Chapter 836 Chapter 836
Shoving his foot into his boot, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Footwear didn’t get enough appreciation. Standing up, he looked down at the track pants. They’d do for now. Putting his coat on, he pulled his small pack out of the bag and got out his phone. “I just need to check in and then I’ll head back to my ride and be out of your hair.”
She didn’t say anything; she just checked all around them. She was alert, and in his experience, that came from training or fear. He suspected hers was hard learned. He needed to find out more details about her, but she made it obvious she wasn’t into polite chatting. Bringing up Devin Addison’s number, he hit dial and put his pack back into his bag. Pulling out a protein bar, he offered it to her.
She looked at it like he was offering her dirt but still took it.
“Uri.”
He straightened at the sound of the prince’s voice. “Sir. I’m here.”
“Have you had a chance to check out the house?”
“Briefly. I ran into some trouble.” He looked at her when he said it, but that wasn’t what he meant.
“Is everything all right?”
Reaching inside his jacket, he touched his shoulder and felt the wetness. It was still bleeding. “I was shot. Clipped in the shoulder.”
“Do you need the helicopter?”
He heard voices in the background and wondered if he was on speaker. “No, sir.” He shook his head. “I’m all right.”
“Who shot you? Kenric?”
He looked around. “Pretty sure it was just some idiots in the bush trying to hunt.”
She scoffed and then took a bite of the bar.
“I just need a day to let it close up, and then I’ll be back on track. I can do some distant observations while I heal a bit.”
“Are you sure? We can send some backup.”
He watched her pause and look to the South.
“Let me get a good look around and if needed I’ll call one of my team in. I don’t want to take any of the others away from their tasks.”
More talking in the background. “You check in often. Lay low until you’re able to shift again.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Devin hung up.
He glanced at her and brought up Tait’s number. It wouldn’t hurt to check in with his team, they were all over the map right now. He typed fast. What’s your status? He looked to see her watching him intently. “I’m just checking on my team.” The look on her face was pure skepticism. Getting more info from her was going to be a hard task.
Doing a lot of nothing. Tait sent back.
I’m going to be out for a day. Check in on the team and let me know how they are.
You good? Came back right away.
He sighed and replied, yeah. Spotty reception. There was no need to worry anyone.
Got it. Shout if you need me. I’m bored.
I will. Turning off his phone, he put it in his pocket and got out another bar. He needed real sustenance, but that would have to wait. Holding the wrapper between his teeth, he pulled out some juice and offered it to her.
She took it and looked at his bag. “You travel with a store in your bag?”
Taking the bar out of his mouth, he grinned. “I have cases of it in my vehicle.”
She looked at the bottle. “Why?”
He took a bite before answering. “We’ve been finding lost clans and rescuing clans for months now, so I like to be prepared.”
She checked the area and then took a drink.
In the last year, he’d come to recognize a lot of different things he’d never really noticed before. One of them was the look on a person’s face that had been doing without for a long time and then when they took that first bite or drink—you could see the satisfaction on their face that came close to a euphoric reaction. “Are you traveling alone or with clan?”
The cold look returned in her eyes when he’d said clan. That wasn’t good.
“Right now, I’m alone. I was out for supplies.”
He looked at the tracksuit. It wasn’t the right size for her, so he was guessing someone close to the size of a young teen or small adult had been the reason for it. He nodded and took another bite. He winced when he moved his arm. “Well, if you’re not in a big hurry, I’d like to get back to my vehicle and give you some supplies.” He looked at her worn clothes. “Maybe some blankets.” He waved his hand around. “As a thank you for hauling me out of the water.”
She stopped moving and just stood there looking at him. “You didn’t tell them about me on the phone. Why?”
“I gather Intel and then report back. I don’t know your name. Other than you’re a good swimmer, I have no Intel to share. I help rescue others, and you don’t seem to need it.”
She snorted. “I don’t.”
He studied her while she took another bite and drank. She didn’t need saving, but someone did. “So, how about it? Follow me to my ride and grab some supplies?”
She capped the plastic bottle and stuffed it in her pocket. She came toward him, and his brain screamed danger, but that was a normal flier reaction. She stopped within reach, grabbed the collar of his coat, and yanked it open. He looked down to see the blood on the sweatshirt.
“Do you have medical supplies in your car? You need to clot the bleeding, or it will take longer to get back in the air.” She released his coat and stepped back.
“Yes, I do.” He had them in the bag by his feet, but if he had to lose a little more blood to get her to come with him, it would be worth it.
She looked around and then motioned. “I’ll come with you and make sure you get there.” She looked around. “And then you can move on to where you should be.”
He nodded and picked up his bag. He was where he should be, but now his objective was temporarily deviated because he had to know why she didn’t want him in this area.