22. VANYA

“You guys really need to get yourself a car to drive from your house to the main house,” I gasped as I struggled to suck air into my lungs.

It was a lot hotter than it had been yesterday. There was no damn breeze to cool my skin as we walked down the well-worn path. I actually wished that I had the opportunity to take a dip in the pool by the waterfall before we left.

Apparently, the bang we had heard yesterday was some of the teens experimenting with a gun they had found that had been left behind by some hunters. There had been no danger which was the mistake I had made. The kid thought I was an intruder and that was why he had tackled me. There had been no real harm done, but it really wasn’t something I’d like to repeat ever again. It was embarrassing enough—being knocked out by an eight-year-old kid.

“It would ruin the plantation,” Devrim said, snapping me back to the present. “The trees are too close together and the sound will disturb the wild animals and cause trouble.”

“Oh.”

“We like running,” Ezra said. “We’re not too fond of your human contraptions, especially the cars.”

“Ezra doesn’t like them.” Devrim laughed. “I like them, though. It makes travelling long distances easier.”

I stopped and leaned forward to rest my hands on my knees. Wearing shorts was a good idea, but I couldn’t say the same about the large t-shirt. It was already soaked and clinging to my skin.

Who knew a person could sweat so much?

A large hand was pressed to the small of my back. “Vanya?”

“I’m not as fit as you guys,” I told him as I slowly straightened. “God, how are you not sweating buckets right now?”

My eyes trailed over them. Devrim and Ezra looked unaffected by the heat even though we’ve been walking for nearly an hour.

Ezra chuckled. “We adapt.”

“We change our body temperature,” Devrim explained. “They created us that way so we would be able to go on the… missions they couldn’t.”

His eyes widened and his mouth slammed shut. It looked like he had just realized what he had said.

“You never told me why you thought Obsidian forced me,” I said softly to change the conversation.

Devrim sighed. “We all have our demons, rosebud. Some of us have demons a bit darker than others; and for Obsidian, a lot of those demons are what make him so unpredictable.”

“The smallest of things can make him snap,” Ezra continued. “He could’ve really hurt you.”

My eyes dropped when he gripped the hem of his shirt and lifted it. He turned to his side and pointed to a white scar about thirty centimeters long.

“He could’ve hurt you.”

Swallowing, I closed the distance between us and traced the raised scar with my fingertips. How had I not noticed that yesterday?

“H-how did it happen?”

Ezra looked at Devrim over my head and swallowed before he looked back at me. “I snuck up on him.”

“Wow.”

I stepped back when he lowered his shirt again. Turning, I faced Devrim who had moved closer to us. It looked like he wanted to ask me something, but he was clearly unsure of how to continue, or either too scared to ask.

I studied him as he watched me. What if he wanted to know about what happened between Obsidian and me? Neither of them had really asked questions, only made assumptions.

“He was carrying me and I got curious, so I touched him.”

“You touched him?” Devrim gasped with wide eyes. “No wonder he snapped. You don’t touch him, ever.”

“But why?”

He stepped closer and gripped my shoulders as his eyes darted over my face.

“We are not human, Vanya. We have lived in a cage since we were old enough to walk. Some of us have suffered abuse—it’s why most of the pride hates humans so much.” He blew out a breath. “You will not survive the impact if we snap.”

His words scared me, but it never answered my question. I searched his eyes and found some fear lingering along with another unknown emotion.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Devrim blinked. My heartbeat increased when his hand slid over my shoulder to my neck. He didn’t squeeze like Obsidian had, Devrim just kept his hand pressed lightly against the bruise there. My eyes dropped to his throat when he swallowed and then moved back up to his eyes. I held my breath when he took a step closer.

“Obsidian has killed a lot of people with his bare hands, Vanya.” He hesitated. “When he gripped you like this, he could have easily snapped your neck.”

“B-but he didn’t,” I whispered. “I know that he would never intentionally hurt me.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You don’t know that. Vanya, you don’t know him like we do.”

“I know him enough to know that he’s not the man he pretends to be.” I gave him a small smile. “I know you enough to know that you’re attracted to Obsidian, but you’re too scared to admit that.”

“Van—”

“I know that Ezra is a virgin which doesn’t really count since he told me that himself.”

Devrim chuckled and slipped his hand to the back of my neck. His forehead lowered to mine. I licked my lips as I stared at his lips. Is he going to kiss me now?

“You’re wrong about one thing,” he whispered.

My eyes darted up to his in question.

“Obsidian isn’t the only one I’m attracted to.”

I sighed and tilted my head back as his lowered. Anticipation filled me. I was finally going to be able to find out what his lips tasted like.

Only… I never got the chance.

A twig snapped, then men reacted before I could.

Devrim pushed me behind him and spun in the direction the sound came from. Ezra was at my back, pressing my chest against Devrim’s back. They both had arms wrapped around me, caging me between them. Not that I really minded.

Devrim’s growl died down when a white rabbit jumped into view. It stopped a few feet from the bush it came out of and sat up on its hind legs. Its cute little nose twitched as it sniffed the air.

One minute, it was sitting there minding its own business; and the next, it became prey.

A scream fell from my lips when an animal suddenly jumped down from the tree and caught the rabbit. Blood splattered as the animal was ripped apart.

It took me only a few seconds to identify the animal as a panther, a scared and slightly underweight panther.

A purr rumbled from his chest as he made his way over towards us with the limp and bloodied rabbit hanging from his jaws.

“Seriously,” Ezra hissed from behind me.

The panther dropped the rabbit at my feet and pushed it closer with his snout. My stomach rolled with nausea when I looked down at the rabbit’s guts that were exposed. Did it just twitch?

“She’s not going to eat that,” Devrim growled. “Vanya is not a shifter. Raw meat will make her sick.”

The panther growled again. It hissed and flashed blood stained teeth at him. With one last look in my direction, the panther picked the rabbit up again and took off.

“I-I think I’m going to be sick,” I whimpered when I spotted an organ that looked close to the rabbit’s kidney.

Pushing them away, I stumbled towards a bush. Good thing I ate a light breakfast.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and straightened. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why he did that,” Devrim muttered. “I’ll talk to him.”

“H-he’s like you?” He nodded. “Do you know him?”

Devrim wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I dropped my forehead against his chest with a low sigh. I felt shaky—probably from the puking, and the heat wasn’t really helping.

He hugged me closer and rubbed his hand up and down my back in a soothing gesture.

“Yes,” Devrim finally answered. “I know him.”

I tilted my head back to look up at him.

“He’s a fucking asshole,” Ezra hissed. “I can’t believe he fucking did that.”

I turned my head and watched as Ezra collected dirt and walked over to the spot where the rabbit had been dropped at my feet. He was covering the blood, I realized.

“Why is he—?”

“Ezra,” Devrim warned.

He ignored him and continued to mutter and hiss under his breath. For a moment, I thought I heard Obsidian’s name.

My attention was snapped by Devrim when he stepped back. He gave me a small smile when our eyes locked again.

“We need to get going. I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”