Bolt

14

Kara turned back, ripped off the piece of paper from the notebook, then handed it back to Bolt. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Bolt felt weak being held by her ocean blues.

“Thank you,” Kara said.

Bolt smiled, feeling heat bloom in his face.

She immediately turned back to the team and held out the sheet of paper.

“I’m going to be leading you to where the gem is,” Kara proclaimed. “Please follow me for the remainder of the trip.”

Without looking at Bolt again, she trekked forward. The team looked bewildered but decided to follow their leader. They were probably used to doing just that anyway.

Bolt felt a hole in his chest, which felt a lot like a disappointment. Elle came up to him and touched his wrist.

“That was thoughtful,” Elle whispered.

Bolt shrugged in response, not really knowing what to say.

“I know she’s used to leading. But I have a mission to complete, too,” he said.

Elle nodded, then averted her eyes. Bolt felt that shiver of disappointment run through his body once again.

Elle took her place at the front of the line with Kara. Bolt let himself linger at the back.

They walked through heavy snow mounds and braced themselves against cold wind blasts. The entire time, Bolt was paying attention to the people who might be following them. He didn’t want to be caught off guard in some kind of ambush.

Bolt also desperately wanted to keep the fact that he was a shifter from the others. If he had to, he would turn and defend them properly. But a lot of people didn’t exactly place shifters in the best light. Especially since Kara didn’t seem to trust him, even after showing her that he wanted to trust her.

The softer, more sentimental part of him wanted to get to know Kara and to feel for her defensive nature. He had been hopeful that she would come over to his side, but she hadn’t. It made him angry and hurt.

He wasn’t there to make friends. That was what made him so good at his mission. He could focus on the task at hand and not get too emotionally involved in everything.

He scolded himself as they moved through the snow. It was falling harder, and Kara announced that everyone should pile into an indenture in the rock to wait for the storm to pass.

Bolt stood under the opening of the shallow cave. The sky was purple and blue like the aftershock of a bruise. He watched as the clouds moved around each other, spurts of snowflakes exploding from their mouths.

Elle walked up to him and gave him a grin. He was surprised to see her and smiled too.

“How are you doing?” Elle asked, pulling up the collar of her coat.

Was this a way of her reaching out to him? To show him her trust rather than Kara’s?

As usual, Bolt played it safe. He had been in prison too long to start trusting people so quickly. He told himself this anyway.

“As good as any mercenary can be,” he said sarcastically.

Elle nodded, then looked up at the sky.

“She’s been through a lot, you know,” Elle said.

Bolt frowned.

“Her family doesn’t think much of her, despite all of her accomplishments,” Elle continued. “She’s always lived within the shadow of someone else’s success. Nothing she’s done is good enough.”

Bolt sighed. He figured there was something in her life that made her convictions so strong. But Bolt’s convictions were strong as well, which made the concept of his attraction to her all the more valid.

“That’s unfortunate,” Bolt replied.

Elle stared off into the sky, snowflakes glittering her hair with wet dew. She turned to him once again before turning back to Kara.

“It takes time for her to trust,” Elle said. “Maybe just keep that in the back of your mind.”

Elle stepped away from him and returned to the shelter. Bolt was left speechless, once again fighting between emotions and practicality.

After several minutes, Kara ordered the group out again. From Bolt’s calculations, they weren’t too far from the gem. He thought that it would be best to stay away from Kara for now and not cause another ruckus. He had no doubt Kara knew where she was going if she was as familiar with the region as she said she was. Especially if she had seen the same aerial imagery he had.

He walked forward into the snow, focusing on his breath and fantasizing about life beyond these missions and beyond the horrible life in the prison.

KARA

She walked in long, quick strides at the front of the group. She was setting a hard pace, but she didn’t care. She needed to work off her anger, and getting to their destination quicker was better for everyone.

She tried to stay sensitive to the needs of her companions and looked over her shoulder frequently to make sure they were keeping up. As she settled into her thoughts, though, she found all else but Bolt fading from her mind.

She couldn’t help it. He had found a kind of anger in her she had never known. No matter how fast she walked or how she stretched her legs, all she could think about was how he interfered with her mission and had stolen her pride.

She knew this was her stubborn streak kicking in. She always wanted to prove herself in any situation, and the strength of her reaction was unreasonable. He had saved her life.

As if I need saving! She thought. I would have gotten my s**t together and run before the cave finally caved in. I had everything under control. Now he’s going to think he’s all that, and a bag of chips, for saving me!

She glanced back and saw Razia, Hashmat, and Elle walking together a short way behind her. Even farther back, she could only just make out Bolt. He loomed like a shadow behind them, moving slowly and fluidly, checking out the surrounding area with sweeping glances.

As her thoughts began to turn to how handsome and powerful he looked, she flipped around to the front and again set off with speed. She would not look at him. She had never been so confused in all her life. He stirred things in her she had never known existed, and she was drawn to his power. None of that mattered, though, not in the face of her pride.

He does not have power over me!