That’s it.
I’m doomed.
“Or something,” he says carefully. “I don’t like it. I caught movement several times and this place is always desolate. Aside from the fish,” he adds.
I shiver when he says that. I could see the fish circling closer and closer to the surface of the water as we walked. They should have been low, moving down into the darkness and depths of the water, but they didn’t. They were hungry, and that was just further motivation not to fall in.
“Maybe they’re hunting the same thing you are,” I suggest helpfully.
“Fereers?” He shakes his head. “Not likely. Most people don’t waste their time on fereers.”
“Why not? What’s so special about them?”
“They’re long and skinny, but tall, and they’re tricky to find. Fereers are excellent at blending in with their surroundings. They nest in little groups and if you can find a nest, you can usually catch at least half a dozen of them.”
“That sounds a little mean,” I point out.
“Would it make you feel better if I tell you they’re dangerous?” He asks. “Their bite holds a potent poison that can kill you if you don’t get medical attention right away.”
“That does make me feel a little better,” I say, but it shouldn’t. I should feel upset that Ezra hunts anything, least of all helpless creatures, but it seems that fereers aren’t quite so helpless after all.
“It’s unusual enough that I’ve come after them,” he says. “I usually wouldn’t bother. It’s annoying, time-consuming, and tedious. There’s no chance another person is hunting fereers.”
“Are you sure it was a person?” I lower my voice and look around. “Could it have been an animal?”
“With the equipment this thing had? Not likely.” Ezra looks at me. “I know what you’re thinking. You think it’s the man. You think he hunted you.”
“I do think that,” I agree. There’s no need to lie. There’s no need to hide this from Ezra.
“If he has come for you, I will protect you.”
“That’s very nice, but he’s good at what he does. He’s not going to sit idly by and let you just take him down.”
“Correct,” a voice says from the trees above us, and we both look up just in time to see a large net dropping down. Quickly, almost instantly, I fall to the ground and roll away i
nto some bushes, but Ezra’s pack slows him down and the net catches him. Helplessly, I watch as Stremon’s net closes around him, capturing him.
He’s trapped and it’s all my fault.
Chapter 13
Ezra
I should have known the fucker was going to set a trap.
I should have fucking known.
I was too caught up in eyeing Willow. I was too caught up in making love to her with my soul.
Fuck.
I sound like a bad romance song, even to myself.
Now I’m stuck in this net and I can’t seem to get out. That’s strange because I use modern tech all the time for hunting, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Each time I wiggle, the net seems to grow smaller.
“Are you wondering why you can’t seem to free yourself despite your large size?” The high-pitched, but obviously male, voice calls out.
“A bit,” I say, wondering when I’m going to get to see this asshole, wondering when I’m going to get to see him up close. I’d like to punch him in the face for hurting my girl. I’d like to kill him.