Page 16 of Hunting for her Heart
Is he going to eat them?
All I can do is watch with fear as he slowly tilts his head up toward me, his eyes finding mine instantly, as if he knew exactly where I was. I gasp, dropping down to the ground with the need to hide myself, even if it is pointless.
I hold my breath, my hands pressing to the walls on either side of me as I stare up at my peephole. What is he going to do?
It’s so silent that for a second I can almost imagine he’s left, but then I hear the soft sound of his footsteps crunching in the leaves. I wait with bated breath until something moves at the edge of my peephole. I suck in a sharp breath and wait, but nothing else happens.
His footsteps seem louder now as he moves away. I hear what sounds like something being dragged and realize it’s the bodies. Is he going to roast those men on a fire and eat them right outside this tree? I’m not sure I’d be able to stomach the smell of cooked flesh without vomiting. And what if he decides to eat me as dessert?
After ten minutes or so, the noises stop completely, and only the sound of birds chirping reaches my ears. Curiosity pulls at me, so I slowly stand, wanting to see what he did to my peephole. When my eyes catch on a yellow flower, I freeze, confusionfilling me.
Gingerly, I reach out and take the lone flower he’s set across the bottom edge of the hole. I bring it to my nose, and the floral scent instantly relaxes me, just a fraction.
Certainly, if someone was planning to eat me, they wouldn’t give me a flower, right? Nobody had even given me one before, not even Paul, whom I was supposed to marry.
I glance out the hole and see no sign of the man or the bodies. He must have removed them. Unsure what else to do since it’s still night, I sink back down and pull the water canteen into my lap. I twirl the flower in front of my face as I stare at it, considering all the possible reasons he may have left it there for me.
The most pressing question I have, strangely, is what the man’s name is. Somehow, referring to him asthe cannibaldoesn’t seem fitting anymore. I close my eyes and try to guess his name as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter Seven
Willow
The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is that the sun is out, so it must be daytime. The second thing is the pressing need to pee. I yawn as I look around, making sure nothing has changed. I’m still clutching my now crumpled flower and the water canteen.
Glancing up, I freeze, seeing that more flowers have replaced the first one. I loop the canteen strap over my head as I stand. There is another yellow flower waiting for me, this time it’s accompanied by a pink and a blue one. Sitting on top of them is a small bundle I recognize.
My stomach rumbles and I grab it, pulling it inside my hiding space quickly. I pull the bow and it opens, revealing the same nuts and berries as before. This time, I don’t hesitate to start shoving them in my mouth, eating them as fast as I can. It feels good to eat again.
When I finish, I drop the leaf and gently pick up the flowers as I inspect them. They all have a slightly different scent, but are beautiful. I feel around my dress for somewhere to put them, but I don’t have any pockets. Sighing, Ishove them down the front of my dress for safekeeping before I reach up, my hands seeking purchase to climb out.
It takes me about five seconds to realize I’m in trouble. The closest edge is at least a foot out of range. I try to jump up to grab it, but with it being such a tight space, I can’t bend my knees to get enough height.
“No,” I whisper in panic, as I try to jump again.
Rustling in the tree above has me freezing, my palms pressing to the sides as my eyes widen in fear. That sounds too big to be a squirrel.
I shriek in surprise when a head pops into view above me. Blond braids line his head, and even through his beard, I can see his gentle smile. His blue eyes feel as if they are looking right into my soul as he whispers, “Hello there, little one.”
My heart hammers rapidly in my chest as he reaches a hand down toward me. “Would you give me the honor of helping you out of there?” I lick my lips as I look at his hand above my head.His very large hand.
This man is one of the cannibals. I remember him from when I first tried to run, before the hunt started. But looking up into those piercing blue eyes, I feel no maliciousness, no deception, or hatred. I do see some sort of desire there, I just don’t think it’s hunger.
And somehow, even though I was warned to stay away, something inside me tells me he’s safe.
My bladder chooses that moment to remind me that I can’t stay put much longer. Looking up at him, my cheeks heat as I whisper, “I need to pee.”
His eyes soften and his smile grows a little as he wiggles his fingers at me. “Okay. Let me help you out of there so youcan take care of that.”
His voice is deep and rough, and strangely enough, it makes me eager to believe him.
I bite my lip, feeling nervous as I reach up and grab his hand. I gasp when his rough skin touches mine, and it feels like a small electric shock goes through my body. His eyes grow wide, telling me he felt it too. Oddly, it makes me squeeze his hand tighter instead of letting go.
He starts to pull me up, and pain shoots down my arm, making me hiss. He quickly sets me back down and lets go of my hand, as a look of concern covers his face. “Shit, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
I rub my shoulder where the pain came from and nod. It felt like he was going to pull it from its socket. He looks behind him and yells, “Hawk, grab my feet. I need to use both arms to pull her up.”
Hawk must be one of the other cannibal Vikings. I really hope he isn’t helping me out of here just so he can eat me. I doubt I’d have much meat on me anyway, since my father had basically starved me.
