Hunting Tess by Kathryn Summers (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

real game begins. My rear goes numb from sitting on a branch that’s too narrow, but I wanted to get as far up into the tree as safely possible.

The night gradually darkens around me making it near pitch black inside my cocoon. Jerking awake, my heart pounds as my throat painfully constricts from fright. Breathing deeply to calm the new adrenaline rushing through my veins, I’m shocked to discover my head is clear. Shuffling a corner of the blanket out from under me provides a good view of the branches below which no longer wobble like cooked noodles. Cool air rushes inside and seeps into my damp clothing, but the rest of me feels invigorated.

“Alright,” I pep talk, wiggling my arms to shake them loose. I probably look like a chicken but can’t dredge up enough embarrassment to care. I’ll have to listen for any vampires getting too close, but I can finally head south.

Stripping off the blanket makes me gasp. Holy freaking cow it’s cold! The little breeze from before was a trickle of tepid water compared to Niagara Falls leeching all my heat. Move. I have to move. Internally whimpering at the miserable night ahead I wrap the blanket around me as best I can, tucking edges into my clothing where possible before starting the trek down.

As footholds turn to handholds, I’m pretty sure whatever I was injected with messed with my memory because there is no way I remember climbing this high. I’m not even halfway down the tree when yells sound from the direction I started. Instead of pausing, which has proved my nemesis, I push myself to go faster. It feels like an eternity before my feet hit the forest floor, but when they do, I’m off.

Shoeless with only a thin sock to offer protection against the twigs and rocks I’m flying over, there are times I grimace from a sliver or cut. Not because of the pain, my toes are already going numb so I’m sure my feet aren’t far behind. I grimace because it leaves a trail of blood.

Dodging around trees, I glance behind me when a snapping echo fills the night, no longer looking at what’s ahead. Taking a step midair, my feet scramble to find purchase as I tumble head first down a rocky slope. Wrapping my arms over my head I tuck myself into as tight of a ball as possible to minimize damage.

All air is knocked from my lungs on the final drop, dumping me on my back. Clenching my eyes against the pain springing up everywhere skin exists, I wish I could just rest. For ten hours. That’s not too much to ask.

Something wet presses against my face and I jerk, kicking a protruding tree branch and probably breaking a toe.

The dark outline of two cats sit next to my face. Their soft fur brushes against my upper arm and I nearly sob with relief. How the Twins found me I have no idea. But if they’re here, I bet Parker is too.

The closest tabby meows a long pitiful cry while the other sharply chirps as if ordering me to stand. Placing my hand on her head I mutter, “Good kitty.”

Taking a deep breath in, I hold the air while standing to keep from crying out in pain. Soft white feathers float across the rocks lining the twenty-five-foot slope I tumbled down, the inopportune trail ending at my feet. The blanket didn’t make it. Ripped and losing its contents, the piece is nothing more than two bits of fabric sewn together at the shredded edges.

“Well, I’m lucky it wasn’t me,” I say to the cats, holding up the tattered remains. The second one chirps again before taking off into the woods, leaving its relative staring up at me. “Hey, I’m following you.”

Taking off in the silent way cats do, I trail behind and forcefully ignore my body screaming at me to stop. Without the additional layer from the blanket, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep up this pace without frostbite setting in.

Ducking under a massive fallen log that has to be at least five hundred years old reminds me of the creature I’m attempting to escape from. I wonder how long Kleidion has been in this area, and more importantly, how many others he lords over in his coven.

“Tess?” a heavy German accent asks. Twisting my head, I see a man wearing what must be night vision goggles. “Are you Tess? I am a friend.” His looks much better outfitted to endure the evening than my flimsy nightgown. The crossbow in his hand makes him look formidable.

The cats don’t seem to be afraid, so I nod my head. Pressing a receiver on his shoulder he speaks into it, “Ich fand das Mädchen.” Regripping the crossbow, he scans the forest once. “Come. These woods are not safe.”

Not needing to be told twice, I stagger in his direction with the Twins close on my heels. Taking off his puffed jacket to wrap around my shoulders he introduces himself as Ryker. I nearly melt in the warmth of residual body heat before he grips my hand to pull me along. He must think I’m completely blind in the darkness. In order to conserve what little energy I possess I don’t correct him on the assumption.

He continually scans the surrounding trees with that contraption on his head. He must work for The Agency. It’s interesting to know they have European branches as well.

“Wait,” Ryker whispers before actually stopping. I appreciate the gesture since in his mind I can’t see a thing. Narrowing my eyes, I try to separate any unnatural movement from the wind whistling through the trees. It would be better to find high ground since it will be more difficult to fight our way out of this divot.

Straining my ears, I can just make out the nearly silent crunch of leaves beneath a heavy entity. “Someone’s coming, but I can’t tell the direction.”

Handing me a six-inch