Page 31 of Consumed By Fire
One of them smells the air. “I’m pretty sure I scent a female. My dragon thought he recognized her scent. It could be her.”
Another one sniffs. “I can’t be sure.”
Her? Are they talking about Trinity? If so, it is more than likely them. It’s Reds.
“Igor would expect us to look after her. One thing is for sure: that female is on this island. We have to find her.”
“She’s been missing for days. Where the hell is she?”
“Three of our males disappear, and Trinity, too. It isn’t a coincidence,” the one growls, confirming my suspicions. I hold my breath, expecting Trinity to jump up out of the mud and announce her presence. I tighten my hand around hers, silently begging her not to do it. I might be able to take on three Reds, but the odds are against me.
I’m shocked when she doesn’t move an inch.
“Shouldn’t we be looking for them?” one of them growls. “Before they get too far?”
“Yes,” the one with the deep voice says. “I see a big set of prints and a smaller one, so it looks like one male and a female. Rocky, you go that way; follow those footprints. Ranger, you go south.”
“Sure thing.”
Thankfully, we have been back and forth between our camp and the jungle several times, as well as down the river numerous times. We left our footprints everywhere. It will be difficult for them to track us. At least, I hope it will. I was complacent, and it nearly cost us. I won’t let it happen again.
“Okay, Titan. I’ll holler if I see or hear anything.”
“Me, too.”
The two Reds start walking away in opposite directions.
Titan stays right where he is. Damn! He seems to be the ringleader. I suspect that he is the brains of this little group. If any of them has the most chance of finding us, it’s him.
We wait, and we wait, and we wait some more. It’s so silent you could hear a pin drop. The animals of the jungle sound like they have retreated. Not even a leaf stirs.
There is complete silence, but I am not fooled. Only two of the males left, which means that Titan is still hanging out at our campsite. I know that he is watching and listening intently. I know because I would do the same.
“You can come out now,” he finally says. “I won’t hurt you. I just want our female back,” he adds.
Then he starts walking. He’s headed toward the river. Dammit!
“Trinity. You can come out. You’re safe. Nothing will happen to you…I swear it. You won’t get into trouble for this.”
Trouble? Why would she be in trouble?
She doesn’t move. In fact, I would go so far as to say that she is barely breathing. She doesn’t want them to find her. Why? What’s going on?
“Igor would want me to take care of you. He would want for you to be safe. You are in no danger, I swear it.”
He keeps walking, getting closer and closer to where we are hiding. If he looks really carefully, he might spot us. If he tries hard enough, he might smell us.
Fuck!
If he finds us, I will have to fight him, which would bring the others right back and in no time. I’d have to kill Titan quickly and then do my best to dispatch the other two as well. It would work, but I’d like to avoid a confrontation if possible. Again, I am fearful that Trinity might get hurt in the crossfire.
From the way that she is clutching my hand, I would say that she is afraid. I don’t like it one bit. Who are these males? Why is she scared of them?
Titan steps closer and closer and closer. “Where are you?” He starts calling her name in a singsong voice. Then he says, “I know you’re here. Come out, sweetheart; I swear you’re safe. I would never harm you. You’re carrying my brother’s child. He told me that if anything happened to him, I should take responsibility for you both. I want to do that…please.” He takes a couple more steps. I hear the mud squelch beneath his feet.
He's so damned close that we are all but holding our breath.
“I’m sure you’re being held prisoner. We won’t stop until we find you. I swear it.” He takes another step. “I will keep searching for you. I will find you…you can be sure of that.” It sounds too much like a threat for my liking. Titan keeps moving. It sounds like he is turning in a circle. I’m sure he is searching for any sign of life. He is searching for us, and from the way Trinity is trembling, I would say that if he found us, he wouldn’t be as kind as he is suggesting.