Stormy Glenn Dark Court 1 Dark S

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"Up or down, Gunny?" Zack asked when they got the edge of the forest.
"Over," Gunny said, pointing up over the mountain.
Zack glanced up the steep hill, his heart sinking. Eljin would never make it up
the steep slope of the mountain. He glanced down toward the valley, seeing the smoke
still rising from Gunny's burning house.
"Are you sure that's the only way?"
"We can always head into the forest and most likely lose them but the waterfall is
up and over." Gunny pointed up the side of the mountain again. "Eljin said that would
be the best place to breach the veil between our two worlds."
"Just remember that Eljin can't move as fast as we can," Zack said. "I'm not
putting him or the baby in any more danger than they are already in."
"I can make it," Eljin insisted.
"I have no doubt that you can, but we have to be careful. If you slipped or fell or
got over exhausted it could hurt the baby."
"But, Zack "
"We'll go but you have to promise me you'll tell me if you get too tired."
Eljin rolled his eyes. "I'm stronger than I look, Zack. You have to stop treating me
like spun glass."
Zack chuckled. "Not going to happen, hummingbird."
"Can we just go?" Eljin asked. "I promise to let you know if I get tired."
Zane took a deep breath then grabbed Eljin's hand, pulling him along beside
him. Gunny said the waterfall was only ten miles away. Ten miles felt like a whole lot
more when walking up the side of a mountain. Zack doubted they'd reach the waterfall
before dark.
They made slow progress. Zack concentrated on getting Eljin up the mountain
and let Doc and Rocky bring up the rear. They needed to hide the direction they went,
covering their tracks and protecting them from behind.
About halfway up the steep incline, Eljin suddenly stopped, yanking on Zack's
hand. Zack turned back to look at him. "Eljin, what's wrong?"
Eljin had a hand over his mouth. His gaze darted left and right before he leapt to
the side of the small trail and lost whatever was in his stomach.
Zack dropped the backpack, opened one of the pouches and grabbed a small
cloth and a canteen of water. He wet the cloth then quickly crossed over to squat down
next to Eljin, holding his hair back out of the way as the man threw up.
Once Eljin seemed to calm a little, Zack handed him the cloth to wipe his mouth
then offered the canteen. Eljin took several swigs, swishing the water around in his
mouth before spitting it out. His face looked pale when he looked over at Zack, his lips
turned down in a grimace.
"How are you feeling, hummingbird?" Zack asked as he took the canteen and
cloth from Eljin.
"Like crap but I'll be okay."
"Do you need to rest?"
Eljin glanced up the side of the mountain then shook his head. "No, let's get
farther up the mountain first."
"How about if I carry you for a little while, just until you feel better? You can rest
and we can still get up the mountain."
Eljin's eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. "Are you nuts? You can't carry me
and that backpack. That thing has to weigh at least eighty pounds and I'm well over a
hundred. You'd never make it."
Zack knew Eljin was right. He glanced over his shoulder at the backpack,
chuckling softly when he saw Rocky, Doc, and Gunny dividing the bag's contents
between the three of them.
He looked back to Eljin and grinned. "Not a problem, hummingbird."
Eljin looked like he might protest for a moment but then shook his head, a small
smile on his face. He stood and held his arms out. Zack carefully grabbed him and
picked him up, cradling him close to his chest.
"Ah, hell, hummingbird, I think you weigh less than the backpack."
"Funny."
Zack chuckled and started up the hill once again. He'd have to make sure he
thanked the guys for taking on his load without question. They'd always been close;
fighting together tended to form nearly unbreakable bonds. You had to trust the person
guarding your back when out in the field. He just never considered that bond might
extend to his personal life.
Their trek up the mountain moved a lot quicker with Eljin cradled in Zack's
arms. It also created less work for Rocky and Doc. As military men, all of them were
trained not to leave a trail. They knew where to step so they didn't leave a trace and
how to move quietly through most any terrain. Eljin did not.
They reached the summit of the mountain just as the sun started to set. It'd taken
them longer than Zack had anticipated because they'd needed to stop a few times so
that Eljin could throw up.
Zack knew the situation was taxing on the man. How could it not be? They were
on the run for their lives. Even Zack's nerves were pretty frayed and he wasn't
pregnant.
But Eljin didn't complain. His face was pale white by the time Zack set him on
his feet, his lips thinned into a tight line. Zack held onto Eljin's arm when the man
swayed a bit.
"Eljin?" Zack said, afraid he'd pushed himself too hard.
Eljin waved him away and walked over to sit on a fallen log. "I'm fine, just tired
and hungry." He pointed toward the backpacks that Gunny, Rocky, and Doc were
pulling off their shoulders. "I don't suppose you have a gourmet meal in there
somewhere, do you?"
"Uh, no," Doc said as he glanced over, "but would beef jerky and crackers do?"
"Hell, at this point I'd eat a shoe." Eljin rubbed his stomach. "We're starving."
Doc dug around in the backpack for a moment before producing a bag of beef
jerky, some dried fruit, and a package of crackers. Eljin practically leapt at them,
grabbing them away from Doc and carrying them back over to his log.
Eljin's deep, satisfied sounding groan made Zack squirm. The sound reminded
him of the moans the man made during sex. Zack suddenly wished they were alone.
His cock throbbed in his pants. Not a good thing when surrounded by other people or
on the run from madmen.
Zack walked over and sat on the ground next to Eljin. "Going to share?" he
asked, holding out his hand. Eljin's eyes narrowed but he held out a cracker. Zack kept
his eyes on Eljin as he leaned over and bit the cracker out of his hand.
Eljin's soft laughter was a boon to Zack's soul. It wrapped around him, making
him feel warm and content. He grabbed Eljin's hand, and before he could pull back, he
yanked the man down into his arms, sitting him between his legs and dragging him
back against his chest.
Eljin continued to share his meal, offering up a cracker or a bit of beef jerky in
between bites for himself until every piece of food was gone. Zack had one last item for
Eljin. He didn't know much about pregnant men but he'd met a couple of pregnant
women in his time.
"Hey Doc, want to toss me that little brown bag you have in your pack?"
Doc nodded, his mouth full of crackers, and reached into his backpack. He
pulled out the paper sack and tossed it over. Zack caught it and reached inside for his
secret weapon. "Here, hummingbird, your dessert."
"Oh my God!" Eljin exclaimed. "Chocolate!" He eagerly reached for the small
piece of chocolate and shoved it into his mouth in one bite. He groaned loudly, his eyes
closed, and a look that could only be described as one of pure ecstasy came over his
face.
Score one for Zack!
Chapter Seven [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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