Hunting Faith (The Hunting Series Book 1) Page 10

  When my shoulders slump he takes it as my defeat and wraps his arms around me once more. I don’t trust myself to speak without crying, so I just shake my head “no” again, but he repeats it, trying to drive the words home. “I’m helping you, Faith.”

  “That’s just because you’re stupid,” I reply, half laughing, half sobbing. I can’t hold back the tears in my eyes any longer. They streak down my cheeks as I try to blink them away, and Rylan chuckles along with me.

  “Well, my sisters would certainly agree with that,” he tells me, resting his chin on the top of my head.

  With great care and comfort, he strokes my back. There’s no urgency in this moment. His gentle touch isn’t trying to rush me back to our journey or bring an end to our intimacy. So I allow myself to indulge in his support. Hugging him right back, I press my cheek to his warm chest. His scent is as spicy as it is sweet and something about it makes the tension in my shoulders dissipate. We stay that way for a long while…probably too long considering hunters lurk these woods and, after a time, something about our touches seem like more than just comfort. There is an electric charge to them that makes my heart beat a little faster.

  It’s Rylan who breaks the silence. “Do all humans smell the way you do?” he asks me.

  “What—?”

  “You smell delicious,” he says quietly, nosing at my hair. My breath hitches and I look up at him, expecting to be pulled into a heated kiss.

  “We should go,” he says, even though my heart is racing now as I fight the urge to lose myself in his embrace. My expression must show my surprise.

  He sighs. “I did not intend to make you feel uncomfortable,” he tells me apologetically. If only he knew what I was really thinking… But I nod and pull away. Maybe I misread things. Maybe he’s playing the big brother right now, trying to comfort me and I’m making it into something more in my head. I start to turn back toward our path and bite the inside of my cheek to keep any more stupid tears at bay. Do I really need to remind myself that I came into this guy’s life like a whirlwind of destruction? Obviously he wasn’t coming on to me just now. Obviously.

  I scarcely take a step when Rylan grabs me again. This time his touch is hard and he throws me backwards. I lose my footing and stumble before falling on my ass inside the hollowed tree once more. Before I even have the chance to hiss out an expression of the pain shooting across my backside I hear Rylan’s voice calling out a greeting. I slap my hands over my mouth and scramble as deep as I can into the shadows of my hiding place.

  Chapter 17

  Rylan

  “Kalmut Ruo!” I call out with a raised hand. The aging Makaan startles and scrambles for his gun before he realizes it is me and calms himself.

  “Ayo! We have another hunter ahead,” he says to his two companions, a couple of runt clones who carry most of Kalmut Ruo’s gear.

  “Grazie! How is the hunt treating you?” Kalmut Ruo wheezes as we near one another.

  “Good. Good. It is a beautiful planet, I’m enjoying taking my time and exploring a bit,” I tell him casually. “And you?” My question causes the male’s wheeze to transform into laughter.

  “I will tell you all about it, my friend! The day is wearing thin. Let’s get a fire going and set camp for the night, what do you say?” he offers.

  I eye the surroundings, worrying over Faith, but she is tucked safely inside the tree. What better place is there to hide her than right under the nose of this deficient hunter? Besides, if I part ways with Kalmut Ruo, Faith and I run the risk of accidentally crossing paths with him again before the day is through. It is better to keep our enemies close for now. “Sounds good,” I answer. “What can I do to help?”

  “Nonsense, nothing at all. The clones will take care of everything. Take a rest, Grazie, you look like you need it,” he laughs, plopping down on a fallen limb and stretching out his fat legs to massage his bare feet. The legs of the Makaan are like the trunks of trees, only they are covered with thick, leathery flesh. For this reason they do not wear boots, as their flesh can take nearly anything the rough terrain can throw at them. I watch him work at his tough calluses with a grimace.

  “Any sight of your prey yet?” he asks, and I consider what I should share.

  “Once. We had a little scuffle which ended with her hitting me with a tree limb.” I point to the scrape at my temple. “I’ve been tracking her ever since, but like I said, I’m in no rush. How are your clones at tracking?” I ask, wondering if they might be able to detect Faith in the tree.

  “Oh, them?” he scoffs. “Those clones are so damned watered down it amazes me they can even walk in a straight line. Good sense of humor on them though,” Kalmut Ruo laughs appreciatively.

  “And where is your wife?”

  “She has no taste for all this.” He gestures to the wilderness all around us with a frown. “She’ll take a shuttle down once I have something good for her. You know how females are, terrible at roughing it,” he tells me knowingly as the clones build his fire and set up his tents. I smile and nod, thinking of Faith bringing me my breakfast this morning.

  Before long the sun has set and the fire is crackling. Guilt pangs in my chest as the fire warms me and I think of Faith tucked in the tree nearby without even my body to curl against to protect her from the chill in the air.

  The clones silently prepare a meal as Kalmut Ruo and I talk. I pay little attention to the Makaan. My gaze is fixed on the extravagant food instead. There is fresh fruit being sliced and bread to go with a meaty stew.

  “Did Visakha give you the meat for that stew?” I ask. I have to be sure.

  “What’s that? Oh no, no. I never had a taste for that sort of thing. Too gamey for me,” he says, and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

  “Have you come across your prey?” I ask as the clones hand me a portion of the food. They’ve made more than we could possibly eat tonight and my mind goes to the poor human we saw earlier who stalks this forest alone.

  “Not yet,” Kalmut Ruo says with a giddy laugh. He leans forward on his tree limb and his eyes are lit with excitement. “But I did come across another,” he confides.

  “Oh?” I ask as casually as I can as my heart races in my chest. Though I try to give off the appearance of calm, I am constantly assessing the danger around us. The clones find seats away from the fire, their backs to Faith’s hiding place, and I have to hide my displeasure when I see them quietly eating simple carb rations. Those are even less nutritious than the protein rations Faith and I have been sharing. I look back over to the oversized pot of stew and fresh fruit, loathing this wastefulness when so many are sure to go hungry this night.

  “And let me tell you, Grazie, I did something naughty!” His chuckle makes my skin crawl.

  “Did you now?” I force a smile onto my face and give the Makaan my full attention.

  “I came across someone else’s prey.” His words are rushed, it is as if he can hardly contain his thrill. “I did something I have never done before in all my years of The Hunt.” Kalmut Ruo pauses to look over his shoulder before he leans in closer. “Visakha had me thinking when he teased that eager hunter back in the dome. He threatened to get to his prey first, do you remember?”

  I nod, hoping my expression does not reflect my emotions.

  “Well, I found someone else’s prey in the woods,” he says.

  “And what did you do?” I ask, having to clear my throat just to get the words out.

  “I killed it!” he shouts, nearly doubling over with laughter, forgetting that a moment ago he was trying to be quiet. I force a smile onto my face.

  “Well done, Kalmut Ruo.” I feign congratulations. “What type of prey was it?” I ask over his peals of laughter.

  Kalmut Ruo swipes at the tears in the corners of his eyes as his mirth subsides. “Do not worry, my friend,” he says, brushing away my concern. “It was not your kill. It was some ugly thing with scales and feathers. Not even my insatiable wife would have wanted a go at it. But I mu
st say, it was quite thrilling to steal an extra kill from the game. Very naughty indeed. As a matter of fact, I can’t promise I won’t do it again.”

  I grit my teeth at his words and try to keep my hands from shaking. I have my Faith to worry over and protect, but the knowledge that these monsters are murdering people goes against everything I believe in. I don’t want to stand by and do nothing, but I am not willing to sacrifice Faith either. I must get her to safety before I think of anyone else.

  “Ugly as it was, it still got me hard hearing it beg for its life though,” Kalmut Ruo says, breaking into his hideous laughter again. My talons shatter the bowl in my hands.

  “Ayo, careful there, Grazie,” he snorts, and I look up at him, but my gaze travels a few feet beyond and my heart nearly stops dead in my chest. Faith is out of her hiding place and quickly approaching the fire. I jump to my feet and chaos follows.

  The clones and Kalmut Ruo turn and see her, but she is too quick for them. She raises the charger I gave her and lets loose a round into each of the clones before turning the weapon on Kalmut Ruo. He falls backward onto the ground and fumbles at the gun on his hip. She shoots his hands and he screams out as the skin sizzles and smokes.

  I’m frozen in my place and Kalmut Ruo is lying there on his back as Faith stands over him, her gun pointed at the hunter’s head.

  “Beg,” she says, her voice like steel and ice.

  “Grazie! Grazie, help me!” the trembling Makaan calls out to me.

  “Don’t beg him. Beg me,” she commands.

  “Please! Please don’t shoot. I can get you off this planet. I can give you creds. More credits than you could ever dream of!” he hurries to say.

  “Hm.” She frowns. “Sorry, not making me hard.” Then she fires and Kalmut Ruo shakes with the force of the blast before falling limp and silent to the ground.

  I swipe my hand over my mouth and take a deep breath before I go to her side. “Are you alright?” I ask quietly, searching her face. She’s staring down at Kalmut Ruo and the charger blast that seared across his face. Like his hand, it sizzles and smokes. Faith doesn’t respond and I have to gently help her lower the weapon.

  Then, it’s like she snaps out of whatever trance she is in and absently passes the charger to me before heading over to the stew pot and serving herself a bowl. Covertly, I look down at the weapon to see if she adjusted the settings. She did, but still it wasn’t set to kill. She only maxed out the stun setting, hence the burns on Kalmut Ruo and his clones.

  “Get rid of their weapons,” Faith tells me. “I’ll be done in a sec.” She sits down in Kalmut Ruo’s seat and continues to watch him as she eats her stew. I proceed as I did before, taking all their guns and hiding them high in the branches of a nearby tree. Even as I climb I keep my eyes locked onto the figures around the campfire and I ready myself to jump down in case anyone should happen to awaken.

  My task doesn’t take more than five minutes, and when I get back to the ground I see that Faith has already finished her meal and has cleaned out Kalmut Ruo’s provisions, having filled our bags with a fresh supply of rations and fruit.

  Wordlessly we slink from Kalmut Ruo’s campsite and disappear into the dark forest.

  Chapter 18

  Faith

  We walk hastily in silence for a long while, trying to create distance between us and the scumbags I shot back there. Judging from the moon, it is past our typical resting time and my body is feeling the strain of the day.

  “You should not have done that,” Rylan says after a couple hours of hiking through the dark.

  I scoff and keep moving forward.

  “They might think we collude now. We could both be targets.”

  “Doesn’t feel so good to be hunted, does it?” I retort, shooting him an accusing glance.

  He grabs me by the arm and stops me. “You know I would have never participated in this had I known what the prey might be. Don’t you put me in league with them, not after all it will cost me and my family to get you off this planet. My goal is to keep you safe, Faith. If you and I are both targets I will have a harder time doing that. Besides, it was dangerous.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” I say, yanking away from his grip and continuing to press onward. “But it needed to be done. He’s a murderer, for God’s sake.”

  “He’s worse than that and he deserved worse than what you gave him,” Rylan tells me, and I’m a little shocked he sees things from my perspective. I try not to think about it too hard, but he stops me again. “I would never let them hurt you. If it came to it, I would protect you with my dying breath.”

  I look into his eyes, glowing yellow-green in the dark. They’re filled with sincerity and I give him a nod, not trusting myself to speak. He takes my hand and takes the lead, pointing us toward a rocky hill. I can’t see much in the darkness, but maybe Rylan can because he finds a small dark cave in the side of the hill.

  “Wait here,” he says, before making sure the interior of the cave is safe. Only a few seconds pass before he extends his hand to me once more, pulling me inside the confines of the cave.

  It’s completely pitch black. “I can’t see a thing,” I whisper.

  “Just a moment,” Rylan says. The nearness of his voice startles me. I hear him clearing a space for us and I sense him sitting down. “Okay, come here.”

  I reach my hands out for him but trip over his boot. He catches me as I land inelegantly on his lap with an “oof.”

  “Oh! Sorry!” I’m apologizing, but he’s just laughing, so I reposition myself next to him, letting a smile form on my lips. I’m happy when he keeps his arms locked around me, just like he did last night.

  “Comfortable?” he asks.

  “Yeah. Are you?”

  He grunts softly in response.

  “First watch,” he says after a few minutes. I don’t respond, so he whispers quietly, “Are you already asleep?”

  “Yes,” I tell him with a smile and his chest rumbles with a soft chuckle.

  “Are you alright?” he asks me once his laugh dies away.

  “I promise, I’m as comfortable as a girl can be in a dark cave in the forest,” I assure him.

  “That’s not what I meant,” he tells me gently. I frown and picture that awful hunter lying unconscious at my feet. Or maybe I’m not really picturing him. Maybe I’m picturing Jesek Lahan.

  “I’m fine,” I say, feeling sort of dazed.

  “Why did you do it? Shoot Kalmut Ruo, I mean.”

  “He made me mad,” I whisper, giving him the most honest answer I have.

  “Me too,” he confides.

  “I should have killed him, Rylan. Like this he still has the opportunity to do more damage.”

  “You aren’t entirely wrong,” he tells me, sounding weary. Seconds tick past, then Rylan poses a new question. “What does it matter to you?”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” I say, confused by his question.

  “I thought you don’t help people anymore. Why even bother with Kalmut Ruo in the first place?”

  “Call it a lapse in judgment. I wasn’t actively trying to help anyone. Like I said before, he just made me mad is all,” I say, feeling a little defensive. “I’m sorry if it messes things up even worse for you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me, Faith,” he assures me, but I can’t let it go.

  “Just so you know, I’ll pay you back, Rylan. I’ll find some way to repay you for the ship and…and for the sacrifice you and your family are making by helping me.”

  “There is nothing to repay.”

  “Of course there is. Please don’t try and excuse away all I’ve done to hurt you just because you feel sorry for me,” I beg.

  “I don’t feel sorry for you,” he promises.

  “Yeah, well, you should,” I joke. “I’ve been through hell.”

  He chuckles and leans his head against mine. “Before Kalmut Ruo and his clones showed up…you shared with me.”

  “Yeah,”
I agree, feeling tense.

  “After seeing you shoot him…I have questions.”

  The hair on my arms stands on end as a chill roams over my body. I’m not sure that I’m ready to answer questions.

  “The one who tried to own you—”

  “Jesek Lahan,” I supply.

  “Jesek Lahan. How long were you with him?” he asks, and I notice him trying to avoid using words like “own” and “slave.”

  “Ten days. I was his slave for ten days.”

  “Did it affect you?”

  “Is that a joke?” I ask. “I mean look at me. It’s been over a year and it still wears on me every single day. Sometimes I feel like it defined me. “

  “What about the 17 women that Jesek Lahan owned? You said some had been with him for many years?”

  “Yeah, five years. Some were there ten. One had been there her whole life,” I confirm.

  “Hm. And ten days were hard.”

  “It was hell.”

  “I wonder what ten years would be like?” he asks carefully. I can tell he’s trying not to upset me. Still, I don’t respond.

  “All I am trying to suggest is that you don’t blame them for their fear, that you don’t take your anger out on others who might need your help. If you ask me, you didn’t shoot Kalmut Ruo tonight out of anger alone. I think you did it to protect others.”

  “I can’t do much protecting when my gun is set to stun,” I point out.

  “Regardless, don’t turn your back on who you are.”

  “And who am I?”

  Rylan yawns. “A protector. A survivor. A hero.”

  “You realize you’re talking to the girl who stole your ship, right?” I joke.

  “I know exactly who you are, Faith. That is something no one can take from you. What is in your heart cannot be changed, no matter what you have been through.”

  I swallow a knot in my throat.

  “One day, I’ll make it all up to you, Rylan.”

  “Do not concern yourself over it. Leave the past where it belongs.”