Page 16 of Consumed By Fire
“Would you like me to come along?” Goliath asks, scratching his chin. “I can—”
“I think we’ll be fine. We really won’t go far. After my ordeal, I’m still a little on edge,” Kim says. “Besides, we’re going to talk girls’ stuff you would hate to hear.”
“Don’t attempt an escape, Trinity. It won’t work,” Goliath says.
“I wouldn’t dare,” I tell him. “You guys would catch me in a second.”
“We would, and Octane would be fuming,” he says. “I’m not so sure about this.”
“Well, I’m sure enough for the both of us,” Kim says. “We have permission. We won’t be long, and neither will we stray too far. I will yell for help if Trinity tries anything, but I know she won’t.” She looks my way.
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. I won’t try anything, I swear.”
I’m starting to feel antsy. We need to leave. The more distance I can put between Octane and me, the better. At this rate, he will be back before we can even leave.
“You’re sure you don’t need me?” he tries again.
“No!” we say in unison. I say it a little too harshly, which makes Kim giggle, this time sounding nervous.
Goliath is going to see right through this.
Arghhh!
Act normal! Act. Normal.
“We’ll be fine.” She flaps her hand. “We’ll see you in about twenty minutes.” She hooks her arm in mine and starts walking.
I follow.
“As I was saying, lovely day for a walk.”
“It certainly is,” I say.
She smiles at me. “How far along are you?” I know she’s making small talk to put Goliath off the scent. “Do you still have morning sickness? Do dragon shifters even get morning sickness?”
I laugh, sounding like I mean it, because I do. I feel myself relax, at least a little. “Yes, we do. I was quite sick for the first few months, but I’m doing great now.”
“And? How far along are you? Do dragon shifters have the same length of pregnancy as humans?”
“We do, yes. I’m five and a half months along. When we hit the six-month mark…” I shrug. “We can no longer shift. Our bodies start preparing for delivery. Or maybe it’s because a lot of our energy starts to go to the developing child.”
“That’s interesting.” We pick up the pace. “I didn’t know that,” Kim says.
“Yep, I can already feel my beast weakening.”
I look around the jungle, seeing a maze of towering trees, thick vines, and colorful flowers casting shadows in every direction. Sunlight filters through the canopy, creating pockets of golden light and highlighting the rich green of the leaves. I want to relax and enjoy the moment. It feels amazing having a breeze through my hair and the sun kissing my skin, but I can’t.
There is too much at stake.
“Good thing we’re going on this walk then,” she says absently.
“It’s a very good thing.”
We need to get away from here, and then I need to shift and escape. My freedom is right there. So close I can almost taste it. My window of opportunity is closing. Desperation is starting to creep in, which is never good.
We hurry through the dense foliage, Kim leading the way with a confident stride. My heart pounds in my chest, a mix of fear and exhilaration coursing through me as I steal a glance over my shoulder to see if anyone is following us. All I see are the green leaves and tree trunks.
I push out a sigh. This might just work. No! It will work. It has to.