Chapter 8
The Hunter's Awakening
Dawn didn't arrive with sunlight in the underground shelter, but with the impersonal hum of fluorescent lights that flickered on automatically at six in the morning. Esperanza woke with a jolt, her heart hammering against her ribs. For a second, she didn't know where she was, but the solid, warm weight across her waist anchored her to reality.
Silas was still there.
He hadn't moved, but he was awake. His gray eyes, now clear and frigid, were fixed on the concrete ceiling. His arm encircled Esperanza with a possessiveness that hadn't diminished during sleep. She could feel the vibration in his chest when he finally spoke, a baritone voice that resonated in her very bones.
"You had nightmares," he said. It wasn't a question.
"I dreamed of the wood
