Sophie hurried to hide herself behind the tree and some bushes. When she was done, a growling sound just behind her made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She froze in place, wishing she had imagined the sound, but then it came again.
She itched to turn around and see what was behind her, but she doubted that was wise. Slowly, she put one foot in front of the other and walked back toward Gabe, who was facing her with his crossbow aimed and ready.
“Is that a wolf I hear?”
Sophie nodded, still walking slowly. Where there was one wolf, there was sure to be more. Everyone knew wolves traveled in packs.
Gabe caught sight of the glowing yellow eyes of a wolf stalking Sophie, sending a coldness through his limbs. He lifted the crossbow and aimed for the wolf’s head, right between its eyes. The wolf crouched, then launched itself toward Sophie.
Gabe squeezed the metal trigger and the arrow found its mark, slamming the wolf’s head back as it seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion.
Sophie ran toward Gingerbread and pulled herself onto the saddle as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder. Gabe mounted up behind her. “There will be more of them,” she said. “They probably smelled the blood on my arm. I’m sorry, Gabe.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not your fault.” Gabe’s voice sounded gruff to his own ears, but he was shaken to the core that Sophie had come so close to being mauled by a wolf. And they were still in danger. A pack of wolves could pull them from Gingerbread’s back and kill them both in a matter of seconds. And he couldn’t reload his crossbow while on horseback.
He turned his horse around and headed — where? If they went back up the incline they might meet the man who’d been shooting at them. But if they stayed in the ravine, they might come across the wolf pack’s den.
He had no choice. Gabe urged the horse into a gallop to the bottom of the ravine, heading north. He hoped to get to the other side of this mountain and back to the river they had been following. There was always a risk the unknown archer would find them again, but the immediate need was to put more distance between them and the wolves. Gabe had hoped to find a place to bed down for the night, but that didn’t seem likely any time soon.
He resisted the urge to look behind him as he forced Gingerbread to keep up the breakneck speed. He wasn’t sure just how long the horse could continue running, especially after an already long, hard day of riding.
Then he heard the wolves howl.
The sound came from behind them, not very far away. Their only hope was that they were far enough ahead of the wolves that they could outlast them.
The wolves howled again, and Sophie shuddered against him.
The moon and stars were covered by clouds, making Gabe’s eyes burn as he strained to see through the darkness. Though the terrain was treacherous, and Gabe’s aching shoulders made him weary to his bones, he didn’t dare stop.
The ravine was fairly easy to traverse; rocky, but mostly covered in leaves, with trees widely spaced. They were able to make good time, and the next time the wolves howled, they sounded farther away. Thank you, God.
He continued listening for the sound of the wolves’ howls to gauge how far away from them they were. And by the way Sophie was sitting, he could tell she was listening as well. She was depending on him to take care of her. Would his brother be thankful that Gabe had protected his betrothed and brought her to him?
He didn’t care if Valten was thankful or not. Gabe cared about Sophie and would protect her and get her safely to Hagenheim or die trying. It didn’t matter what Valten thought anymore.
After riding for another hour or so, Gabe began searching the terrain for a sheltered spot where they could stop and rest. He hadn’t heard the wolves for a while. He found the river and followed it until he saw a large overhanging rock near the bank. It was sheltered on three sides by trees and was tall enough for Gingerbread to stand under. Gabe gratefully steered the horse toward it.
When he stopped, Sophie lifted her head and turned to look at him. Her hair had come loose from its braid and was tousled, and she had a streak of dried blood, probably from her arm, on her chin. But she was still beautiful, looking up at him with something like surprise and trust in the clear blue depths of her eyes.
His stomach twisted and he forced himself to look away.
“We’ll stop here for the night.”
Gabe dismounted and helped Sophie slide to the ground. Then he began unsaddling Gingerbread. Sophie helped, then rubbed the horse’s face, talking softly to Gingerbread all the while. He heard her tell the big animal, “Thank you for carrying us so far today. You were magnificent.”
Gabe had never felt jealous of his horse, until now. He deserved her praise too, didn’t he? He’d risked his life for her, and she wasn’t even his betrothed.