6. River

"Jeez, River, slow down. What the hell are we running from?" Aaron wheezes next to me, dramatically clutching his chest as we run.

"Sorry, sorry. I kind of got in the zone there." We slow to a jog before pausing. I eye my friend for damage. Aaron broke his leg and only recently got his cast off. Once we changed locations and Aaron's injury wasn't splattered all over the local news, Seven was finally able to use some of his magic to speed up the healing process, but I had no idea what that actually meant. "Are you okay?"

Aaron waves my concern away as he bends over to rest his palms on his knees. "I told you, man, I'm fine," he pants. "But damn, even at my peak, I never ran like that. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you run just as fast as August. And he's a centaur."

"Nope, just your basic human."

As we pause, I take a swig from my water bottle, enjoying the way the cool liquid feels.

"Plus," Aaron continues. "I can't wear myself out; I have a date with a stunning Asian lady tonight."

"Of course you do." The guy really did have a way with women. Sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, fair skin, and confidence for days.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let"s do this." He points at the path ahead.

We jog around the corner, looping back toward the edge of the forest. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He asks.

I avoid eye contact and keep moving. "Nah, maybe next time. Just got a lot on my mind."

Of course, Aaron can read through me. "Your uncle again?"

I sigh. "Yeah." That and the fact I've been checking out another man, and don't know what it means. Not that I actually admit that.

As one of the few humans traveling with the circus, I naturally gravitated to Aaron. We've opened up to each other, especially since his brother, Alyx, fell in love with Aaron's best friend and circus partner, August.

One day, Aaron admitted that August and Alyx are always together, the same way my brother is always with the Ringmaster. Aaron and I might be opposites in many ways, but we also seem to be kindred spirits and have gravitated to each other, making it easy for us to confide in one another.

That familiar hum floats in the air, distracting me from Aaron's words. "Do you hear that?" I ask, cocking my head to the side to try to get a better listen.

"Hear what?"

It's so faint that I almost think I'm going crazy. If it weren"t for the fact Akira heard it last night, I would have thought it was my imagination. "That music, like a soft melody of flutes or something," I reply.

Aaron laughs. "Nah, man. I hear the cheers and children screaming. Maybe you"re hearing one of the carnival games?"

"Yeah, maybe," I mumble, not convinced.

Sure enough, children and families are laughing and calling out in the distance but—

My train of thought stutters to a halt when I see Akira up ahead. His lips are turned down into a frown, something I'm not used to seeing on the man. Even stranger, a part of me has this need to make him smile, but I squash it down.

Without a word, Akira spins on his heel and stalks toward the forest. His abrupt departure has me suspicious and feeling something I don't want to analyze too closely. It has nothing to do with the fact that he didn't even greet me with that ridiculous charming smile, or taunt me, or give me that damn little finger wave of his. Nope.

I narrow my eyes. "What the hell is he up to?"

It's only when Aaron replies that I realize I said anything out loud. "I don't know, Akira isn't usually so serious-looking. Do you think something bad happened?"

My stomach turns uncomfortably, and I find my eyes searching for movement through the trees Akira just disappeared behind. He might rile me up at times, but I wouldn"t want anything horrible to happen to the guy. "I think I'm going to go check on him. See you back at camp, yeah?"

"You sure? I don't mind going with you."

Shaking my head, I clap Aaron on the back. "Nah. You have a date to get ready for."

A slow smile spreads across his face, and I almost laugh. He's such a womanizer. "Alright," he replies. "Text me if you need anything."

Quickly, I jog down the tiny dirt path Akira took. The stunning green forest surrounds me, with lush moss, pine trees, and vines that almost sparkle in the sunlight. Hell, maybe they are sparkling. I remember Indy explaining that Brynn Forest hovers on the edge of Faerie and the human realm.

That beautiful humming plays in the air, and I can't explain it, but I know whatever it is, it's guiding me toward the kitsune. Toward Akira.

A few minutes later, I pause at the opening of a clear meadow. The fresh, crisp air isn't something I'm used to, thanks to living in the city for the past several years.

Akira stands in the middle of the clearing, with his powerful, lean legs spread wide, and his knees bent slightly. He takes one deep breath in, then lets it out on a long exhale. With a speed almost so fast that I miss it, he reaches for his hip, pulls out his sharp dagger, and throws. A blue flame follows in its wake.

I gasp at the same time the blade makes contact with the tree trunk in front of him. My eyes widen. To throw a dagger at that distance means that not only does he have to be strong, but he has to have inhuman strength, too.

Just as quickly, Akira pulls out another dagger and throws it. The blade sinks into the tree trunk just above the first. Then he pulls out a third dagger from some hidden pocket and takes another deep breath as he closes his eyes.

He looks so handsome. So in control of… everything. His posture, his body, his immediate surroundings. This time when he exhales, he spins in a full circle, eyes still closed. He arches his arm back and throws. The dagger slices through the air with a hiss and lands just above the second blade.

And still, he doesn't open his eyes.

My lips part, and my whole body reacts to Akira's sense of dominance. His confidence has my heart speeding up with excitement, while my mind has a hard time believing I'm reacting like this to a man. Again.

There's just something about Akira that lights me up inside. He sets my body on fire.

His eyes finally open as he analyzes his target. The intense look on his face combined with the way he stalks forward to yank his faerie daggers out of the tree makes my cock hard. What would it feel like to see him stalk toward me like that?

So focused on his mission, Akira walks back to the center of the meadow, his muscular thighs eating up the distance. Without any preamble, Akira aims and throws all three daggers into their slotted spots, one after another. Before jogging forward and starting the process over again. And again.

I readjust myself in my shorts, ashamed to admit that the loose material is starting to tent.

Before he can catch me in this compromising position, I sneak away. There's no way in hell Akira would let me live it down if he saw me sporting a boner while watching him throw his daggers. What the hell is wrong with me?

When I'm out of the forest, I glance down at my traitorous body, only to see I'm still turned on. I take a few more laps around the lake, willing my body to calm down.