Chapter 2

Pale blue dawn washed over the clay house, casting a soft glow on the dust-covered girl resting in Merrick’s arms.

Her waist was narrow, her legs long, her skin not exactly soft, yet she carried a fierce, undeniable will to survive.

His lighter clicked.

“Put this on.” Merrick tossed her a piece of clothing.

Anyone with eyes could see what awaited Elise after what he’d witnessed yesterday, yet he hadn’t stepped in.

No sane person would come to him for help again.

But she had chased him down on nothing but two exhausted legs.

Elise stared at him, puzzled. “You really don’t want me?”

Merrick scoffed. “I’m not interested in mud dolls.”

She understood perfectly.

He thought she was filthy.

Elise asked again, “If I wash up, will you want me then?”

Her bluntness, and those clear eyes that didn’t seem to realize how shocking her question was, made the words on his tongue halt.

Only when the burning tip of his cigarette singed his finger did he snap back.

He let out a low laugh. “Depends on my mood.”

The fabric in her hands was softer and finer than anything she’d ever worn. Elise didn’t hesitate, she changed right in front of him.

Ever seen a wolf in the desert?

That was how she looked at him now—starved and terrified he might vanish if she blinked.

He lounged lazily against the headboard, blowing a thin ring of smoke, the haze dimming the cold sharpness in his gaze.

Merrick asked, “What’s your name?”

“Elise Jones, like the sweet fruit people in this region harvested.”

She tried to soften herself, playing at fragility the way she thought men beyond this place liked their women to be.

She already knew he wasn’t an ordinary traveler.

Everything about him—his clothes, voice, and presence—carried a kind of quiet aristocracy she had never seen.

The fruit, Elise, was a local specialty of this region.

Merrick had tried it before.

It was sweet, refreshing, and quenching.

And on the road, he had rarely met anyone from the region who could speak standard English as fluently as Elise.

Merrick asked, “How old are you?”

Worried he might find her too young, Elise corrected herself quickly. “I’ll be twenty right after my birthday.”

He pulled at the corner of his mouth.

She was only nineteen, and already she couldn’t say anything without twisting it first.

He crushed out his cigarette and headed for the door.

Afraid he might leave her behind, Elise didn’t take her eyes off him for a second.

The moment he stepped out, she launched herself at him.

Her sudden force shoved him half a step forward. Merrick looked down at the pair of hands locked tightly around his waist.

“Let go.” His voice was cold and sharp.

But the girl was stronger than she looked. Elise clung to his back and shook her head.

After a long standoff, he gave in. “Wait for me in the car.”

Unease still filled her eyes.

His voice chilled further. “I can leave you behind, but I’m not leaving my car. If you don’t believe that, then don’t follow me.”

The moment he said it, Elise released him.

She grabbed his sleeve nervously. “I believe you. Please don’t leave me.”

He cleared the passenger seat for her and tossed her a bottle of water and a few pieces of dry bread before heading to the house where he’d arranged to buy supplies the night before.

Starving and parched, Elise devoured the food while keeping her gaze glued to Merrick’s fading silhouette through the window.

Once they left this place, they would be crossing the uninhabited zone.

Water was scarce.

She didn’t dare finish the bottle; she took only a few sips to wet her throat and saved the rest in case she needed it later.

Merrick stocked up on fuel, filling the back of his modified long–body Jeep with supplies—enough for the two of them to survive seven or eight days.

The moment they drove out of the small town, Elise spotted several familiar figures approaching from the distance, her mind snapping tight like a drawn wire.

In an instant, she curled herself into the footwell of the passenger seat, covering her body with a jacket, her flexibility so startling that Merrick couldn’t help but glance over in surprise.

He lifted the corner of his mouth. “No need to hide. They can’t catch up.”

Hearing that, Elise peeked out from under the jacket, her eyes shining as she studied his calm expression.

After hesitating a moment, she slowly sat back up.

Her gaze still stayed on the rearview mirror.

Only when she was sure the townspeople had fallen far behind did her heart settle back into place.

She glanced at her watch.

The hour the town elder had chosen for the ceremony had already passed. The tightness in her scalp finally loosened a little.

Sitting in the Jeep, staring out at the desert she once walked through for days and nights without finding an exit, she couldn’t even describe what she felt.

She used to dream that wings would grow from her back and lift her away from this barren trap.

Now it felt as if they really had.

Music played softly in the car, and Elise’s eyes warmed.

“The faraway… like a dream’s murmur… the road ahead, you must walk on your own…”

…

She stayed quiet.

As long as Merrick didn’t speak, Elise could remain silent forever.

For five days straight, they slept inside the car.

On the sixth night, Merrick woke with a painfully full bladder and turned his head, only to meet a pair of wide, alert eyes watching him.

“Not sleeping?” He genuinely admired her stamina.

She was nothing like the pampered people he used to know.

Elise shook her head without a sound.

Wolves sometimes came out to hunt at night in the desert. She was afraid that if both of them fell asleep deeply, they wouldn’t react in time to danger.

Merrick didn’t bother arguing. He got out of the car and walked toward the back to relieve himself.

Just as he pulled at his zipper, he noticed Elise had followed him out and was standing beside him, eyes wide open.

His movement froze, and Merrick let out a low laugh. “Not embarrassed, are you?”

The desert sky at night was bright with stars.

Even without a lamp, she could see everything around them.

Elise thought for a moment, then shook her head.

Merrick was not accustomed to being watched while he relieved himself.

He turned her head to the side with one hand and walked a few steps farther before finally undoing his zipper again.

Under the night sky, a faint green glimmer crept steadily toward his position.

Just as Elise climbed onto the roof of the Jeep, she spotted dark shapes lurking behind the sand ridge.

“Watch out! Wolves!” Her shout cut through the stillness.

The raised dunes formed blind spots in the moonlight; from Merrick’s angle, he couldn’t see the shadows stalking him.

With one fluid movement, he unsheathed the twin knives from his boots, his gaze turning blade-sharp.

A streak of silver sliced through the dark, forcing two wolves to jerk backward.

But hunger-driven wolves never quit.

Two of them closed in on him from opposite sides, eyes locked onto him as if he were fresh meat.

Seeing even more shadows prowling in the darkness, Elise didn’t hesitate. She leapt off the roof and charged forward with nothing but her thin blade.

Startled by her reckless rush, Merrick yanked her behind him. “Are you crazy? Charging in like that with a blade that flimsy?”

Elise’s gaze stayed steady. “I’m not crazy. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Merrick looked at her, his expression complicated. They had known each other for only a few days.

Was he worth risking her life?

The wolves circling them lunged again. He flipped a knife around and pressed it into her hand. “Take it.”

Gripping the weapon tightly, Elise timed her strikes to help Merrick as he fought off the pack.

Suddenly, another wolf burst out from behind the dune, charging straight at Merrick.

Without a second thought, Elise threw herself at it.

Her knife cut through the wolf’s jaw, but its teeth still tore into her wrist.

Merrick’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Elise!”

“I’m fine!” She yanked the blood-stained blade free, turned back with a grin, and in her eyes shone a light brighter than the night sky.

Half an hour later.

Watching the injured wolf limp away after Merrick’s final strike, Elise felt a rush of admiration for the precision and force of his movements.

Elise said, “You’re incredible!”

He had grown up in a military compound and moved with instinctive speed. The wolves were terrifying, but even so, they weren’t a match for Merrick.

He just hadn’t expected Elise to charge in without fear to save him.

How long had it been since anyone protected him?

The emotions he had buried for months erupted under the pounding of his heart, heat surging through him after the fight.

At the sight of her wound, Merrick’s voice turned rough. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It doesn’t.”

She reached for his hand to check him instead. “Did you get bitten? Let me see, show me… you…”

Elise’s eyes flew wide.

Her touch was a spark, igniting something deep and violent inside him.

His hand closed around her jaw, his breath stealing hers, and the force radiating from him was more terrifying than the wolves’ snapping teeth.

For a moment, she thought he was going to devour her whole.