you,” she breathed, securely cinching the pack’s flap.
“Mmm hmm.” Jackson barely spared her a glance. Maybe he was still ticked off that they wouldn’t allow him to kill Lash and Monroe. She had a hard time believing that, though. He was hard as steel, sure, but she couldn’t see him killing anyone in cold blood. As Marcus had said, that’s not who he was.
Jackson met Marcus’s eyes and jerked his head to the side. “Follow them. Make sure they don’t double back on us.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Marcus protested. “Monroe’s no threat, and Lash... well, Lash is a prick, sure, but he’s always been an honest prick.”
“Make sure. And make sure no one else is out there.” There was no arguing with the tone of Jackson’s voice. “Their alpha wants Kirra. He may have sent others.”
Marcus ran a hand through his hair and shot her a worried look. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He took a few steps toward the trees, then came up short, swinging around to face them. “Where will I meet up with you guys?”
“On the trail to Blue’s Hollow. Where else?”
Kirra’s breath caught in her throat for a second. “You’ll take me there?” she said, swinging her pack over her shoulders.
“Yes,” Jackson muttered as he watched Marcus, back in Wolf form, leave. “I don’t have time to chase you down again.” He tugged on his pants and picked up two packs that were resting at his feet—she guessed one was Marcus’s—before urging her forward, up the hill. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fourteen
E ither the man knew how to hold a grudge and dish out the silent treatment or he had forgotten she was following him. Jackson hadn’t said a word to her in hours. Kirra tried not to take it personally. He hadn’t asked to be dragged into her mess, and she couldn’t expect him to understand where she was coming from. Really, she should be happy he was escorting her to the Shifter Council and not press the issue. That would be the smart thing to do.
Still, the silence weighed on her like a blanket. Maybe Jackson felt it too. Maybe he just didn’t want to be the first to speak. Maybe he thought it would signal weakness on his part or something macho like that. Would it signal weakness to him if she broke the silence?
Pressing her lips together, Kirra climbed over a deadfall and crunched through a pile of dead leaves, deliberately scrunching them underfoot. The noise earned her a brief annoyed glance and narrowed eyes. She smiled innocently in response. He grunted and turned back around, forging through the tangle of thick underbrush that blocked their trail. At least she assumed he was following some sort of trail. There was no path, and no markings of any sort on the trees, so for all she knew, they could be headed in circles. The only hint she had that they were headed roughly northeast was the occasional glimpse through the trees of the mountain range to the north.
Time and the silence dragged on. The sun was high overhead, and the heat didn’t help her mood. Even with the trees providing shade, she was sweaty in her tee shirt and jeans. Jackson should have gone after the Cats instead of Marcus. Marcus wouldn’t have held a grudge. He didn’t have it in him. And even if he was ticked off, he still would have spoken to her.
She’d never minded silence before. In fact, she could go for days without speaking to anyone other than Francesca and not even notice. No one had ever actively ignored her before, though. When she was Blackstone’s guinea pig in the lab, if there’d been any silent treatment going on, she’d been the one instigating it. It drove the researchers nuts when she wouldn’t respond to their questions and orders.
Silent treatment couldn’t break her. She could last as long as—
“How long is this going to go on?” she blurted out.
Jackson swung around and frowned. “At this rate, it will take another two and a half days to get there. Maybe
“Mmm hmm.” Jackson barely spared her a glance. Maybe he was still ticked off that they wouldn’t allow him to kill Lash and Monroe. She had a hard time believing that, though. He was hard as steel, sure, but she couldn’t see him killing anyone in cold blood. As Marcus had said, that’s not who he was.
Jackson met Marcus’s eyes and jerked his head to the side. “Follow them. Make sure they don’t double back on us.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Marcus protested. “Monroe’s no threat, and Lash... well, Lash is a prick, sure, but he’s always been an honest prick.”
“Make sure. And make sure no one else is out there.” There was no arguing with the tone of Jackson’s voice. “Their alpha wants Kirra. He may have sent others.”
Marcus ran a hand through his hair and shot her a worried look. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He took a few steps toward the trees, then came up short, swinging around to face them. “Where will I meet up with you guys?”
“On the trail to Blue’s Hollow. Where else?”
Kirra’s breath caught in her throat for a second. “You’ll take me there?” she said, swinging her pack over her shoulders.
“Yes,” Jackson muttered as he watched Marcus, back in Wolf form, leave. “I don’t have time to chase you down again.” He tugged on his pants and picked up two packs that were resting at his feet—she guessed one was Marcus’s—before urging her forward, up the hill. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fourteen
E ither the man knew how to hold a grudge and dish out the silent treatment or he had forgotten she was following him. Jackson hadn’t said a word to her in hours. Kirra tried not to take it personally. He hadn’t asked to be dragged into her mess, and she couldn’t expect him to understand where she was coming from. Really, she should be happy he was escorting her to the Shifter Council and not press the issue. That would be the smart thing to do.
Still, the silence weighed on her like a blanket. Maybe Jackson felt it too. Maybe he just didn’t want to be the first to speak. Maybe he thought it would signal weakness on his part or something macho like that. Would it signal weakness to him if she broke the silence?
Pressing her lips together, Kirra climbed over a deadfall and crunched through a pile of dead leaves, deliberately scrunching them underfoot. The noise earned her a brief annoyed glance and narrowed eyes. She smiled innocently in response. He grunted and turned back around, forging through the tangle of thick underbrush that blocked their trail. At least she assumed he was following some sort of trail. There was no path, and no markings of any sort on the trees, so for all she knew, they could be headed in circles. The only hint she had that they were headed roughly northeast was the occasional glimpse through the trees of the mountain range to the north.
Time and the silence dragged on. The sun was high overhead, and the heat didn’t help her mood. Even with the trees providing shade, she was sweaty in her tee shirt and jeans. Jackson should have gone after the Cats instead of Marcus. Marcus wouldn’t have held a grudge. He didn’t have it in him. And even if he was ticked off, he still would have spoken to her.
She’d never minded silence before. In fact, she could go for days without speaking to anyone other than Francesca and not even notice. No one had ever actively ignored her before, though. When she was Blackstone’s guinea pig in the lab, if there’d been any silent treatment going on, she’d been the one instigating it. It drove the researchers nuts when she wouldn’t respond to their questions and orders.
Silent treatment couldn’t break her. She could last as long as—
“How long is this going to go on?” she blurted out.
Jackson swung around and frowned. “At this rate, it will take another two and a half days to get there. Maybe
Similar Books
