Wild by Alex Mallory Read Free Book Online Page B

bear would have found a treat in the abandoned fish, and nothing else would have happened all day. But a small, senseless part of him wanted to see her. He wondered if she’d found the pendant yet. Probably; it was impossible to miss.
    What did she think of it? Had it scared Josh? So many new emotions spilled over in his skin. Cade’s heart pounded. It washed the cold away again, sweeping him with a shock of heat and sweat.
    Dara broke through the tree line, let out a little cry and froze. Clutching her hands to her chest, she stared at him. Her eyes were so wide. The dim light meant Cade still couldn’t make out the color. He forgot all about that when she took one step toward him and spoke.
    â€œWho are you?”
    Cade’s throat seized. It clamped down on his breath, his voice. She was too close, and it wasn’t the full moon yet. This wasn’t a glimpse, maybe one she could have forgotten about if he’d quit coming around. This was face-to-face.
    When he didn’t answer, she talked more. “What’s your name? Where are you from?”
    Raising the gig, he looked past her. There were a hundred ways to escape. He needed both hands for most of them. One of the fish in his shirt flopped helplessly and he shuddered. There had to be a way out. He wasn’t ready to say hello. He wasn’t ready to stand this close to someone from the outside.
    Frowning, Dara approached again. She held out his pendant, the leather wrapped around her hand. “You left this for us.”
    Somehow, it had led her straight to him. Shaking his head, Cade stepped into the river. Icy water burned around his ankles. The cold sank in bone-deep. When he found his voice, he waved the gig at her, and at his leftovers on shore.
    â€œYou’re hungry,” he said, the words coming out in a growl. “Take those.”
    Blinking at the fish for a moment, she shook her head. “I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”
    It was Cade’s turn to be surprised. There was nothing more basic than cooking a fish. There were lots of ways to do it. He liked to steam them, scenting the whole camp. But there were easier ways. Pointing at them again, he said, “Push a stick in the mouth. Hold the fish over the fire.”
    Vaguely green, Dara curled into herself a little. Dragging her attention back to him, she lit from the inside. Her face said she remembered why she came in the first place. Holding the pendant out again, she said, “I know you’ve been following me. I just want to know why.”
    That question was too hard to answer. Because he was curious. Because she was beautiful. He was lonely; she was there. He thought the world was mostly dead. She proved it wasn’t. But he could hear his mother’s voice in his head, sharp. Furious.
    We’re the only ones who are safe. The rest are sick.
    Planting the gig into the river bottom, Cade backed away. He wanted to talk to her, but he couldn’t. It was too soon. She could be dangerous. This was all a bad idea. He needed to move camp. His head buzzed, too many thoughts at once. Too many feelings to settle on just one.
    So he told her, “Eat the fish.”
    Then he ran.

Six
    â€œH e reminds me of those people on the trail last year,” Dara said, slitting the sides of a black plastic trash bag.
    Now she knew for sure that someone was nearby, watching, that meant no more trips just out of camp to relieve herself. Turning trash bags into makeshift curtains, she kept her fingers busy as she talked.
    â€œWhich ones?” Josh asked.
    â€œThe ones who basically lived there?” Looking over, she watched as he turned the fish on the fire. “They followed the weather and didn’t have a home to go to?”
    Skeptical, Josh craned around to look at her. “You mean the homeless guys.”
    With a roll of her eyes, Dara tied the first two bags together into a single sheet. That was so very Josh. In record time,