Chapter Eight
They walked through the forest for hours. Atticus kept them at a grueling pace. He didn’t like to force Celine to walk like that, but the best thing they could do was continue to put distance between them and the Glycons.
His own ribs still hurt, though the pain had lessened since the previous night, so he doubted they were broken. That was at least a small comfort in case he needed to fight Thrax again.
If battle hadn’t been a worry, he would have been more than happy to carry her, but he needed to ensure he was ready to engage the enemy at a moment’s notice with the maximum strength available to him. He’d strained himself somewhat carrying her the night before.
Atticus accepted he’d gotten lucky against Thrax at the compound, and out in the forest, there were no walls to pull pieces from to use against the Glycon.
Every now and again, they would stop for a few moments to rest, but he knew it wasn't far enough. They needed to move farther into the protection of the wilderness.
At this point, all he could do was hope that Rem and the rest of the men were searching for them. It was really their only chance of making it out alive.
Maybe it was dumb to tell Celine to run from the compound. He wasn’t sure. The way Thrax had reacted to her scent the other night, he didn’t want to take any chances. He stood by that decision. Whatever his future was with Celine, he still felt compelled to protect her.
With each step, Atticus cursed his lack of phone. He had been so preoccupied with Celine when the Glycons showed up his phone had ended up a casualty. Still, Atticus had faith in his people. They would find them.
Whatever his own feelings, Rem, Magnus, and Quintus weren’t the kind of men who would leave him to the enemy. He didn’t always like Rem’s attitude or tendency to keep information to himself, but he couldn’t deny the man had suffered to help free them. He’d earned his right to be leader with his own blood.
Atticus and Celine reached a stream, and he was grateful for the bit of luck. They spent a few moments drinking the cold, clear water. It felt good to quench their thirst after so much walking.
He watched Celine as they sat near the creak, drinking. She hadn’t complained once the whole day. He knew he was pushing them hard, and Celine had met him with very little argument. She hadn’t even pressed him on asking for more information.
Celine deserved to know what the hell was going on. He wanted to tell her. He just wasn’t ready yet. Waiting until they were safe seemed like the best plan for the moment.
Atticus wondered what was going on in her head. What she must think of everything. Even if she’d seen hybrids on television, no one in the public knew about Glycons, let alone monstrous super-Glycons. A small amount of worry creeped into his thoughts.
Maybe Celine was in shock. None of this was something she was used to. Not to mention all the stuff before. After all, when she had seen him, she had fainted. That might explain why she wasn’t pressing him and asking more questions.
And then there was the kiss earlier.
Atticus couldn’t really say what had come over him. He knew it was a bad idea. The fact that a Glycon might be chasing them now proved why the best thing for Celine was to stay well away from him.
That didn’t change what happened with the kiss. Atticus had woken up, and she was touching him. A low hum rumbled through his body, along with a burning need he’d never had before. It was far stronger than the normal Vestal pull. It was like the only thing he could do was kiss her.
Celine didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he had been surprised with her response. It wasn’t until she moaned that he even realized just how far they were going and how dangerous that was. Even setting aside how bad of an idea it was for her to be with him, the last thing they needed to do was distract each other when they were being hunted.
Atticus cleared his throat. “We’ll walk through the water,” he said softly.
Celine lifted another palmful into her mouth before looking over to him. She glanced at his boots and then to her own small shoes. It was clear, one of them had an advantage in this.
“Umm…” She began.
He ran a hand through his hair and stood. “I’ll carry you.” A little bit shouldn’t be too much of a problem. At least he hoped it wouldn’t be.
Celine opened her mouth to protest but stopped when he held out a hand.
“Just let me help.”
A small blush spread over her cheeks as she nodded.
With ease, he lifted her onto his back, making sure her legs were wrapped snuggly around him.
“We need the enemy to lose our scent,” he said, and turned. “The water will help with that.”
Celine nodded against his shoulder as they splashed into the water.
They returned to walking in silence. It was something he actually appreciated. She didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. It was important that he be able to hear anything that was around them. He had to make sure to protect her.
Atticus kept a swift pace but didn’t run. Heavy footfalls in the water could draw the Glycons as easily as his scent.
Having Celine next to him didn’t help him to ignore her sweet floral scent. He tried his best to ignore it for the moment and concentrate on listening and smelling for other threats around him.
Eventually Atticus slowed. His legs burned with fatigue, and he was sure Celine was feeling the same. He stepped out of the water and slowly slid her off his back.
Celine stared at him with sleepy eyes. The final light of the day was sweeping across the land. They didn’t have long before it was dark once again, a time when Thrax and his people had their greatest advantage.
Atticus was relieved when a small opening to a cave appeared on the other side of a hill near the water. The area was littered with small lava caves, and he was glad to have found one that didn’t appear to have animal occupants, especially since it smelled like rain in the distance.
He nodded at the dark space inside. "Go ahead and have a seat, and I'll get a fire started.”
Atticus didn't wait for her to comply. Instead, the hybrid moved right into the task of collecting enough wood to get them through the night. There were enough holes in the cave they could have a small fire without risk. They would need it to keep out the chill if rain came.
Atticus might be able to get through anything, but Celine was human.
He brought in the first armfull of wood and set it down. He was surprised when he found she'd made a sort of fire pit out of stones from the neighboring stream.
"Is it safe to start a fire?" she asked quietly. “What if it draws one of those things?”
Atticus knelt down to where she was and started stacking the wood into the makeshift fire pit. "Many of the people in these parts have fireplaces," he said as he worked. "The advantage is that that we might be able to trick their senses just a bit. Their noses are very sensitive, and the smoke will help hide how sweet you smell."
Celine leaned forward. “I smell sweet?’
Atticus turned away from her, afraid to even look at the woman. “You smell like the most amazing thing on the planet. Resisting you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
He turned to look at her, and for the first time, he realized how badly damaged one side of her glasses were. One of the lenses had broken last night, and the frames had hit her nose, creating a bruise at the bridge.
He had been so focused on her leg and exhausted from the fight that it hadn't even occurred to him she might be hurt elsewhere.
"I need your glasses to start the fire." Atticus held out his hand.
Celine nodded and pulled the glasses from her face. For a moment, Atticus found himself captivated by just how beautiful she was.
He shook himself and took the glasses from her hand. He angled them so the sunlight was filtered through them, creating a hot beam against the leaves.
First, they smoked as a spark arose. Finally, the leaves burst into flames.
Atticus blew on the smoldering leaves as the wood caught fire and smiled when the flames crackled around the fire pit. He turned and was surprised to find Celine’s face so close to his own.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile," she said, and gave a soft laugh. "Figures it would happen when I don't have my glasses on."
Atticus could feel the heat as it rose on his face and wasn't so certain that it was the flames in front of him.
He stood and stepped toward the opening of the cave. He needed to get out of there before he again let his urges take control. It would be the best thing for both of them.
"We don't have much light left,” Atticus said. “I should get the rest of the wood before it starts to rain." He hurried quickly outside the cave where he was met by the cooling night air.
He wanted her. Badly. Even with everything that was going on, he still wanted her. A furious ache burned deep within his soul, pushing him to be with her. It wasn’t actually something that was easy to ignore.
Something rustled in the leaves nearby. He raised his arms as his keen eyes sought out whatever it was.
A white fluffy tail popped up from the brush. Not an enemy. Dinner.