Dark Need (House of Sin 3)

My stomach rumbles.

“Soren,” I say.

He doesn’t respond.

“Can we please take a break?”

He keeps marching, and I keep following him, despite my ever-growing fuzzy vision. I’ve tried before to speak to him, but he just won’t listen. It’s as if he put earmuffs over his ears and called it a day. All because of our falling out.

Did it frustrate him so much to have to promise not to hurt me? Or is something else going on that I’m not aware of?

OOMPH!

I miss a rock and stumble down to my knees, hurting my ankle with the fall.

“Ow …” I groan as the rope is tugged.

Only when I stay put does he finally look at me.

“Move,” he snarls.

“I can’t,” I say, and I clutch my stomach when it roars out loud.

He raises a brow and cocks his head.

I think he heard it.

A blush creeps onto my cheeks as he steps closer and goes to his knee right in front of me. He doesn’t stop staring, which still freaks me out.

He reaches for me, and I flinch, arching away from his hand because I don’t know what he’s planning to do. But then he gently touches my ankle and pushes up my pants to take a look, his rough hands suddenly so very soft against my skin that it makes my whole body glow.

My stomach does another roar, and he looks me directly in the eyes as the sound continues.

I’m so embarrassed I can’t even stop my cheeks from turning strawberry red.

“You’re hungry,” he says.

I swallow, unsure of how to respond. It wasn’t a question, and I don’t think he ever asks them.

His fingers leave my skin and leave a cold draft that makes me shiver. Suddenly, he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me from the ground, carrying me in his arms.

I’m too shocked to even realize what’s happening as I lie cradled against his chest. He stomps forward until we reach a fallen tree and a short stump, where he puts me down and unties the rope around my body. He takes off his bag and fishes out a bandage, which he wraps all around my ankle to provide support. The gentleness in his motions has me completely silent as I watch him patch me up again as though he’s used to doing this.

“Have you done this before?” I can’t help ask.

I’m curious by nature.

“No,” he responds, but I’m not sure if that’s the truth or a lie.

“You’re good at it,” I say to keep the conversation going.

But he merely looks up at me with those same daring eyes he always does. And they never fail to make me gulp either. It’s like he sees straight through me and knows I’m only asking to get him to trust me.

But it’s not just that.

He really is good at this.

And when he puts my foot down again, a part of me wishes it didn’t have to stop.

He gets up and unties the rope around his waist. A spike of joy surges through my body, hoping he’s finally going to cut it loose.

But then he ties it to the next tree, and my mood turns sour again.

“Why do you keep doing that? I won’t run.”

Soren grumbles and grabs his bag, then starts walking. “I’ll be back.”

Geez, could he sound any more brooding?

Well, at least he’s not just leaving me here thinking I’m going to be abandoned and left to die. Guess that’s an improvement.

I sigh and play around with the leaves a little until my legs don’t hurt anymore.

“Back.”

He appears from behind the tree like a wolf stalking its prey, and my heart still does a little jump. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sight of him, especially not when he flexes his muscles like now as he holds out his hands to show me … mushrooms.

Mushrooms?

He unties the rope around my waist a little so only my arms are freed.

I frown, glaring at the mushrooms, which could be poisonous for all I know. “What am I supposed to do with those?”

“Eat,” he says.

I don’t know how to respond to this. “Are those edible?”

“Yes,” he says, coaxing it in front of me again. “Take it.”

“Um … thanks?” I mutter as he stuffs them into my hand and walks off. “You know this won’t be nearly enough for one, let alone both of us, right?”

He sits down on the stump and starts poking around in the ground with a stick until a bunch of ants rises to the surface. He plucks one up and eats it alive, and I’m about ready to throw up.

I tuck the mushrooms into my pocket and say, “I’ll save these for later.”

He raises a brow at me. “Why?”

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

I shiver, watching him eat some more.

“Do you like that?” I ask. “Eating bugs.”

“Food is food,” he replies, and he holds one up. “Want one?”