Blood Red by Vivi Anna Page A

broken,” he said as he put his arm around her.
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    She shrugged him off. “I’ll heal.”
    “Let me help you.”
    “No!” She stepped away from him, turning her back.
    “I can not believe you still do not trust me.” Wolf stared at her, his eyes blazing. “I have risked everything for you, to help you see the way.”
    Red turned to him. Her eyes sad and weary. “I do trust you,” she said barely above a whisper. “But I hate every minute of it.”
    Wolf understood. He knew what she was risking in herself to trust him. She was going against all her instincts, all her training. She was bending her own nature to believe him. But he could see now, that she did indeed believe.
    He walked to her and helped her up onto a horse.
    “When they don’t return, he will send out more. We need to ride and fast.”
    “Can you ride?” He asked Rapunzel.
    She mounted a horse with ease. “With pleasure.”
    Wolf got on the same horse as Red. He nuzzled in behind her to keep her from falling.
    “Where do we ride?” Rapunzel asked.
    “To the Schwarzer Wald, the Black Forest. There we will find food and shelter. And the allies we’ll need to come back and fight.”
    Rapunzel kicked her horse and galloped down the trail. Wolf and Red were right behind her.
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Chapter Eleven
    They rode hard for two days, stopping only when the sun went down and the horses whinnied their complaints. They found rocked-in areas to make camp so that their fires were not seen.
    Wolf hunted for their meals, usually coming back with rabbit or various rodents. He would roast them on a stick over the fire. They ate in silence, all too ravenous to make polite conversation.
    Red’s ribs ached with every deed. Wolf had wrapped leather strips around her torso to stop any unnecessary movements. She just hoped she did not puncture anything before they reached their destination.
    On the second night, as she ripped stringy flesh from the roasted rabbit on a stick, Red watched and measured Rapunzel. The woman had possibly saved her life, but she felt no real gratitude toward her. Red did not trust her. Her motives for their rescue were selfish ones. She did it for some other purpose that alluded Red. She also didn’t trust the look that Rapunzel passed to Wolf.
    Red handed the rabbit to Rapunzel. She took it 108

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    gingerly, but tore at its flesh with little dignity. Red watched her intently.
    Rapunzel was acutely aware of her gaze.
    “Why?” Red asked simply.
    “Why what?”
    “You know what I am asking you. Do not play coy.”
    Wolf sat back on his haunches and poked at the fire. He was wondering when this would happen.
    Red had no patience. And he was innately curious of the answers himself.
    Rapunzel finished the rabbit. All that was left was the carcass. She tossed it carelessly into the fire.
    “I needed you. Both of you. To get out of the castle for one, and to fight.”
    “Fight what?”
    “The Brothers.” Wolf spoke softly.
    Rapunzel nodded. “Yes, the Brothers.”
    Red looked away from her gaze and into the fire.
    “Do not look away, Red. You know I speak the truth.”
    “Fine.” She shuffled her body looking over at Wolf.
    “I’ll accept that they exist, but what is this fight for, what are we fighting against?”
    “Against oblivion. Against the end of our world.”
    Red started to laugh. “Sounds menacing.”
    “You are wrong to mock this.”
    “Our world? You say it like we were the same. We are definitely not the same. What were you doing in the castle, my Lady?”
    “I was risking my life to learn as much as I could about them. About the people who worked for them.”
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    Rapunzel’s voice shook with anger.
    “Enjoying the fruits of their labor, I think, nothing more.” Red’s eyes blazed with challenge.
    Rapunzel stood, huffing. “I will not defend myself to you. You are so stubborn. I fail to see why you are so important.” She looked over at Wolf. “You talk to