Chapter 18 #2
“Come here,” Eli says, holding his arms out to me. I place my hands on his shoulders before he grabs my hips and lifted me. I wrap my legs around his waist before resting my chin on his shoulder.
“How far?” I ask him.
“Ten minutes tops, promise,” he says, pressing his lips to my cheek.
I tighten my arms around his neck before feeling him start moving.
The forest smells damp, almost moldy, and I don’t like it.
Eli, though, is right, and it doesn’t take long before he slows down.
Opening my eyes, I see we are on an incline.
Eli continues to walk up the hill before it comes to a flat, and I can hear rushing water.
Looking over my shoulder, I see a waterfall, and this part actually has sun; though even with the sun, the water looks black, and you can’t see the bottom like I would have expected.
“Clarissa used to bring Emery and me here when we were kids in the summer,” Eli says, putting me down. He grabs my hand, pulling me toward a rock that sits on the edge. He bends down, putting his hand in the water.
“It isn’t too cold,” he says.
“Said the man who can’t feel heat,” I tell him before reaching down and touching the water. “Oh, you’re right. It isn’t too cold.”
“Yeah, I figured it couldn’t be too cold since I felt nothing at all.” He chuckles before reaching down and tugging on my shirt. He peels it off before unclipping my bra, and I cover myself, looking around at the trees.
“Addie, no one will come out while we are out here, I promise,” Eli says before grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet.
I unbutton my jeans before pulling them off, and Eli bends down, undoing the strap on my leg and removing the knife. He places them on the rock that hangs over the water.
“I feel very exposed,” I tell him.
“No one will come out here. Not from the pack anyway,” Eli tells me, pulling my hands away from my body as I try to cover myself. He strips his pants before tugging me closer to him, his hand gently caressing my bump.
He then steps off the rock, splashing water on me as he lands in the water.
“It’s deeper than it looks,” he says, holding his hand up to me.
I grab it before stepping off the rock. I plunge under the water, sinking like a rock. He is right; it is deep. Not once do I touch the bottom, and not being able to see underneath me is creeping me out.
Eli pulls me out into the center next to the waterfall. Sharp pointed rocks are jutting out of it, spraying water in different directions. Looking up, it seems to have no end, and I can’t see where it peaks.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“Near the base of the mountain,” Eli says, and I nod.
With how tall the trees are, I don’t even notice there is a mountain by the village, not being able to see past them and their darkness.
“How deep is it?” I ask, looking below me. I can’t see from my waist down.
“No idea. Emery and I used to try to hold our breath and swim to the bottom when we were little. We never found it,” he says, and a shiver runs up my spine. “You don’t like water?”
“No, I just like knowing what’s underneath me.”
“An abyss. Maybe the Loch Ness Monster. Nobody truly knows,” Eli says, making my eyes snap to him to see him smiling.
“You really think I would put you in danger, Addie? I wouldn’t have brought you here if it wasn’t safe.”
“How can you say that if it has no end?”
“Nobody has died out here. Or maybe they have, and they sank to the bottom,” he says teasingly.
I wrap my legs around him.
“Chicken,” he whispers, pulling me closer to him.
“Yep, at least if anything is down there, it will grab your feet first.”
“And if it does?” he asks, smiling.
“I think I will become Jesus, walk on water, and leave your ass behind,” I chuckle.
“You would really abandon me?” he taunts.
“Yep. It will eat you first, giving me a chance to run.”
We swim around for a bit. Well, Eli does because I am not letting him go.
After a while, the temperature starts to drop, making my teeth chatter.
Just as Eli is lifting me up onto the rock, he lets me go quickly, and I drop back into the water.
I grip his waist as I am dunked under. Pulling myself up, I see Eli has a knife in his hand, his eyes darting around frantically.
“What is it?”
“Shh…” he says before his head whips to the side, and he throws the knife just as I hear someone step out of the trees, hearing the leaves crunch under their feet.
I watch the knife in horror when I see Cyrus step out, a shriek leaving my lips when he claps his hands together, the knife stopping inches from his face.
“Poor form, Eli. Gotta be quicker than that,” Cyrus says, and I let out a breath as he twirls the knife between his fingers.
“Bloody idiot. Why didn’t you call out?” Eli tells him.
Cyrus smiles, walking over, and Eli lifts me onto the rock before reaching up and pulling himself out. I stand shaking when I realize we have no towels.
“Mmm, just how I like you. Dripping wet,” Cyrus says, wrapping his arms around me.
“You will get wet,” I tell him, pushing him away, but he doesn’t budge.
“When did you get back?” Eli asks him, pulling his shorts on.
“Twenty minutes ago. Your father said he saw you head out this way. Also, you need to scent her again. I could smell her scent pretty strongly,” Cyrus says, looking at me, concerned.
Eli uses his shirt to help me dry myself before I squeeze myself back into my jeans, which is hard because even drying them with his shirt, the denim sticks to my legs.
“I missed you,” Cyrus says, running his nose along my shoulder before kissing it.
“I missed you too,” I tell him before bending down and grabbing my shirt. I pull it on, and Cyrus grabs my bra, folding it up and putting it in his pocket along with my knickers.
“Cover her scent. I will take her,” Cyrus says, making me look at him.
“Precaution,” Cyrus says before looking at Eli, who is thinking.
I see Cyrus’s lips move, but my ears can’t pick up what he’s said.
Eli growls before pulling his pants off and handing them to me.
I roll them up when he suddenly shifts before shifting again and standing up.
I will never get used to that sound, I think to myself as a shiver runs over me.
Cyrus grabs me, wrapping my legs around him.
He starts running when he pushes my face into his neck, running faster until all I see is a wall of black on either side of me.
It doesn’t take long before we are back in the village.
Cyrus slows down, walking up the side of the stone house, and I see people setting up long tables.
Maverick is walking around, setting barrels alight.
I see women bring out baskets and plates of food and veggies.
Men are lighting bonfires around the tables, and I can smell some form of meat cooking when I see a spit roast cooking above a fire.
“Do I even want to know what animal that is?”
“It’s a wild boar,” Cyrus says, and I nod.
“Pack life is a little different. Dinners are always spent with the pack, so everyone eats together and talks.”
“Or fight,” Cyrus mutters.
“Yes, they do. It’s an easy way to settle differences,” Maverick says, coming over to us. “Did you have fun at the waterfall?” he asks, and Eli growls at him.
“I am simply asking a question to see how my daughter-in-law likes it, Eli. Until Friday, I can do as I please. It is still my pack. If you win, of course.”
“You and I both know who will die on Friday, old man. You should just step down,” Eli tells him.
“I don’t step down. I may be old, Eli, but I have lived a lot longer than you, fought more battles than you. I won’t go down,” Maverick tells him.
“We shall see,” Eli says, pulling me out of Cyrus’s arms.
Maverick sighs. “It doesn’t need to be like this, Eli,” Maverick calls after him.
Eli takes me back inside the stone cottage, Cyrus following us in.
“Your father is right, Eli. Drop the challenge, please.”
“No!” Eli growls at him before placing me on the bed. Looking around, there are three duffle bags in the room that weren’t there before.
“Eli, think about it. Addie isn’t going to want to live out here forever. You beat him, and the pack becomes your responsibility. And what, we spend the rest of our lives out here?” Cyrus asks him.
“He has the pack. I have no control over them. It will be temporary,” Eli tells him.
“Your father won’t step down. You will have to kill him, Eli. Then what? You just walk away from the pack when we are done with this Sam business?” Cyrus asks him.
“No, I give them the option to join Emery’s pack or kill them.”
“You have lost the plot, Eli,” Cyrus tells him, turning away from him and running his hands through his hair before he lets out a breath.
“I am here because you two thought this was a good idea, so we do it my way,” Eli snaps at him before stripping his clothes off.
I am wondering what he is doing when he suddenly shifts. I jump on the bed when he comes near me.
“No, Eli, please. You are being ridiculous,” I tell him when he grips my ankle, ripping my feet out from under me. I bounce on the bed, falling on my back.
“Addie, your scent is really strong. Just let him, please,” Cyrus says.
“But I want to shower. Can it wait, please?” I ask, pushing Eli’s furry head away.
He growls before shifting above me. I cringe, feeling the bed move, only to open my eyes to see him in his human form hovering above me.