I had thousands of questions, but I was too tired to ask, and since Jared wasn't very talkative, I doubted he would have given me any answers anyway. So, exhausted as I was, I fell asleep against his chest with his arms wrapped around me and felt warm and safe through the night. I don't think I'd ever slept so good in my entire life as I did that night together with him. Unfortunately, the night seemed way too short.

"Skylar?"

I felt his lips against my temple and heard him smell my hair. Strange. He really liked doing that.

"It's time to wake up. You've got a long way ahead of you."

My heart dropped the second he said that. I was going to continue this journey on my own, and I might never see him again. Then I lifted my head and met his sad gaze, and I knew. I wasn't going to see him again. Ever. And almost as to state that I was right, he shut his eyes like he was closing our non-verbal conversation. Moments later, he helped me up from our 'bed' on the ground, which was his blanket. I was still sore all over and I was dreading having to walk all day again. Then the next, and the next after that. But I forced myself not to think about that.

"I'm about to make some breakfast, so if you want to do your... You know," he shrugged, knowing that I usually started the day with a morning bath at the lake. Then he smiled to himself. "I promise I won't look."

"Why don't I believe you?" I giggled and gave him a playful squint. He'd started reviving the fire with new logs and branches he'd found somewhere. "Besides, you've already seen me, so it's not a big deal."

I pulled off my clothes piece by piece but kept my sneakers on to protect my sore feet on my way to the water. This lake looked colder than the one at their camp, and it turned out that I was right. However, after kicking off my shoes, I strode bravely into the water without hesitation, while goosebumps stung my skin like tiny wasps trying to stop me. I knew he was looking, and for the longest I resisted the urge to squeal. But after diving under water and rubbing my eyes clear after surfacing, I did anyway and visibly shuddered. Then I did a quick morning routine and brushed my teeth with my fingers while I tried to remember what it felt like not to live like a homeless. To be properly clean. To smell good. To not being covered in bruises and healing injuries.

"Stop torturing yourself," I grumbled quietly. Then I twisted the water out of my hair and cursed when I accidentally touched the wound at the back of my head. I noticed Jared kept an eye on me. He almost seemed to have forgotten what he was doing, until he saw me returning to where he was. Then he started fumbling with a piece of meat that he got from God knows where. Instead of being in a coma like I'd obviously been, he'd gotten up early both to hunt and collect firewood, and I dreaded tomorrow when I had to get up and do that myself. But right now my biggest challenge was to get dressed while my body was dripping wet.

I gave up fairly quickly. The clothes stuck to my skin like sticky glue, so I chose to stand close to the fire to dry enough to put on more than just my panties. I kept struggling with my bra though, both due to pain and my numb fingers. I was so cold that I was shaking like a leaf, and I couldn't get a proper grip on anything. So Jared stood up and walked up behind me, just like the day before we left their camp, and I suddenly shivered from completely other reasons than cold. His fingers felt so warm against my skin that I wanted to melt into his body, but something held me back. I couldn't allow myself to do that anymore. This was where out roads parted, and the way Jared dwelled with everything he did, told me that he was thinking the exact same thing.

He helped me pull my tank top down over my head and straightened it in the back while I did the front. Then he helped me step into my jeans even though I was dry enough to manage on my own, and the tension between us was building for each second. It almost became unbearable when he reached around my waist and helped me wiggle up my jeans, zipped it up and closed the button, and I was so close to disregard all unspoken rules and throw myself around his neck that I wanted to scream. And he must have felt the same way because of the way his hands lingered right below my breasts.

He'd been completely silent while he helped me get dressed, but now I heard the low growling again and it made me smile. Then he leaned in and hugged me closer, and accidentally pushed his already quite prominent erection between my butt cheeks. And I say accidentally, because he immediately shifted his position a bit when he realized what he was doing. But that didn't stop him from kissing me behind my ear, and to show him that I wanted more, I tilted my head to the side to give him better access.

Beard stubbles tickled my skin and the connection between his lips and my neck felt like electricity. I even felt his teeth scrape across my skin a couple of times. First time was only briefly. The second brought a sharper pain. Then he pulled away abruptly and stepped several steps back, like he'd burned himself.

"No!" he exclaimed and shook his head. Then he mumbled something about coming back in a few minutes, and that I had to eat the food he'd prepared. And moments later, he was gone.

"I hate when you leave like that," I muttered, picked up his sweater, and tied it around my waist while I pondered about why he'd reacted that way. Then I did like he told me to, even though the food didn't taste especially good. Nothing tasted good. Not even blueberries anymore. I just ate to survive while I imagined that it was lasagna, paella, burgers, or pizza. Vegan pizza in particular, even though I still hadn't figured out if I was a vegetarian. I mean, I didn't mind eating meat. Maybe I just had strange eating habits?

Luckily, it didn't take long until Jared came back, and along with him he brought a little package. It was covered with a red, velvet cloth that was faded and slightly torn at the edges, and it looked old. Really old. And when I opened it, I found a leather sheath with a knife in it.

"This is the only thing that..." he started and scratched his neck. For some reason he dodged when I tried to make eye contact. "Uhm...That...helps."

I could hear pain in his voice and saw a deep wedge of frustration between his eyes, and it made me want to shake the answer out of him. It didn't make it any better that his eyes kept flickering and he clenched his jaw a couple of times.

"Helps against what, Jared?"

"It can save you from..."

He took a deep sigh and shook his head as if he tried to man up to something difficult.

"If you ever see us again, use that," he said at last and pointed at the knife. "It's four hundred and fifty years old and made out of pure silver, but it's still sharp enough to..."

"Who's 'us'?" I asked and cut him off. Then he blinked his eyes a couple of times and looked confused.

"Buck. And me."

"You?"

Now it was my time to be confused. No, shocked. That was just ridiculous.

"Why would I use a knife on you?"

"Just because, Skylar!" he exclaimed, loud enough to startle me. Then he turned away and went over to the dying bonfire while he rubbed his forehead. And with a heavy sigh, he continued.

"

Look, you don't know me, and it should stay that way. After this, you follow the direction I pointed out yesterday and get to Willow Creek as fast as you can. You'll have to cross a big river, but I think there's a boat there somewhere. And we'll never see each other again."

My mood went from confused and annoyed to heartbroken in a matter of seconds. He really was serious about this. So serious that I didn't dare ask any more questions. Instead my bottom lip started trembling and my eyes watered.

"No..." I whispered, but I couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard I tried. They just started rolling down my cheeks on their own demand and blurred my vision.

"No!" I shouted and ran towards him and wrapped myself in his arms. And for the second time the last twenty-four hours, I was crying against his chest while he was holding me tight.

"You have to go, Skylar," said softly and stroked my back, but I shook my head and clung to him like a lifeline. But after hugging me one final time, he started loosening my grip around his neck.

"No..." I sobbed.

"Please. You need to get away," he said with a voice thick with emotions. Then he grabbed my wrists and unwrapped himself from my arms. No matter how hard I tried to fight him, he was way too strong to even flinch. And when I finally gave up, he kissed my forehead, turned around and walked away.

"Goodbye, Jared," I whispered. But he didn't answer.