Page 9 of Stranded
So round. So fucking perfect.
Growling, I flung the piece of meat onto the ground a few yards away from me. A waste of good beef. And now I wouldhave to go searching for it. Couldn’t leave meat out like that, or we would wake up tomorrow surrounded by coyotes.
As if materialized from my thoughts, a coyote appeared in the dying light, its amber eyes glinting and its fur rippling. The scent of the meat must have caught its attention. Growling, the coyote pounced on the fallen morsel. In the blink of an eye, the animal seized the meat in its powerful jaws and darted away into the dying light.
Fuck.
Aiden.
I stormed toward the RV and yanked the door open. I grabbed my backpack, ripped the zipper open, took out my gun, and jammed the magazine into the handle. Aiden was out there alone with a hungry coyote in the vicinity. He didn’t stand a chance on his own.
I raced out of the RV and ran into the darkening desert, ignoring my pounding heart and shallow breaths. I had to find Aiden before it was too late. Had to protect him. Where had he gone?
“Aiden!” I yelled, hoping to frighten away any coyote within the distance. “Goddammit, Aiden, you better not be playing with me. Where the hell are you?”
He couldn’t have gotten far. He had to be close. Oh god, why had I let him go off on his own? If anything happened to him, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
I loved that boy something awful. Too much, in fucking fact.
Please, god. Please, let me find him. If I find him, I swear I’ll stop lusting after him. Don’t take him away from me this way. Just let me fucking find my boy.
“Aiden! Where are you?”
“Jackson!”
I turned to the left, following the sound of his terrified voice. Finally, I spotted his silhouette in the distance, standing still,pinned in place by a coyote in front of him. From its mangy coat and the sunken belly, the animal hadn’t eaten in a long time. No wonder it hadn’t run off, even though it would have heard me coming.
“Aiden, stay calm.” I stopped and raised my gun.
“Jackson, I’m scared.”
“I know, baby.” I could have bitten off my tongue, but his safety was more important than what I’d slipped up and called him. Thank fuck, he seemed too terrified for the implication of what I’d said to sink in.
“Close your eyes,” I told him.
“But what if he attacks me?”
“Please trust me, Deni. Close your eyes. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Ever.”
He swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. When he closed his eyes, I aimed at the coyote and pulled back the hammer.
The animal gave a wounded cry and ran off.
“Is it gone?” Aiden asked.
“Yes. You can open your eyes now.”
Aiden blinked, then glanced around. “Jackson!” He ran toward me and threw himself at my chest. I clicked the safety in place, let the gun drop, and held my boy’s trembling body against me.
“You’re all right,” I said. “I told you, I won’t ever let anything hurt you.”
“I was so scared.” A sob choked out of him. He wrapped his arms tight around my neck, so I hugged him back. How his legs reached around my waist next was anyone’s guess. I placed a hand on his ass to support his weight.
“Deni, calm down. You’re okay.”
“I want to go home.” Tears trickled down my neck. “I don’t want to stay here. Please take me home.”
“All right.” Usually, I’d belittle him, call him a wuss for bailing out on day one, but he was shaking too much, and I was still wound up from seeing him as that coyote’s meal.
