25. I am trapped
You bit me first.
"I..."
Well, I actually have no idea what to say to this. None. My cheeks feel warm and I can't seem to look him in the eye.
"I... what?" I stare up at him, my brain completely blank. He's still watching me, not moving, not even blinking. The air between us feels different, charged, and I can't seem to look away—
Then something makes him freeze.
His head snaps toward the trees. "Communicator, you don't want me to fight, right?"
The shift is so abrupt it takes me a moment to process what he's asking. When he looks back at me, I manage a nod, still confused how quickly he can switch from... whatever that was... to this.
"So I'd recommend leaving right now, because those stupid humans are actually going to enter the forest." He shakes his head.
I look around but I still can't hear anyone. Damn, I wish I had wolf hearing. That would make life easier.
"What about the pack?" I ask. What if the humans actually find them or hurt them or... I pause, blinking.
When did I start saying "the humans"?
"They'll never find them." He sounds confident.
"This way." He says and tugs my hand that he's still holding. I try to keep up but his strides are too long. I tug on his hand, and for a second I think he might ignore me, but then he actually slows down.
We move through the trees parallel to the road, staying hidden in the forest but close enough to see what's happening on the street.
Sometimes a military car passes us, other times we can see humans patrolling the street.
At one point they enter the forest, but they don't see us.
He navigates us around them effortlessly, his hearing picking up every sound they make, every direction they turn.
Meanwhile, I'm just trying not to step on anything loud.
He slows his pace and at some point we just stand there for a moment, his body tense, listening. Then he turns and walks directly toward the street, his hand tightening around mine.
"Wait," I whisper, but he shakes his head and puts one finger to his mouth, signaling me to keep quiet.
We cross the street at a normal pace. My eyes dart everywhere, scanning for any sign of movement, but the street looks completely empty.
When we make it to the other side, he gently draws me behind a tree again, and not a second later I can hear engines rumbling and several cars passing us. I take a deep breath.
"Relax," he says to me, looking into the forest again.
"Oh sure, because being hunted by the military is super relaxing," I mutter, trying to steady my breathing.
His mouth twitches. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
"Barely counts when my heart's trying to escape through my throat."
I slip my hand from his grip and try to wipe my palms on my pants.
"Breathe," he says quietly, watching me.I try. My chest is tight and my hands won't stop shaking. I focus on pulling air in slowly, letting it out. Again. Again.When I finally manage a normal breath, pain shoots through my head. Sharp enough to make me wince.
He notices immediately. Makes a low sound, disapproval maybe, or concern, then takes out the pills from earlier. He shakes two into his palm and brings them to my lips.
"Open."
I part my lips and he places them on my tongue.
"Swallow."
I do, dry. It's not pleasant but I manage. His thumb brushes my jaw briefly before he pulls his hand back.
"There's a hidden place underground where we can rest for a moment," he says finally. It's getting dark now, and I can feel my eyes trying to adjust to the shadowy forest.
We walk in silence for several minutes. What little light filtered through the trees is gone now. The darkness seems to swallow everything around us. I trip over a root I didn't see coming, and he catches my elbow before I can fall.
He pauses for a second, then continues walking, staying closer to me this time.
"Here," he says quietly, stopping beside what looks like just another section of forest floor covered in leaves.
But when he brushes away the natural camouflage, I can see the outline of a hidden entrance built into the ground. The opening is just big enough for us to slip through, leading down into darkness.
I stare at the hole. "You want me to crawl into a dark underground space. With you."
"Unless you'd prefer to wait for the military."
"It looks like a grave," I say, taking a step back.
"It's not." He drops down first, disappearing into the blackness. His voice echoes up. "Three feet down. Stone floor."
I crouch at the edge, my hands gripping the dirt. The opening smells like wet earth and something else—something animal. My chest tightens.
"Communicator." His voice is patient but firm. "Now." I hear voices in the distance, getting closer. Shit. I lower myself down, my feet searching for solid ground.
His hands find my waist, guiding me down the last bit. The entrance seals above us, and suddenly it's pitch black. Completely, utterly black.
My breathing sounds too loud in the confined space. I reach out blindly and my hand hits rough stone wall. The ceiling is low—I can feel it just inches above my head.
Something moves in the darkness. A scraping sound.
I scramble backward until my spine hits the wall, my heart hammering. "What was that?"
He doesn't answer immediately. I hear him shift his weight, then feel him move closer, his back pressing me further against the stone.
The space is small. Too small. The walls feel like they're closing in. Another sound—like breathing that isn't mine or his.
His body tenses against mine. My fingers find his arm in the darkness, gripping tight.
I am trapped.Trapped between whatever's down here and the patrol up there.