Ravenous (The Ravening #1)(39)
Author: Erica Stevens

He looked as vulnerable as a child, looked as if he desperately needed me to understand what had just happened, but I didn’t know how to. He was primitive and untamed, and I was filled with the certainty that this wouldn’t be the last time he killed with such force and brutality.

But then, it was a necessity of our lives now. I was just amazed by how fast he had accepted this and how well he had taken to it.

“Are you ok?” I managed to croak out in a tremulous voice. He nodded as he used his forearm to wipe some of the blood from his face. I found myself able to move and breathe again as I spotted the gash on his upper arm. He had won the battle, but he hadn’t walked away unscathed. “You’re injured.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t know what kind of germs those things carry.”

He turned his arm over and frowned at the blood seeping from it. “It’s a shallow cut Bethany.”

He used his good arm to keep me back. I frowned at him, shoving aside his good arm as I seized hold of his hand. “Don’t be a baby, let me see.”

He sighed but relented to me as I pushed him toward a rock. He settled upon it as I gathered the meager stash of supplies we had left. There were no bandages but there was a small thing of antibiotic cream and I ripped up a shirt to use as a makeshift bandage. I felt his eyes watching me as I knelt before him. He didn’t flinch, didn’t move away from my touch as I gently used the rag to clean the blood from the injury. He was right, it was shallow, but I still slathered cream on it in the hopes that it would prevent infection and kill any alien germs.

“You’re good at that.”

I managed a wan smile. “When you’re as clumsy as I am you learn a few tricks.”

His low chuckle was a sound I found I liked immeasurably. I grinned as I sat back on my heels to admire his rare and fleeting smile. “I thought perhaps you were considering becoming a doctor.”

“No, that was Aiden.”

My amusement faded with the stark reminder of everything we had lost. Cade’s smile slipped away, a muscle in his cheek jumped. “I see, and what did you dream of doing?”

My gaze drifted toward the forest line as I thought over his question. I’d never really known what I’d wanted to do, what I would become. I’d assumed I’d go to college, I’d even considered going away, but I’d never truly thought about what I would study there. I would never have the opportunity to find out either.

“I don’t know,” I admitted as I wiped the excess cream and remaining blood from his arm.

“Whatever it was I’m sure you would have been good at it.”

I glanced at him from under lowered lashes as I tried to discern if he was kidding with me or not. He didn’t appear to be. “What about you? Were you going to go to college?”

He shrugged absently as I tied the torn piece of shirt around his arm. I had to force myself not to linger over his supple skin, and rigid muscles. Had to force myself not to notice the flush the feel of his skin brought to my face and body.

“Eventually,” he finally responded.

“Where would you have gone, and for what?”

Those heart-stopping eyes flickered briefly over my face. “I hadn’t decided yet.”

I sat back on my heels as I studied him. I had the feeling he wasn’t telling me something, that there was something he wasn’t revealing. I didn’t have a chance to question him further though as Jenna and Abby appeared.

“Are you ok?” Jenna blurted.

Cade pulled the sleeve of his shirt down to cover half of the rag. “Fine,” he muttered.

Abby gaped at the dead creature just feet away. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the ruined remains. “How did you know about that hiding place?” Jenna asked.

Cade’s hand clasped briefly around mine before he rose to his feet. “I spent a lot of time up here.” I was taken aback by the revelation. I didn’t exactly pin Cade as a paintball kinda guy, but then there were a lot of things I’d never pictured him as but was beginning to realize he was. “I know the course extremely well.”

“Thankfully,” Abby muttered.

“Why?” I inquired.

He shrugged as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his back. “Target practice.” He flashed a smile, but his gaze drifted away from all of us to search the woods. “We should get moving.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that. I wrapped my arms around Abby’s shoulders and forcefully turned her away from the creature she was still gawking at. “It’s awful.”

“It is,” I agreed.

CHAPTER 19

“This is as good a spot as any,” Cade declared.

I dropped the small bag on the ground and slid down. I was acutely aware of the fact that our main food source had gone with Aiden, and I wasn’t even sure he still had it. However, my stomach rumbled eagerly as I recalled the meager food supplies that had been placed into Cade’s duffel bag of guns before we had left the tree house. It had seemed smarter to have the food and water spread out between us, and I was extremely relieved it had been. I was starving, but I was fairly certain I was going to pass out before I got the chance to eat. I was tempted to take my sneakers off, but decided against it. I didn’t want to see the mess that I knew my feet had to be, and I wasn’t going to be caught unawares in bare feet.

Cade was digging through the bag when I lay down on the ground, propped my head on my hands and passed out cold.

***

It was mid afternoon when I woke again. Cade was the only other one awake, I was beginning to suspect that he didn’t sleep at all, and it was more than a little daunting. Did he have any weaknesses?

I yawned, stretching as I lifted myself up. Cade’s eyes were hooded as he watched me, he may not sleep but it was more than apparent that he had to get some rest. There were circles under his eyes, bags were beginning to form, and they had become bloodshot.

His tanned complexion was paler than normal, and there was a pinched look around his mouth that made it seem as if he were in pain. Uneasiness filled me as I watched him, the lack of sleep or hunger was starting to get to him. Or perhaps his wound was started to become infected with some strange alien parasite.

“You should rest.” I tried to keep my tone cheerful, but the worried tension in it was obvious.

“Not tired.”

“Liar.”

His full mouth curved into a small smile, he shifted as he draped his arm over his knee and watched me. “You have to eat.”