Tristan exhaled. “Yes, those were my father’s men. But I did not want them to see you.”
“Why not? You could have simply told them you brought me hunting with you. There was no need to hide me.”
Tristan pursed his lips together. “I wanted to keep you hidden. For your safety.”
“For my safety?” Scarlet’s mouth fell open. “Then why do we bother hunting together at all? If I am not safe hunting with you, then I may as well hunt on my own. You baffle me, hunter. You beg and plead to accompany me on my hunts, claiming your presence will protect me, but it does not.”
“You don’t understand.” Tristan rubbed his jaw.
”Did you keep me hidden because I am poor?”
Tristan dropped his hand. “Of course not.”
“Because I am dirty?”
He glared at her.
“Because I am small?” She raised her voice. “Because I am a girl? Because you are embarrassed to be seen with—”
“Because you are beautiful!” Tristan shouted, frustrated with how much he cared for the dark-haired girl standing before him. “You are young, and unmarried, and striking,” he explained. “I do not want large groups of men knowing there is a beautiful girl running around the eastern woods on her own. I can keep you from being arrested, but I cannot keep you safe from all other evils. And I cannot be here at all times to protect—”
“Hunter,” Scarlet said, her face flushed. “I am not yours to protect. You do not need to burden yourself with my safety.”
“Burden?” Tristan stared at her for a moment, wishing it was that simple. His mouth fell open. “I wantto protect you.”
Scarlet blinked. “Why?”
Tristan inhaled slowly. “Because you are worth protecting.”
Scarlet looked at the ground, keeping her eyes and her blushing face away from him.
Tristan stared at her downcast eyes, his heart clenching with an unfamiliar emotion. Love.
He was in love with the girl thief.
He was a fool after all.
23
Gabriel arrived home from school just in time to see Scarlet walking out from the back of the cabin and heading for her car.
“Hey,” Gabriel said to Scarlet as she neared. “Why were you behind the cabin?”
Scarlet looked up at him. “I was shooting arrows. With Tristan.”
She said it casually. Like she hadn’t just been hanging out with the one and only person that could kill her with his proximity.
She smiled at Gabriel. “How was your history thing?”
Gabriel stared at the side of the cabin for a long moment, not sure if he was mad at Scarlet or Tristan. “Boring. Pointless.”
Tristan. He was mad at Tristan.
Scarlet twisted her lips sympathetically. “Sorry.” She absently kissed his cheek and continued walking to her car.
“Are you leaving?” He followed her with his eyes.
Scarlet turned around. “Yeah. I promised Heather I’d hang out after school. See you later?” She gave him a small smile.
Gabriel nodded. “Later.”
After Scarlet climbed into her car and started the engine, Gabriel marched to the back of the cabin.
Tristan had just drawn a fresh arrow when Gabriel turned the corner.
“Uh, what just happened?” Gabriel stood between Tristan and the back porch.
“Don’t start, Gabe.” Tristan let the arrow sail.
“What part of ‘stay away from Scarlet’ don’t you understand?”
Tristan scowled and lowered his bow. “The part that makes you sound like an overprotective guard dog.”
“I have a reason to be overprotective.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “I didn’t touch her, so you can relax.”
“Relax?” Gabriel was incredulous. “I haven’t been able to relax for centuries. How am I supposed to relax when you’re always lurking around, making Scarlet worse?”
Tristan walked to the side of the cabin and set his bow against the wall. “She came to me, asking for answers. What was I supposed to do? Banish her from my presence?”
Gabriel crossed his arms, slightly hurt that Scarlet asked Tristan for answers instead of him. “Well, you certainly weren’t supposed to give her archery lessons and pretend like you’re not trying to make her remember you.”
Tristan raised a brow. “Now you sound insane.”
“Do I?” Gabriel stepped forward. “You miss her. You love her. I get it.” He shook his head. “I really do.” Pressing his lips together, he inhaled deeply. “But you can’t ask her to love you back.”
Tristan said nothing.
Gabriel lowered his voice. “Asking her to love you back is the same as asking her to die.” He paused. “Don’t ask her to die for you.”
Whistling wind flew past the porch, wrapping around Gabriel and shooting out into the forest.
Tristan looked to the trees for a moment, before staring back at Gabriel with a tight jaw.
Gabriel said, “You’re not safe—”
“I know.”
“Then act like it.”
Tristan narrowed his eyes and shrugged. “What do you want me to do, Gabe? Wear a shock collar that paralyzes me when I come within five feet of her?”
Actually, yes.
“Of course not,” Gabriel said.
“Then what?” Tristan stepped forward. “What do you want from me?”
Gabriel thought for a moment. He knew what he wanted. He just didn’t know if it was fair for Tristan.
But, then again, Tristan wasn’t the person he was trying to keep alive.
Gabriel inhaled. “I want you far away from Scarlet so she won’t be curious enough to get herself killed.”
It was unfair, asking Tristan to leave. Asking Tristan to put himself through horrendous pain by being away from Scarlet.
But it was the safest way to keep her alive. Would Gabriel regret it?
Maybe. Probably.
Did it matter?
No.
Turning to head up the porch stairs, Gabriel didn’t look back when he said, “I want you gone.”
Scarlet drove to Heather’s house as the afternoon sun began to dip behind the tree line. She was grateful Heather had asked her to come over—she needed some distance from a certain green-eyed Archer.
She bit her lip, torn by her feelings. Every time she was around Tristan, her heart went wild and her soul came alive. When she felt his sadness, it hurt her heart. When she felt his guilt, she wanted to kiss it away. And when she felt his desire….
Well, she wanted to do a lot more than kiss him.
Tristan was a beautiful, broken enigma and she wanted to piece him back together one touch at a time.
I am the worst girlfriend ever.