While their bickering went on, Christian had reached the deepness of the woods. He was hiking, looking for the perfect spot to tranquilize his mind. The moment he asserted Kira that she was going to see less of him brought an uneasy pang he hadn't felt in a very long period of time. Not since... he did not allow himself to dive into those memories. Despite the fact that he controlled his beast far easier than the rest of the guys, ire could still break his willpower.
Christian threw a cursory look around – nothing but trees basically, sundown, peace and serenity. To his own surprise he managed to keep down his "Mr. Hyde" up to this point. His Commander will be very pissed off once Christian would return but just for this couple of hours he didn't wish to care at all about anybody's opinion. Perhaps, releasing his Sciromen did not sound like a stupid idea. Christian took a big gulp of air but abruptly stopped...
At the last moment his ear intercepted some sort of panting a few miles north from his position. He ran in its direction, tracking down the source of the human breathing. Therks ran much faster than the average human being, even faster than automobiles. Of course, they could not show it in the eyes of the native locals unless they wanted to expose themselves on now abnormal they were. Just like the citizens of Pacific Falls they had to use simple means of transportation, like cars or buses to avoid unnecessary attention. But it was safe to unleash Therk speed in the forest.
Christian froze as soon as his sharp vision caught sight of a young girl, clambering on tall spruce with great difficulty. There was a ten metre distance between them. The girl had already mounted ten feet. Christian shook his head, thinking how stupid these humans were. The teenage girl, on the other hand, was totally oblivious to his presence until he finally spoke.
'What are you doing?'
His voice startled the girl, making her foot miss a branch, whereas she lost balance, tripping off the tree. Christian's reflexes worked their way, catching the girl in time. It took her a few seconds to relax her senses and examine the stunning stranger, holding her. She gaped at his unusually beautiful complexion, long chestnut hair till his shoulder, eyes black as the night hiding mysterious secrets behind them. He stared back at her small pale face with a smoldering look. She had wavy auburn hair.
'What were you doing up there?' he asked.
'I was...' words had failed her. She was dumbstruck by his unbelievable attractiveness.
Christian sighed in irritation and let her down.
'Do you realize how late it is? It's not safe to be here, especially for helpless little girls. The big bad wolf might be around,' he jeered.
'I'm not helpless,' objected the girl, regaining her senses. 'I had it perfectly under control until you showed up.'
'Oh yeah, the way you climbed up that tree, I can totally tell you're a pro,' he snorted. 'Even the fall was nice.'
'It's my own business why I was up there. What are you doing here yourself? You're dressed in simple clothes to be hiking here.'
Simple? Christian mused, lifting an eyebrow. Jeans, black T-shirt and a leather jacket did not look simple on him. No girl could resist his charms.
'First of all, "simple" is not my style,' he said cockishly. 'And second, I'm not exactly hiking.'
'Then what?' Curiosity piqued on the girl's expression.
'Look, just leave here. It's not safe, okay?'
Christian turned his back to her and started pacing.
'I'm Lauren, by the way. What's your name?'
