Chapter 93 Chapter 93
Angelina’s POV
The mountain lion's entire body flew sideways. It crashed into a tree trunk thirty feet away.
The sound of the impact echoed through the clearing. A heavy, final thud.
The mountain lion dropped to the ground. Twitched a few times. Then went still.
The entire clearing fell silent.
Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
I turned to look at Silas. He was standing there with his mouth open. Staring at me.
"Master, you just... you just kicked a two-hundred-pound mountain lion like it was a soccer ball."
"It was attacking you."
"I know but... how did you move that fast? I didn't even see you coming."
I didn't answer. My face expressionless, I just walked toward him.
From the trees, voices started.
Tyler's voice was shaking. "What... the FUCK?!"
A girl was talking to herself. "She just... kicked a two-hundred-pound mountain lion... like it was nothing..."
"Did you see how fast she moved? I couldn't even see her!"
"I blinked and she was just there. Like she teleported."
Silas was still standing there, staring at the dead mountain lion. His hands were shaking.
I grabbed his collar and pulled him close. His eyes went wide.
"You got careless," I said. My voice was low. Cold. "You stabbed it once and thought it was over. That almost got you killed."
Silas's face went pale. "I... I thought—"
"You didn't think. That's the problem." I tightened my grip on his collar. "In a real fight, you don't celebrate until the enemy is completely dead. Not moving. Not breathing. Dead."
"I'm sorry, Master. I fucked up."
"Yes, you did."
His hands were still trembling. "Thank you for saving me."
I let go of his collar. "Get up the tree. Now."
Silas opened his mouth like he wanted to say something. But he looked at my face and shut it immediately.
He turned and ran to the nearest tree. Started climbing fast.
I walked back to where Mia was standing. She was frozen in place, her face pale.
"Aria... how did you..." she started.
"Later." I cut her off. "We need to get higher."
I looked around the clearing. Found the thickest tree near us. The branches were strong. Good for climbing.
"Come on." I grabbed Mia's waist with one hand.
"Wait, what are you—"
I jumped. My hand caught a branch about eight feet up. I pulled us both up easily.
Mia made a small squeaking sound.
I pushed her onto the branch. "Climb higher."
She nodded and started climbing. I followed behind her.
We got about fifteen feet up. High enough to be safe from a ground attack. Low enough to react if needed.
Mia sat on a thick branch, holding on tight. "Oh my god. Oh my god, that was insane."
I leaned against the trunk. Closed my eyes.
Honestly, I didn't care about Zoey and Kai's survival. They'd made stupid choices. That was on them.
I'd only stepped in to test Silas. To see if he actually had the instincts of a warrior.
He didn't. Not yet, anyway.
But he had potential. He'd tried to save Zoey even when he was terrified. That counted for something.
"Hey!" A male voice shouted from another tree. "Why didn't you kick the other one too?"
I didn't open my eyes.
Tyler's voice came next. "Yeah! You said mountain lions can climb! If you can kick them, just kick them all!"
I stayed silent. Leaned against the tree trunk.
A girl's voice cut through the air. Cold. Mocking. "She probably used all her strength on that one kick. Just got lucky."
"Yeah," another voice agreed. "She's just showing off. If she was really that strong, she'd fight both of them."
More voices joined in.
"She didn't even help Zoey when she was on the ground."
"She just stood there and watched."
"Some hero."
I kept my eyes closed. Didn't say a word.
Mia shifted next to me. "Aria, they're—"
"I know." I cut her off quietly. "Don't bother."
In the clearing below, the mountain lion I'd kicked wasn't moving. Dead or unconscious, I couldn't tell from this angle. Didn't matter.
The other mountain lion had finished eating the chicken wings. It lifted its head. Amber eyes scanning the trees.
Looking for its next meal.
Someone in another tree was on their phone. I could hear them talking.
"Yes, we're at Thunder Peak summit campground! There are mountain lions! Send help!"
A pause.
"What? NINETY MINUTES?! We'll freeze to death up here!"
More panicked voices erupted.
"Ninety minutes?"
"Are you fucking serious?"
"We're gonna die up here!"
Zoey was crying again. Loud, ugly sobs. "I want to go home. I want to go home."
Kai was sitting on a branch above her. He didn't say anything. Just stared into the darkness.
Tyler and two other guys were huddled together on a thick branch. They were talking in low voices.
I opened my eyes slightly. Watched them.
"Fuck this," Tyler was saying. "Let's make a run for it."
"That mountain lion is distracted," one of the other guys said. "We can make it to the trail."
"Once we're in the forest, we split up. It can't chase all of us."
They started climbing down. Slow. Careful.
I spoke. My voice cut through the cold air. "Don't."
Tyler stopped halfway down. "What?"
"If you run, you'll die."
Tyler looked up at me. His face twisted into something between fear and anger. "Right. Like you care. You didn't even help Zoey when she was on the ground."
I shrugged. "Your funeral."
Tyler's jaw clenched. "Whatever. I'd rather take my chances running than sitting up here waiting to freeze."
The other two guys climbed down after him. They dropped to the ground. Three of them standing in the clearing.
The mountain lion in the center lifted its head. Stared at them.
But it didn't move.
Tyler crouched low. "See? It's not even—"
A rustling sound came from the trees. Not from one direction. From multiple directions.
Tyler and his friends froze.
The rustling got louder. Then I saw them.
Four massive shapes emerged from the tree line. Four mountain lions.
Each one was bigger than the first two. Easily two hundred and fifty pounds. Maybe more.
Their fur was matted with blood and dirt. Their eyes reflected the firelight. They were hungry.
These weren't rehabilitation center animals. These were real predators.
Tyler and his two friends stood perfectly still. Their faces had gone white.
From the trees, I heard gasps. Someone whispered "oh my god."
Zoey's crying got louder. "We're all gonna die. We're all gonna die."