Look to the Stars (The Orien Trilogy Book 1) by Catherine Wilson

Author:Catherine Wilson [Wilson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Published: 2016-03-28T23:00:00+00:00

Thirty-One

The rest of our run is uneventful, if you don’t count the near hacking of my breaths. Though I know within my heart that Reeve has to have woken up by now—even Papa’s concoctions were never that good—I’m no longer overcome with worry.

My panther is still near. I can feel him.

I’m not sure of the hold he has on this forest, but I know that right now, it’s the only thing keeping us safe. Aras must feel uncharacteristically at ease, too, because his pace comes to a welcoming crawl, and he shoots a charismatic smile over his shoulder. It’s either that or the coming dark that causes me to narrowly miss slamming my face into an awaiting tree.

Aras’ smile turns sinful.

“I must say, I don’t know how, but I still tend to overestimate your gracefulness.” He pauses, catching my eyes for good measure. “Though as far as I can tell, it’s the only flaw I have.”

“One flaw among many,” I murmur. Although disturbingly, I can’t seem to recall any offhand.

“What was that?” he asks, rounding up to my side with the same ease as my black cat.

“Oh, nothing,” I say, as if I weren’t just stewing over the depths of his greatness. “I was just wondering as to what put you in such a relaxed, talkative mood is all. Seeing as you haven’t slowed down long enough for me to catch my breath.”

And despite my loathsome behavior at the mere sight of his half-charmed wiles, my words ring with truth. Before we left Reeve’s camp, Aras said we could make it to Orien’s border within a day if we ran, and though it feels like a painful week has passed, I know we haven’t yet reached our goal. In fact, I have no idea where we are.

“Oh, come on, Bravest. I don’t have to be looking at you to tell you need a break. At this point, it’s either you or the trees, and quite frankly, I like the trees too much to see them battered from continuous run-ins with you.”

I fight the bristle that his words bring, instead tilting my chin up in challenge. “And where, clever Aras, do you suggest I find rest? Should I lean up against that tree and wait for Reeve and his men to kill me, or should I climb a trunk and hope for the best when they chop it down?”

“Neither,” he says, that perfect, ugly smile spreading from cheek to cheek. “We’ll rest at a safe house I know. Perfect for the likes of you and me.”

His words bring me to a halt, and I don’t even fight to hide the confusion that heavily lines my brow. Safe house? As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing safe within these woods. I’m not about to stop when we’re clearly this close to Orien’s border.

“But aren’t we almost there?” I question, hoping he doesn’t mistake my confusion for fear, though truthfully, it may be a little of both.

He shrugs his shoulders, for the first time looking away and not meeting my eyes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.