"Stop dragging Luca! "I staggered to a stop yanking my arm away from his hold. My legs burning from the constant pace he had set throughout the woodland, my chest heaved as I gathered my breath.
Luca fired back, staring at me and said, "If I stop, we die." Though he was frustrated, his keen grey eyes revealed another layer: fear.
"No one is chasing us right now," I answered, pointing to the quiet all around. "We need a minute. You cannot just "
"Aria, this forest doesn't play fair," he said, his voice down now, almost begging. "It will take advantage of you if you stop looking over your shoulder even a second."
I did not reply immediately away. He was correct—we had already seen enough to know that the hazards of the forest extended beyond just physical ones. But his concern for me startled me; it was not his dread of the jungle.
