alert and ready for any sign of danger—or worse, betrayal.
I pause just inside the shadows and my gaze is inadvertently drawn to the firelight. And there she is, Mara, the flickering glow casting a warm hue over her skin. She's pulling her tunic over her head. For a moment, her body is bare to me—the graceful arch of her spine, the soft swell of her breasts—and my traitorous heart skips a beat.
A low growl rumbles in my throat, a visceral reaction to the unexpected sight. I've seen countless females in my life, but none have stirred this unwelcome heat within me since... I push the thought away, my jaw clenching hard.
Then, the faintest of scents tickles my nostrils—Lazir. It's his unmistakable musk, mingled with something else, something that sets my blood boiling. Mara's scent, delicate and alluring, is intertwined with his. My mind reels at the implication. Have they lain together? The thought is a red-hot brand searing through my chest.
Without a second thought, I shove away from the cave wall, my body moving of its own accord. The cool night air hits me like a slap as I storm outside, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
"What are you doing, Garron?" I hiss to myself. "You swore you'd never be pulled into this again."
I pace back and forth, the gravel crunching beneath my boots. My hands curl into fists at my sides, the need to hit something, to break something, overwhelming.
The image of Mara, half-naked and vulnerable, is seared into my mind's eye. The thought of Lazir's hands on her, claiming her, ignites a possessive fury within me that I can't ignore.
"She's a job," I tell myself fiercely, stopping to glare at the darkened forest. "You can't afford to forget that. Not again."
I draw in a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. My rational mind knows the truth—that getting involved with a human female again could spell disaster for all of us. But the primal part of me, the part that still remembers the softness of a woman's body against mine, refuses to be silenced.
The sharp, rhythmic scrape of steel on stone slices through the stillness of the night. Lazir sits on a nearby rock, his form bathed in the cold light of the moon, honing his blade with a focus that borders on meditative. The sight of him, so calm and collected, only fans the flames of my irritation.
I stomp toward him, my boots crunching on the gravel, each step echoing the pounding of my heart. "Did you touch her?" The question escapes my lips as a growl, my anger barely contained.
Lazir's hands pause, his eyes lifting to meet mine. There's a flicker of surprise in his gaze, quickly replaced by his usual nonchalance. "What are you talking about?" he asks.
My fists clench at my sides, the tendons in my neck straining as I struggle to maintain some semblance of control. "Mara. Did you fuck her? She's off-limits. This mission is not a damn joke!" I growl.
An infuriating grin spreads across Lazir's face. "Relax, Garron. I didn't touch her." His gaze holds a challenge, daring me to push further. "But even if I did... you don't make the rules here."
My anger surges, hot and wild. "She's dangerous! Keeping her close puts us all at risk." The words tumble out, clipped and desperate, betraying the fear that gnaws at my insides.
Lazir's smile withers, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You don't get to lecture me about risks," he retorts, his voice cold and cutting. "Or have you forgotten? Your little mistake cost us the clan."
His words strike deep, a painful reminder of the past I can't escape. The scar on my chest throbs, a bitter testament to my folly. I turn away, the taste of defeat bitter on my tongue. "There's a carcass inside," I mutter, my voice hollow. "Eat it if you want."
I'm about to storm off, to lose myself in the darkness of the forest, when Lazir's voice, tinged with an unexpected softness, reaches my ears. "We're a team, Garron. Like it or not. Eat with us. We need to stay strong."
I hesitate, my shoulders rigid with tension. With a deep, shuddering breath, I nod. I can't deny the truth in his words. We are a team, bound by shared exile and a desperate need for redemption.
The cave's entrance yawns wide, beckoning me back to the warmth within. The scent of roasting meat wafts out to greet me. My stomach growls, a reminder that despite the turmoil raging inside me, I am still bound by the needs of the flesh.
As I step into the cave, the sight before me makes my heart clench. Mara sits by the fire, her laughter mingling with Calo's, their faces alight with a camaraderie that feels like a betrayal.
I clench my fists, forcing my emotions down. She's a job, I remind myself. Nothing more.
And as much as I hate to admit it, we need her—her knowledge, her connections, her gold. For now, at least, she's our ticket back to the clan, back to the life we were forced to leave behind.