Picture on the side: Ethan

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I tried to move as fast as I possibly could but my aching foot made my struggles even more difficult. I concentrated on the ground, trying to avoid stumbling over roots as I kept going further into the woods. At least some of the sunlight shone through the thick leafage and I could easily make out the trees around me. I had already gotten a long way and it would have been a lot more difficult if it had been dark right now.

"Fuck! I'm so tired of this! I never asked for this stupid shit! Hell can I just get one minute without bad luck jumping on me?!" I yelled out when I tripped over a tree root and went flying towards the ground. I had landed in a puddle of mud and I could feel my shirt get soaked and start to get sticky.

"Great just great!" I muttered as I was trying, and failing to get up from the slippery ground. When I finally managed to get up I tried to squeeze the dirty water out of my soaked shirt. When that didn't help I sighed in frustration and ripped the shirt of, throwing it on the ground behind me.

"Gosh I can't take this anymore!" I whined before I shifted my gaze towards the path in front of me. I was just about to start limping in that direction when suddenly, out of nowhere, four guys stepped out and blocked the path. I stopped immediately and when they got their eyes on me it was completely silent for a couple of seconds.

They were all without shirts and their muscles were impressive. Not that they were anywhere near Alex, Anton and Adam when it came to the good- looking gene. After a minute of just staring I shifted uncomfortable and nervously tossed my hair out of my eyes. The longer I stayed here the more time the brothers would have to find me.

"Hey... I was just walking you know..." I trailed of when one of the guys narrowed his eyes on me. "Hm, maybe they know Alex and the others. I shouldn't say anything in case they do." I thought as I kept my eyes on the guys in front of me.

"...Well yeah... and now I'll be on my way." I finished. pointing to my left. I was just about to limp in that direction when the guy who had narrowed his eyes on me started growling.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was hard and I turned my head slowly in his direction. I sighed tiredly, I really didn't need this right now.

"Look I don't know if you're deaf as well as dumb but I don't have time for this right now and I'll be on my way as I said before." I made a move to go but now they all started growling low in their throats. The guy who had been speaking to me took a step in my direction and his steel grey eyes stared at me with something that looked like suspicion mixed with curiosity.

"Why do you smell of them?" He said, slowly sniffing the air around us. I gave him a "are you mentally unstable-look" and he shot me an irritated glance.

"What happened to you?" He kept talking and made a gesture towards my bare chest. I gave him a confused look before I looked down at myself and found out why they were all staring at me. I cursed loudly.

"Shit, I totally forgot about that! Where the hell is my shirt?" I asked frustrated as I scanned the ground around me.

My ribcage and chest, together with a part of my stomach, were covered with bluish marks mixed with slits of wounds that had probably come from me tripping and falling way too often for the last day or so.

The guys gave me amused looks when I couldn't find my shirt anywhere and I shot them an irritated eye back.

"You haven't answered my question." The grey-eyed guy remarked and I threw my hands out and yelled:

"Which one? You people are all the same and I'm tired of this. Can't you just leave me alone, huh?"

It was silent for a while after my outburst but then the grey-eyed guy started laughing and I gave him a confused look that he totally ignored.

"You have a spine boy I give you that." He said when he was done laughing. Now it was my turn to ignore him as I kept looking for my shirt but he kept going anyway:

"You know I like you so I've decided not to kill you for now."

I stopped looking for my shirt and stared at him trying to figure out if he was being serious or not.

"Seriously? That's nice of you." I finally said dryly and he started laughing again. Suddenly a new voice joined ours and I froze instantly.

"There'll be none of that Ethan. He's with us and you are not to touch him. He's ours." It was Alex speaking and before I could react they spilled out from the forest around us.

There weren't only Alex, Anton and Adam because Kevin and Amber's boyfriend were also with them. Amber and Kate were nowhere to be seen though, and I was grateful for that. The grey-eyed man (obviously his name was Ethan) narrowed his eyes on me and I shrugged my shoulders in his direction.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what he's talking about." I muttered and Alex instantly growled in my direction.

"I don't see your mark on him nor does it seems to me like he wants to acknowledge it, how do you explain that?" Ethan asked in Alex's direction but it was Anton that answered him and he said in a cold voice:

"Not that it's any of your business Ethan but we recently found him and haven't had the time yet. But you have no need to worry, we'll do it as soon as your ugly face gets out of our way."

I couldn't help but laugh at the insult and everybody gave me both irritated and amused looks when they heard me try to contain my laughter.

"What? You have to admit that was quite funny Ethy." I said in a teasing voice when I noticed Ethan giving me a murderous glare. Everybody looked at Ethan to see his reaction to my nickname and I could almost see his conflicting feelings. He was angry but at the same time he looked at me with something that almost looked like amusement and a tiny bit of respect. His eyes also held something that looked like sorrow but he quickly hid it away so I couldn't be sure.

"Don't call me that." He finally muttered and I laughed again at his sour expression. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and a loud growl cut through the increasing tension. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and my eyes instantly locked with Alex's pitch black eyes.

"What the hell Ash! You're wounded!" He yelled and his dark eyes quickly set on Ethan. I looked down at myself and made a grimace when I saw that blood had started to spill through the cuts on my chest.

"I swear if you did this Ethan... " I cut him off midsentence and shrugged my shoulders as I said:

"It wasn't him doggie, calm down will you?"

Alex shifted his gaze towards me and his dark eyes turned even darker when he saw me smiling slightly.

"This is not funny Ash, I will fucking kill you when I get my hands on you! Come here now." He gestured for me to come to them but I knew that if I did that I would probably regret it big time. Besides I'm not a dog.

"Eh, I don't think so Alex. If you'll kill me, I much rather stay here where I am, or even better, hide behind them." I pointed in Ethan and his friends' direction and quickly jumped behind them. My foot hurt and I grimaced but that feeling was nothing compared to the anger Alex's eyes showed. My eyes went wide when he snarled at me and I couldn't help but avert my gaze when the force of his will was completely directed at me.

"I will count to three Ash and if you're not by my side by then I will punish you beyond your wildest imagine." Alex growled at me. I shot Ethan a pleading look when Alex begun to count:

"One..."

Ethan just looked at Alex's dark eyes and then he gave me an apologetic eye. Shit...

"Two..."

Alex had tensed hid body and was preparing to come and get me. I swallowed and thought quickly. There was no chance that I would be able to outrun him or even defend myself with my dislocated foot. If I waited for him to count to three and then let him catch me it would just be worse for me and it didn't look like I had so much of a choice.

"Thr..."

"Stop, just... fine. Okay fine!" I shouted at him and sighed when he gave me a narrowed look

"Fine I'll come just stop that fucking counting will you?" I muttered as I started to limp slowly in his direction. He stayed silent as I made my way over to them and his eyes didn't show me anything. "Great he's going to kill me." I thought as I stopped in front of him nervously shifting from my injured foot to the other and then back again.