Chapter 8: Ensnared

-ALEC-

It’s crisp and damp when I wake in the morning, Leena shivering beside me with an unhappy line gauging its way between her brows. But while she’s sleeping she’s unable to snark at me, bulldoze our conversation, or pull away from me and close off; so I take the moment to observe her, all soft lines and deep smells from sleep. It’s enticing, and I can’t help but scoot closer to her under the jumble of blankets just to feel her warmth and pick up more of her scent.

“Mmm, Alec,” Leena murmurs in her sleep, turning to face me, her small fingers brushing against my stomach as she reaches out. She’s dreaming of me. I feel almost giddy with the realization until she speaks again.

“Fuck off, don’need you.”

I take a deep breath and sigh; it feels like all of the words I can’t say.

“Leena.” I run my fingers along her cheek, her shoulder, the bones of her clavicle, “Leena.”

She doesn’t stir, a supremely heavy sleeper, and I sit up fully before turning to face her to try a more direct approach.

“Leena!” It’s not quite a shout, but it’s not a whisper anymore, the word more urgent coming off my tongue. That does the trick. Her eyes open, her smell spiking with the adrenaline of waking, and slowly drift around her surroundings until meeting mine. She smiles, it’s weak and tired, but she’s smiling at me, and that’s all I could possibly ask for.

“Good morning, sleepy head. It seems like you’re a deep sleeper now that you’ve gotten used to sleeping on the road. Feel rested?”

“Ugh, I feel like I was hit by a bus.” Leena sits up, her baggy tee shirt slipping off her shoulder and exposing her freckled skin and the discoloration of long-healed sunburn. I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth, cutting off the sound that threatens to slip out, snagging the words from the air before she can hear them.

“Sleeping on the ground will do that,” I concede as she shivers again, this time much more violently as she starts to unwind herself from the covers.

“Remind me why I’m sleeping on the ground again?” She quips, sass already present first thing in the morning. But I know how to handle that.

“Because it’s a kind and generous offer?” I grin, quoting her sister, and the wolf inside me preens when she rolls her eyes and hides a secret smile behind her hand. Just for me.

“Yeah, fine. Point taken.” She stretches and stands, hovering over me as she looks up to the sky, “Is it going to rain today?”

I stand, joining her in looking up, pressing myself close so she can feel my body heat. It doesn’t sneak past my attention when she moves just a bit closer.

“It smells like it. But it does call for warmer weather today, so if it rains, it will be a summer rain.”

Leena sighs, dropping her head on my shoulder, and closes her eyes, her scent spiking with something I can’t place, voice soft when she speaks, no more than a whispered thought, “What does that even mean, Alec?”

But she doesn’t give me time to answer, simply pulls herself from my bubble and walks to the fire that’s been long dead, not even smoldering ashes at the bottom.

“Breakfast?” She asks, looking down at the husks of branches as her stomach growls, further emphasizing her request.

I laugh softly, standing next to her and kicking at a few logs I think can still be burned or salvaged, “Never met someone with an appetite that rivals a wolf.” It’s meant to be a joke, unsure what else to say, but her brow creases and she looks mildly offended.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leena folds her arms over her chest, lifting a brow with an expectant stare, voice incredulous.

“Nothing bad,” I say quickly, hands up in a placating gesture, “Most women I’ve known tend to shy away from baser things like food, too caught up in numbers to listen to their body.” Leena’s expression has loosened, and she’s looking at me through the corner of her eye with interest. I decide to see how it plays out, stepping behind her and running my hands along her biceps and shoulders and down to her sides until they settle on her hips.

“But it doesn’t seem to be a struggle for you,” I nip gently at the lobe of her ear, giving her a gentle squeeze, “Following your baser desires.”

Leena lights up from head to toe with a bright pink flush, her body buzzing with a familiar sound and the scent of arousal and adrenaline finally overcoming the smell of sleep.

She takes a steadying breath, and I can almost hear her thoughts flitting around inside her skull, vying for a reply, “If I didn’t know any better, Alec. I’d say that was a thinly veiled insult.”

I scoff, her heartbeat giving her words away, a simple lie to deflect, trying to turn this back on me.

“Only you would take it that way, Leena,” I chide, nipping between her neck and shoulder before ripping myself from her, trying to keep myself under tight control, lest I scare her away fully or cause an irreparable rift between us. But as I do, I could swear that I smell just a tinge of regret on her.

“So,” I switch gears, clapping my hands together, “Breakfast?”

We walk through the routine together, some eggs, leftover fish, foraged greens and berries; and when everything is consumed and everything else packed away, Leena picks up the conversation again, seemingly in a better mood after some food. Something I can empathize with.

“We’ve been at this for a few days,” She begins, voice already sly and prying, “And you’ve yet to tell me more about yourself. The only thing I’ve learned is fishing and survival skills. And while that’s charming and all, I thought you brought me out here to convince me of something.”

“Ouch, harsh, wish I had some burn cream.” I flash her a grin, she looks wholly unimpressed.

“Don’t think a well-timed joke and a charming grin will get you out of this, Alec. You said I’m your mate, make it worth my while to consider staying with you after this six months is up.”

Right to the heart of things, as usual with Leena.

“Alright, alright. Jeez, give a man some warning before you run them over with an emotional tractor-trailer.” I take a moment to think, what could I possibly say that would convince her to stay? I decide that honesty is the best way to approach it.

“I didn’t have a set plan to convince you. I kinda figured just spending time with me would be enough to woo you.”

Leena snorts a laugh, an undignified sound from someone so reserved, “How’s it working for you so far?”

This I have a response for.

I step up beside Leena, pressing in close and growling a deep sound I know she can hear judging by her hackles rising, “The smell of your arousal before tells me I’m doing just fine, Leena.”

She stops walking, and I stop with her, staying close. I can smell the blood rushing to her face with embarrassment and want, but she says nothing, just continues to stand in place and bite her bottom lip like she doesn’t know it drives me wild. But what she says is a surprise.

“Just because my body agrees with you, doesn’t mean my heart or mind does.”

Leena takes a few steps forward, leaving me in the dust to process, before stopping in her tracks and coming back to me, closer than she’s initiated since the night we slept together.

“But, if you must know,” She leans in and kisses the side of my neck before pulling away with a soft smile, “My body thinks you’re doing fine. My head, not so much.”

She must be half a yard away before my brain comes back online.

“Leena, hold up!” I call out to her, but she keeps walking, weaving through trees like she has inside information about where to step and where not to in order to take the fastest route. I’m almost caught up when something prickles at my awareness, a little too late.

“Leena, look out!”

Within another blink, Leena is strung up from a branch by her ankle, caught in a snare trap, her backpack falling from her shoulders to the ground and the buzzing of her magic is loud even from a distance.

It only takes a moment until I’m standing beside her, folding my arms and shaking my head with mild amusement. Given the situation she’s handling it fairly well, only a squeak of a scream when she was inverted and an unamused expression that’s slowly turning red as the blood rushes to her head.

“Well, well. Looks like someone got caught in a snare trap.” I give her a little push, sending her swaying, and she flails her arms which makes her spin.

“Not funny, Alec! Get me out of here!” Leena’s trying her best to free herself, pulling herself up in a surprising show of strength until she’s tugging at the rope around her ankle, only to tire and flop back down to a full hang.

I drop my bag and flip the hunting knife from my pocket, walking into Leena’s space and cradling her skull in my hand. “And what if I want to leave you here? Have you at my mercy?”

Her expression instantly morphs into a scowl as I place the blade in her hand.

“Alec’s Survival Guide, patent-pending, lesson one: always have a blade.”