Broken (The Captive #5.5)(17)
I really am just a silly, fool.
***
Genny pushed back the branch on a tree and climbed down the embankment to the clearing. Moving aside a rock that weighed about fifty pounds, and was settled at the base of an elm, she checked to make sure that the money hidden beneath it hadn't been touched. There were ten separate spots throughout the forest where she hid the money she stole. Just in case someone stumbled upon one of her stashes, they wouldn't be able to take all of the money if she had it safely spread out.
She put the rock back into place and rose to her feet. Striding across the clearing in the woods, she slipped into the trees that had offered her so much comfort and solace over these past months living with Felix. She slid down a hill to the edge of the riverbank where she discovered a deer drinking from the stream. Striking faster than a snake, she took the animal down before it even knew that she was there. She took her fill of the doe before releasing it to the woods.
Her head tilted back, her shoulders relaxed as she absorbed the sun filtering through the leaves above. She lifted her broken arm and turned it over; flexing her hand she was relieved that the motion no longer caused her any discomfort. Turning her attention away from her arm, she reached down to undo her belt so that she could pull off her tunic. She placed the belt over a tree branch, pulled her heavy tunic off and draped it over the end of a log that had fallen across the river. Bending down, she undid the laces of her boots before pulling them off and dropping them on the bank.
She relished in the air moving through the much thinner linen material of her chemise as it slid over her heated flesh. When she was in the forest, she didn't have to be concerned about money or Felix's next beating. When she was here she could just be alone, she could relish in the beauty of nature that surrounded her and the peace that it gave to her.
Placing her hands on top of the moss covered tree she lifted herself onto it and walked out to the middle of the log. She settled herself onto the log and dipped her toes into the cool water running beneath her. Slowly kicking her feet back and forth, she smiled as droplets of water flew from her toes to the stream beyond. The drops caused little circles to break across the surface of the river. It was all normally calm and relaxing, but she couldn't shake the discomforting feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach since the last time she'd seen Atticus.
She was angry at herself for thinking that he would come back, for thinking that their time together had even meant anything to him, she should have known better. There was no reason for him to come back and see her. She was a common vampire, a villager who made her living by stealing it. Why would he come back? They had shared a few kisses but that meant nothing, at least not to him anyway. He'd probably kissed dozens of girls, probably done far more than that with them; she was just another one of the many.
That was fine by her, she was glad he was gone so that her life could get back to normal. She told herself that over and over again yet she couldn't shake the ache in her chest and she couldn't deny the fact that she still yearned for him to return. No matter how much she said she didn't care if he came back or not, she did.
Her feet stopped swinging as her head bowed down and she stared into the clear water beneath her. Brown trout darted in and out, swimming with the flow of the river as they headed to some destination that only they understood. They were beautiful and something that she normally found joy in watching, but just now she only felt sadness.
"You would really scandalize the humans if they came across you like this."
Genny was so startled by the sudden intrusion that she almost toppled off the log when she jumped a little. She managed to catch herself before she fell into the water below and turned her head toward where the voice had come from. Atticus stared back at her with an amused smile curving his full mouth. His hand rested against the trunk of an oak tree; his long legs were stretched out to the side as he leaned against the oak. The sun filtering through the leaves lit his eyes and made them appear almost incandescent.
Pushing himself away from the tree, he climbed down the small embankment and stopped at the end of the log to shed his boots and hose. She was still trying to accept the fact that he was truly there when he began to unknot his belt before pulling off his outer tunic. "What are you doing?" she managed to squeak out as he placed his bare foot on the log.
"You shouldn't be the only half-naked one here," he informed her.
The log shook beneath his weight as he rapidly made his way toward her. Genny's head tipped back to look at him. He obscured the sunlight as he stood over top of her, grinning like a child who had just been handed a sweet. She couldn't stop staring at him, couldn't bring herself to believe that he was actually there even as he settled onto the log beside her. She'd missed him so much over the past twelve days that she almost believed he was a mirage, something she had conjured in her mind.
His finger touched against hers, the contact sent a thrill of pleasure throughout her body that caused her to start. Her eyes flew to his hand as his index finger slid over the back of her hand again. The uncomfortable feeling she'd been experiencing ever since she'd parted from him last time vanished at the contact. Tears of relief filled her eyes but she hastily blinked them back, she refused to give into the childish urge to cry as her fingers sought out his.
Awe filled her; she lifted her head to meet his eyes again. The air between them crackled and pulsed with something almost palpable. He held her gaze for seconds that slid into minutes as his hand continued to hold hers. The smile had vanished from his face, his eyes appeared almost troubled but before she could ask what was wrong his head was bowing to hers and he was kissing her. She'd thought that the feel of his hand had eased her tension, but the sensation of his lips moving over hers was like being transported to an entirely different world.