Page 75 of Condemned By Betrayal
He looks up from his laptop screen, his expression calm. “I know a few exercises you love.”
I purse my lips. “You know that pickup line is even older than you, which makes it automatically ancient.”
He closes his laptop, sets it on the table, and leans back into the couch. “You know too well that it makes me hard when you call me old.”
It hasn’t even been two full days since I started playing nice with this man, and so far he’s run his mouth filthy at every chance he’s gotten.
I put on a fake smile. “Why don’t we go for a run?”
He rises from the couch. “It’s your least favorite one. Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes and walk to the door. He follows me to the front door, and we put on our shoes and jackets. He presses his thumb to the lock, then it scans his eyes, and the door unlocks.
He opens it for me to exit. I step out, and he closes the door behind us.
As we start walking, I stop. “Wait, I forgot water.”
We turn back toward the house. He opens the door. I walk inside, fill a bottle with water from the kitchen, and come back out.
We walk in silence for a few minutes along the forest path.
“Hunter,” I break the silence, calling his attention. “If given the choice, what animal would you like to become?”
“Why would I become an animal?” comes his answer.
“You know, a shifter.”
He looks at me in confusion.
My eyes go wide. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of shifters.”
“I don’t.”
My feet pause for a beat, in shock. “Are you for real? Who doesn’t know about shifters? You’ve never even heard of werewolves?”
“No.”
I sigh. “Shifters are humans who can transform into different forms. They can become wolves, bears, dragons, lions, or other supernatural creatures.”
“What kind of shifter would you like to become?” he asks.
“Umm... a dragon. I love the concept of dragon shifters. They’re massive and powerful, and they can fly.”
“Then I’ll also become a dragon.”
I laugh at his answer. “If I said I’d like to become an ant, you’d want to become an ant too. That’s—”
“Yes.” He cuts me off. I stare at him with my mouth still open. We both stop dead as he continues, looking straight into my soul. “If you decide to become a moth, I’ll become the moth. If you decide to become a ghost, I’ll become a ghost. I’ll become whatever you become. I don’t have a choice in it, that’s the only way I can exist.”
I pull my eyes away from the grip of his gaze and resume walking. We both stay silent after that.
After walking a few more minutes, I start to run. He does the same, keeping at my pace.
It won’t work, I need him drained, not me. At this pace, he could go for hours without tiring, while I’ll be bone-deep exhausted.
I stop, panting.
Fuck. My stamina is worse than I thought.
