Chapter 3

Caleb stood up. He didn't seem to feel the cold or the mud. He just stood there, every inch of him on display, completely unselfconscious.

Cora averted her eyes, her face burning. "I am not yours," she snapped, clutching the remnants of her dignity. "I'm not an object. I'm a person."

Caleb looked down at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He didn't argue. He just turned and walked over to the massive corpse of the tiger beast.

He grabbed one of its hind legs with one hand. The beast had to weigh several tons. Caleb's back muscles bunched and flexed. With a heave that sent dirt flying, he dragged the entire carcass across the clearing. His feet dug trenches into the soil as he pulled it effortlessly toward Cora.

She swallowed hard, watching the display of impossible strength. The man had just dragged a monster the size of a truck like it was a heavy suitcase. Arguing with him about human rights seemed suddenly very pointless.

He dropped the leg and walked back to her. He crouched down, turning his back to her. "Get on," he ordered.

Cora stared at his broad back. "I can walk."

"On," he repeated, more firmly this time.

She hesitated. The idea of pressing her body against his naked back was mortifying. But the look he threw over his shoulder told her he wasn't asking.

Before she could make a decision, he reached back. One long arm wrapped around her waist. The world spun. She found herself slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, her stomach pressing into the hard muscle of his deltoid.

"Put me down!" she shrieked, pounding her fists against his back. It felt like hitting a wall of iron.

Caleb just chuckled. The vibration rumbled through her body. He grabbed the tiger's leg again with his free hand and started walking.

The jostling motion was making her nauseous. She kicked her legs, but he held her secure. "Let me go! I have rights!"

Her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud, embarrassing growl.

Caleb stopped walking. He turned his head slightly, his cheek brushing against her hip. "You are hungry."

It wasn't a question. The annoyance in his voice was obvious, but it was directed at himself. He was angry that he hadn't fed her yet.

"I want cooked food," Cora said quickly, seeing an opportunity. "Not raw meat. Cooked. Over a fire."

Caleb frowned. "Cooked?"

"Yes. Fire. Heat. No blood." She mimed roasting a marshmallow, feeling ridiculous. Her stomach cramped again, a sharp reminder of how long it had been since she'd eaten. She thought of the trail mix and dried mangoes she'd packed for Yosemite-probably still in her daypack, wherever that had ended up. She hadn't seen it since she'd opened her eyes in this nightmare. Maybe a beast had dragged it off. Maybe it was still lying in the ferns where she'd first fallen. Either way, it might as well have been on the moon. "And fruit," she added, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "Something sweet. Do you have fruit here?"

Caleb filed the request away with the same grave seriousness as a battle plan. He stared at her for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "Cooked. Fruit. "

He dropped the tiger leg and adjusted her on his shoulder, securing her with both arms. Then he started running.

The forest blurred past them. He moved at an inhuman speed, leaping over fallen logs and dodging trees with a grace that belied his size. The wind whipped Cora's hair into her face. She had no choice but to wrap her arms tightly around his neck to keep from bouncing off.

As they neared the tree line, the dense canopy began to thin. Caleb slowed his breakneck pace. Without missing a stride, he stooped and seized the tiger's hind leg in his free hand. The enormous carcass lurched forward, gouging a deep furrow through the ferns and undergrowth as he dragged it the final stretch.

The trees began to thin. The smell of woodsmoke hit her nostrils.

They emerged from the forest onto a rocky plateau. Ahead of them, built into the side of a cliff, was a sprawling camp. It looked like something out of a fantasy movie. Huge tents made of animal skins, bonfires, and rough-hewn wooden structures.

Standing guard at the main gate were two men. They were bare-chested, wearing only loincloths and covered in tribal tattoos. They held long spears.

One of them, a man with a sharp, hooked nose, stepped forward. His eyes widened when he saw Caleb, then nearly popped out of his head when they landed on Cora draped over his shoulder.

"Halt!" the guard barked, though his voice wavered. "Toll for entry, wanderer. Leave the beast and the female."

His eyes roved over Cora's legs and the curve of her waist with a greedy, lecherous hunger.

Caleb didn't even slow down. The temperature around them dropped. The killing intent that rolled off him was so thick Cora could taste it.

He didn't put her down. He didn't stop running.

He just kicked out.

His foot connected with the guard's chest. There was a sickening crunch of ribs. The guard didn't even scream; the air was knocked out of his lungs too fast. He flew backward like a missile, crashing through the heavy wooden gates and skidding across the dirt road inside.

The camp went silent.

Hundreds of eyes turned toward the entrance. Several guards raised their spears, ready to swarm the intruder. "Hold!" a raspy voice echoed. An elder covered in gray furs stepped out from a large tent. His sharp eyes darted from the broken gate to Caleb, and finally settled on the massive carcass trailing behind him. A Fourth-Tier beast. The elder swallowed hard, raising a hand to signal the guards to stand down. A battle here would cost too many lives. Seeing the path clear, Caleb walked through the shattered gates, carrying Cora and dragging the massive tiger carcass behind him like a king entering a peasant village.

Cora looked around. Every male in the camp was staring at her. Their eyes were wide, hungry, and predatory. Some were licking their lips. Others were clenching their fists.

She closed her eyes and buried her face in Caleb's back, a cold knot of dread settling in her stomach. She had just entered a village full of wild beasts, and she was the only piece of fresh meat.