Blood Red by Vivi Anna Page B

her; she obviously won’t listen to me. I am done trying.”
    Rapunzel turned her back and stomped off into the night.
    Wolf watched her go, then turned his eyes onto Red. She was looking at him, daring him to challenge her. He shook his head.
    “Why can you not open your mind? Stop thinking with your mistrust and your hatred. Can you not let them go for one moment to listen to reason?”
    “Did you lay with her?”
    Wolf looked away from her burning stare. “That has nothing to do—."
    “I do not trust a woman that fucks without feelings. That uses sex to her own end.”
    Wolf poked at the fire. Embers flew into the sky, flashing like lightning bugs. “Sounds like another woman I know.” He looked up at her, regret furrowing his brow.
    She smiled thinly. “You’re right. So, I know how she thinks and how she feels. Don’t think for one moment, scoundrel, that she has any feelings for you.
    She is a cold and heartless bitch that has one thing on her mind. Saving her own ass. Remember that.”
    Red leaned back and curled over onto her good side, her back to the fire and to Wolf. She lay like that 110

    Blood Red

    for a long time before she closed her eyes. Bitter tears streaked her face.
    Wolf stared at her back. He regretted his choice of words. He had not meant to insult her, but to merely point out that the two women were the same. Made from the same tough material. Maybe Rapunzel was hiding her true motives. That was fine with Wolf, as they were all operating with hidden objectives.
    He wanted to snuggle next to Red. Wanted to feel her warmth against him, but he knew she would push him away. She was not ready to accept him with open arms. She may open her legs soon enough, but it would be a long time before she would open her heart. And that was where he really wanted to be.
    That night, he did not sleep.
    They reached the Black Forest the next day, when the sun was at its zenith in the sky.
    Wolf raised his face to the hot sun. “Take one last look at it, for you will not see it again until we reach the village Freeburg.”
    They galloped into the dark dank woods. The forest was named rightly so. It was black as night inside the trees. The trees were so tall and packed in tight, and the foliage up top so thick, that sunlight could not reach the ground. It was like a great leafy canopy covering the entire forest. Only mosses and small shrubs were able to grow on the dirt floor without the sun’s life-giving rays.
    They moved quickly through the woods. Wolf knew exactly where he was going. He had spent some time in the Black Forest. Hiding out mostly.
    Cultivating allies and enemies. Biding his time.
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    By nightfall, they had reached the village. They heard it long before they ever saw it. The sound of laughter and ruckus reached their ears before they saw the first stone dwelling.
    “Whom are we seeking?” Rapunzel asked.
    “The Bears. We will find them at the Inn.”
    “Who are these Bears?”
    “You will find out soon enough.”
    Red glared at Rapunzel as they trotted down the cobblestone lane. “You ask a lot of questions.”
    “I like to know what I’m up against.”
    “I thought we were all on the same side,” Red said, sarcasm dripping from her words.
    They made their way through the village to the Inn. Villagers in the street stopped to stare as they passed. Their looks were not friendly.
    They pulled short at the livery stable beside the Inn. They dismounted. Wolf helping Red down.
    “We’re going to need some currency.” Wolf and Red both looked at Rapunzel.
    “Why are you looking at me?”
    “A smart Lady would not escape without some sort of plan. Without some sort of insurance of her…well-being.”
    Rapunzel looked at them both. She huffed angrily, then reached down into her bodice. She came away with a long, jeweled necklace. She raised it up for them to see. “Satisfied?”
    “Very,” Red said.
    Wolf put his hand out. “May I see it?”
    Rapunzel put it in his