Page 47 of Ember Rising

I look to my left, to my right, then turn to survey everything I can see behind me. Being out in the open like this makes me feel too exposed.

The only movement comes from the tips of weeds shifting slightly in the breeze. But I know we’re not alone here, and I don’t like it.

Evander backtracks, a pistol in his right hand. When he reaches me, he murmurs, “You hear something?”

If we’re being followed by the people I suspect, I can’t figure out why they aren’t just having a sniper take me out. Unless they want to question me. But if they did, they’d come take me by force.

“Something’s not right,” I say again.

He scans the horizon in all directions. “I don’t see anything. Let’s keep going.”

When he starts to walk away and checks to see if I’m following, annoyance flickers over his face when he sees I’m not moving.

“We have to go,” he says.

“No.”

He turns to face me, sighing softly. I don’t miss the way his finger slides into position on the barrel of his gun, closer to the trigger but not touching it.

“Why not?” he asks, exasperated.

“I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t bullshit me. You don’t trust me, so you keep me in the dark. What have you been worried about for the past few days?”

“Our water situation.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He shrugs. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Where are you really taking me?”

He squints at me, confused. “You know where we’re going.”

“I don’t think I do. We’re supposed to be working together, but this is more like a captor-captive relationship.”

He scoffs. “In what way do I treat you like my captive?”

“You make sure I can’t see your maps. You only give me details if you have to. You don’t let me get more than fifty feet away from you.”

“It’s my SEAL training. I’m not deliberately hiding anything from you.”

He’s worn down. When he takes his boots and socks off on our stops, he can’t fully suppress his groans of pain. His feet are raw with blisters that have burst. We have our nutrition bars, but it’s not enough for a man of his size burning the number of calories he is. He’s too proud to admit he needs to stop until he’s stumbling from exhaustion.

I slide my pack from my back and set it on the ground, sitting down beside it.

“Jessica.” He grinds my alias out, aggravated.

“I’m not moving until you stop bullshitting me. I’ve been led around by men who think they’re smarter than me before, and I’m not doing it ever again.”

He averts his eyes, looking at the horizon, and I use the opportunity to openly stare at him.

His body is spectacular. Climbable. He’s got at least nine inches of height on me, and he’s all dark, smooth skin over lean, powerful muscles. I look at him when he’s peacefully asleep, wishing I could snuggle against his chest and feel his arm around me.

I guess I’m just that desperately lonely. I never fantasized about the men on the island.