Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [98]
“Where are they going?”
“Hmm?”
Beth gestured toward the two men entering the forest. “Chase and your dad, where are they going?”
“Oh. Just to check the woods around the property. Two of us have been going out every night. We’ll know if Markko or anyone else enters our property. It’s just a precaution. Something we do routinely, anyway. You don’t need to worry about it,” he said, toying with a strand of her hair.
Beth sighed and balled her fists. “I wish I knew what he was waiting for.”
“Would it really help? Or would it just make you worry more as time began to slip by faster and faster?”
“I don’t like not knowing. I can’t be prepared for what I don’t expect.”
“Chase and I have been discussing it.”
“And?”
“There’s a full moon coming up.” Braden paused, but what he was waiting for, Beth couldn’t tell. “It’s the second full moon this month.”
“Oh.” Oh. It suddenly made sense. The last time she and Markko had encountered each other had been during the last blue moon. “He’d like the symmetry.”
“Feel better?” Braden asked.
“Not really,” Beth admitted. “But I don’t feel any worse, either.” She stretched her legs and took one last look at the forest not a hundred yards from the house.
Is that where it will end, one way or another?
“I think I’m going to head up to bed.” She rose from the swing and turned toward the door.
“You’re upset.” He caught her hand as she passed him. “What can I do?”
Beth turned, caught Braden’s gaze and squeezed his fingers. “Nothing. Not right now.” She watched fascinated as his eyes dilated and his fingers flexed in her own. He released her hand and leaned back into the swing.
“Whatever you need. Whatever you want, I’m here,” he said as he pushed himself up and went inside.
It took everything she had not follow him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Time took on a surreal quality. One moment, Beth would find herself drawn into the day-to-day of the Edwards household—laughing with Lucy, working with Chase, easing back into a better place with Braden. They fit her effortlessly into their unit, as though she’d always been there. But then, in the next moment, something would remind her that Markko was still out there. A noise would wake her in the middle of the night, or a shadow would move along the edge of the woods and her heart rate would triple and sweat would break out along her forehead and spine. The feeling of being hunted never left her and it was growing daily.
Beth snuggled back into the comforter, trying to regain the sensation of a quiet, lazy morning. She was just drifting off when the door creaked on its hinges. Light from the hallway spilled in and Braden stepped inside.
“You awake?” He whispered.
“What time is it?”
“Early, not yet five.”
“Then, no. No, I’m not.”
Braden walked into the room and switched on the bedside lamp. “Come on. You’ve got just enough time to brush your teeth.”
“What are you talking about? Where are we going?” Beth sat up and pushed her hair away from her face.
“We’re going out. On a hunt. We can shift up here instead of outside if you’d like. I’ll leave the bedroom door open,” he promised with a grin.
“Yeah, here’s good,” Beth answered uncertainly. “Um, what exactly are we hunting?”
“Deer, probably.” Braden caught her hand in his and dragged her out of bed. “Relax. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy the run.”
Though she didn’t want to, Beth allowed herself to be pulled into the bathroom. She couldn’t imagine why Braden sounded so excited. Did predatory instincts grow the longer a person spent as a wolf? Would she slowly become more primal, more violent? Would she even notice?
“Hey.” Braden caught her gaze in the mirror as she rinsed her toothbrush. “You’re worrying too much. I know you don’t believe me right now, but you will enjoy this. It’s another way to integrate with your wolf. You’ll gain new insights on the instincts that drive it, the things that excite it.”
“I don’t want to hunt something down and kill it just because the wolf thinks it’s fun.”
Braden blocked her as she tried to push past