Eyes of the Woods by Eden Fierce Page A

learn from you. We wish to one day live in peace.”
    “My grandfather was killed by an elder. We’ve lost countless villagers. Don’t speak to me of peace.”
    “It’s not perfect. There are angry, frightened people on both sides.”
    I sat on the ground, but it was more like a fall. I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my forehead on them.
    “I still want to wake up from this.”
    Daniel knelt beside me and put his hand on mine. “My father had been sick. I was standing in the tree line when your family came to collect him. It was just a night after our young were slaughtered, and many in the coven wanted to annihilate your entire village. They wanted revenge. I watched how gently you covered his body, and how kind Dyre was to my mother. He’s always been kind to them. Always been there for them when I couldn’t be. Now you’re here. This can’t all be chance. There has to be a reason.”
    As my mind connected the dots, I looked up from my knees. “You’re Ireck and Cala’s son, Daniel? The one they lost to the woods?”
    Daniel offered a small smile. “They didn’t lose me. But to protect them, we kept our meetings secret. They built a house on the tree line, and I visited them nearly every night. Throughout Dyre’s adolescence, they worked on reversing the false myths he’d been raised on. They did it because they knew the truth, and that’s the main reason Evander hasn’t retaliated for killing our people. He hopes one day Dyre will see the truth and strike a truce.”
    “So that’s why you saved me?”
    He shifted nervously. “I saved you because I didn’t want you to die, Eris.”
    “Why didn’t you turn your father? When he was ill?”
    “He wouldn’t let me.”
    I stood up and brushed myself off. “You didn’t give me that choice.”
    Daniel looked to the ground, seeming hurt by my words.
    “I’m sorry, Eris. I just couldn’t.”
    I felt a burning in my throat, and I touched my neck with my fingers, panicking. “Daniel?”
    “Yes?”
    “I’m hungry.”
    “Then we should take care of that.”
    He led me deeper into the woods, to the edge of a clearing. A few deer were grazing, unaware we were crouched in the tall grass.
    “They come to graze beyond the pines because the needles kill the grass,” he said.
    “What do I do now?” I asked.
    “Watch me,” Daniel said. He crawled along the ground, positioned like a cougar hunting its prey. When he came within one hundred yards, he took two leaps, pouncing on the deer before it had time to run. The rest bounded away, and Daniel bit into the animal’s neck. From where I stood, he looked as if he were nuzzling the deer. I ran to him, beside him in less than a second. He wiped his mouth and looked up at me.
    “As you attack, your instinct will kick in.”
    “I’ll just know what to do?” I asked, unconvinced.
    “Trust me,” he said, standing.
    I followed him to the next clearing, and we came upon another group of deer. He pointed to a mother and her fawn. “Focus on the young bucks. Try not to feed on the does. Especially those with young.”
    I nodded.
    “Once you pick out your prey, let your thirst take over. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is. Just give in to it.”
    I chose a deer, a buck with felt still on his horns. “Just give in to it,” I said.
    I crouched down and then began to creep in the grass, just like Daniel showed me. I took a deep breath in through my nose. The young buck’s heartbeat and blood flow seemed to throb in my throat, and I was pulled to it. Before I even realized I moved, I was kneeling over the limp animal, taking in the warm blood from its neck. My body instantly relaxed, and I felt stronger and more satisfied with every gulp.
    Daniel appeared beside me and pulled me away before I was finished. I resisted, pushing against his arms.
    “You must stop before its heart stops beating,” Daniel said. “Listen. Feel it. After the last beat, the blood becomes poisonous.”
    “So my