Suddenly, Buck fell over to the side. I didn't quite understand what was happening, so I thought it was just another way to play with me and waited for his next move. But then:

"Run, Skylar!" I heard, and Buck was pulled even further away from me by a furious Jared, who knocked him to the ground. I got so perplexed that all I managed to do was to get up and hide behind the trunk of the nearest tree, while I stared at the two men looking like they were about to kill each other. But they didn't. They didn't even touch. They just kept on circling, while snarling and glaring daggers at each other, almost like they had an intense fight going on in their minds. Then suddenly, they stopped, with Jared placing himself in front of me just like he did at the bonfire earlier this morning. And those exact same words made Buck realize his defeat.

"No hunting!"

Buck seemed to cower a bit under Jared's stare, which I found a bit weird since Buck was the oldest and probably also the strongest one of them. But to watch him turn around and leave was such a relief that I literally gasped for air after holding my breath for too long. Then I suddenly became painfully aware of how naked I was. I didn't have one single thing to cover myself up, and now Jared came over to check on me.

I hid behind the trunk again and squeezed my eyes together, as if that would help. But when I heard him clear his voice, I knew that I eventually had face him. I sighed in defeat and slowly stepped out from my hiding spot and tried to cover my groin and breasts with my hands.

"Are you alright, Skylar?" he asked with concern and tried to look everywhere but at me. But when his eyes eventually fell on my body, he let out a little groan. He blinked his eyes a few times and clenched his jaw before he tried to say something.

"I... I..."

I felt so embarrassed I could cry. Why wasn't there a hole in the ground I could jump into? I was literally blushing so hard that my ears were burning. It didn't help that Jared blushed and looked embarrassed too.

"Shit!" Jared exclaimed to himself, and finally managed to force his eyes away from me.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I... Uhm..."

He rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. Then he asked if it was okay that he came closer so he could give me his woolen sweater. It was huge and smelled strongly of him, but by now I'd learned to like that smell. And the fact that the sweater reached mid-thigh and covered my private parts made me a lot more comfortable about the situation.

"Are you cold?" he asked while standing behind me. And when he carefully pulled my hair to the side, his hand lingered on my neck a little too long to be coincidental. That made me smile a bit.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you. You know... For everything."

He smiled and shrugged like it was nothing, but to me it meant everything. And when he also wanted to help me back so I could find my clothes, I was so grateful that my eyes watered. I didn't expect him to carry me, though. But since I had several bleeding cuts on my feet, I was grateful for that too.

Surprisingly, despite being partially naked, I felt safe in his arms and comfortable by the way he was looking at me. I mean, it was pretty clear that he was attracted to me. I could feel that, and it made me blush again. But this felt different. It was a desire that wasn't hateful. He wasn't like Buck. And if it wasn't for Jared, I would probably be dead by now. Strangled or tortured to death by his friend.

When we'd returned to the place where I'd been washing clothes, he carefully put me down. But he didn't let go of me. Instead he closed his eyes and leaned in while he inhaled through his nose. I could feel his breath against my neck, and for a moment I actually wished he could kiss me. Then I got horrified of my own reaction. This was insane! I was nearly raped minutes ago. However, I couldn't help the way my body reacted to him: The butterflies in my stomach and the shiver that wasn't caused by coldness. And when his fingers stroked my neck with the lightness of a feather, my heart was racing in my chest.

"I think you'll get a bruise there," he said quietly, and he swallowed so his Adam's apple bobbed up and down before he let out a long, warm sigh that made my knees weak. Why did I react this way? Was it the aftermath of what happened? Was I as attracted to him as he was to me? Could I explain it in any other way? The only thing I knew was that it felt different than anything I'd ever felt before. Probably from before my memory loss, too. And it was such a good feeling that it left me yearning for more.

Slowly, I turned to look at him and almost didn't recognize his eyes. They were so dark you almost didn't see the white in them, and they had a strange and almost feral glow. It didn't scare me, though. It just fascinated me, and I wished I could read his mind. For a moment I even felt the urge to place my palms on his chest and lean closer, and it was like he instinctively knew. A deep sound came from his throat as he towered above me, and I felt hypnotized by his gaze. He was so tall. A lot taller than most men. Maybe even as much as six and a half feet. And when he lowered his head, I stopped breathing. Then it was like he snapped out of it, and the absence of him made me collapse inwardly.

"You're bleeding," he said and looked at my left ankle.

"It's okay," I stammered weakly. "It's just a scratch."

"That's more than just one scratch. You have lots of them."

I shrugged with one shoulder because the other one hurt.

"They match the others, then," I said while giggling and was glad to see I made him smile as well. I picked up my bra and hid it behind my back, because I was still embarrassed by not being properly dressed, and because he knew. And to make matters worse, I wasn't able to put it on because of the pain in my ribs. All the running and falling had obviously made the injury worse. Trying to put it on underneath a way too big sweater was also a challenge. Eventually, I got annoyed enough to take it off. He'd already seen me naked anyway. Unfortunately it didn't help because my shoulder hurt too much.

"Here. Let me," he said just as I was about to give up, and he carefully hooked the ends together, probably to make sure he didn't hurt my ribs more than necessary. I appreciated that. Still, his fingers never left my skin. Instead they followed my spine down to my lower back in a way that made me wonder if it was coincidental or not. But when he stepped closer and lowered his head to whisper into my ear, I knew that it wasn't.

"You're so beautiful."

Once again, he dwelled in my scent, and I felt his long exhale warm and heavy against my neck afterwards. Honestly, I found it a bit strange but decided to take it as a compliment because of his reaction to it. It seemed to calm him. Like it healed something inside him. But again, he backed away just as I thought he was about to kiss me, and handed me my panties instead. That made me blush like crazy.

I finally got dressed and was just about to pick up the pile of clean clothes. They were heavier now that they were wet, and I didn't want to hold them close so I would get wet too. But I didn't get the time to worry much about it.

"Leave them," Jared said. "I'll pick them up later."

"No. We need to hang them to dry, so..."

I swallowed the rest of the sentence when Jared walked up to me and lifted me up in his arms again. How was he not tired already?

"You don't have to carry me, Jared. I can walk. I have my shoes on now. I'll be fine."

His reply was intense eyes and a tiny smile, and it was clear that he wouldn't listen.

"I mean it."

"So do I," he murmured, and a wave of tingles spread through my body. So instead of protesting, I wrapped my arm around his neck and leaned against his shoulder. His steady footsteps and calm breathing would have rocked me to sleep if I didn't just experience one of the scariest moments of my life. Instead I started wondering why it seemed so easy for him to carry me. He was simply inhumanely strong and moved so smoothly in the terrain that it felt like we were floating through the air. We were back on the path leading to their camp now, but it was still narrow with twists and turns, roots, and stones. Nevertheless, he didn't trip once.

"You can stay here while I get the clothes," he said when he put me down in front of the bonfire. It was just ash now, but I knew he would fix that before dark. That was the least thing on my mind, though. Just the thought of being alone when Buck returned made a bile rise in my throat. My heart started racing and my hands and feet started prickling from anxiety. I was about to panic again.

"No! No, please! Please, Jared! Don't leave me with him! I don't want to be alone. I can't!"

I knew I sounded hysterical, but I was desperate. And when Jared immediately embraced me, I was already blinking away tears. Quiet sobbing against his chest left no doubt of how much Buck had scared me earlier.

"Shh. I won't. It's okay. I'll do my best to keep you safe."

He stroked my back and held me close like I was his biggest treasure, and it felt completely surreal. We hardly knew each other, yet I trusted him with my heart.

"I don't want to be alone," I whispered through my tears, but Jared didn't say anything more. Instead he placed his hand under my chin and pulled it up to make me look at him. He wiped away my tears and looked at me with sad eyes.

"You need to leave, Skylar. Get as far away from here as you can before the moon is full. Promise me you'll do that."

I just looked at him with big, teary eyes. I didn't really understand what he meant.

"Promise," he repeated, and his gaze was so intense that it nocked the air out of me. But eventually I nodded.

"I promise."