Chapter 634. Other Reasons
Jael sat on the rock, listening to the stream as it flowed down the path. The last time he was here, Louis had broken his cheek, and now, a similar situation had occurred though he was the one who did the breaking this time.
He stared into space, unmoving. The past kept haunting him in a way he couldn’t escape. He felt like he couldn’t protect the things he had—not his parents and not Mauve. But at least one of them had survived.
He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. He undid his ponytail and redid it. The hair was completely a nuisance but he knew he would have to cut it soon. It was too bad. He knew she liked it.
Jael was here to get away from his thoughts but they were still creeping up on him. He groaned and took a deep breath. The air had a slight chill to it. Not that he could feel it—at least not in a way that bothered him.
He looked around and froze. Jael smelled something, the smell too familiar and gut-wrenching to forget. He couldn’t see it yet, but his nose told him it wasn’t far away. Jael’s first thought was to seek it out, but he stopped himself.
The creature was keeping itself hidden, and no matter how much he twisted and turned his head, he couldn’t see a thing. There wasn’t much cover around him—just a few trees, rocks, and maybe some stumps. They weren’t enough to provide cover, but somehow he couldn’t see the Paler.
He also wanted to know if the Paler was alone. If it was, there was nothing to worry about. However, considering they were realizing that it was better to hunt with another than alone, he was willing to bet this wasn’t the only Paler. The logical plan would be to step away, but this thought didn’t even cross Jael’s mind. The creature was treating him like prey, and this annoyed him.
He didn’t move from the rock; he just let his eyes do the searching. His body tensed as he prepared to attack. Jael saw it, a small shuffle in the leaves. Anyone else would have assumed it was the wind, but he knew it was right there and stared hard.
It wasn’t even properly covered, its white form sticking out from behind the trees. It was a terrible hunter. Jael scrunched his nose and adjusted, his eyes glowing slightly as he stared hard at the monster. His fangs grew a little as he prepared to attack. He didn’t plan to make the first move. He was going to let the Paler give itself up first.