Skin Walkers: Leto Read Free Page A

that she was being taken into the woods by a stranger that just happened to be some special forces assassin and was built like a brick shit house.
    “Y-you don’t have to carry me.  I can walk.”  If he was going to kill her in the forest, she at least wanted a running chance.
    York didn’t even look at her.  “You have no shoes.”
    She opted for a more direct route, “You could let me go.  I-I haven’t done anything wrong.”  Tears flooded her eyes, “I just want to go home.”
    York kept walking.  “You are safe.  I thought I told you this.  We’ll take you to your ma…”  He didn’t finish the sentence, instead frowned at her before averting his eyes.  It was silent before he emitted a low growl.
    Shy drew in a deep breath.  She was fading fast.  As usual, she was starving.  They weren’t fed often in the Megalya cells and after months of going without nourishment, her body had begun breaking itself down to find nutrients.  She was exhausted from the rescue and the emotional roller coaster she’d been on for the past few hours.  She wanted to laugh at how ludicrous the situation was.  She was alone in the forest with a stranger who had just growled at her and she was too damn tired and weak to care. 
    Letting her head fall against his shoulder she felt his body tense before he inhaled deeply.  He spun slowly and shifted her body so he was able to reach down to his hip and retrieve a pistol before he lifted it straight out in front of him while silently taking a knee.  The action had Shy lifting her head to stare in the direction his weapon was pointed.
    For long minutes she didn’t see or hear anything aside from the rustling of the wind through the pine trees over head.  Then she picked up a low humming sound.  As it got closer she realized it was an approaching vehicle.  Before she ever saw it, York re-holstered his pistol and stood.  When the jeep pulled out of the shadows with its lights off, Shy wondered how the driver was able to maneuver the vehicle through the dark woods, let alone find two bodies hiding in the brush.
    The jeep pulled to a halt and York jerked the back door open before climbing in.  He kept Shy on his lap.  She recognized one of York’s men as the driver.  No words were spoken as they back-tracked for Tito then traversed the mountain side, finding a barely discernible road that led down to the highway and into a small town.
     

Chapter 3
    Shy woke in a tiny motel room.  It smelled of musty carpet and cigarette smoke that had long since seeped into the walls before go ing stale in refusal to disperse.  The bed she slept on was small and a broken spring was jabbing her in the ribs.  It was heaven!  She’d given up hope of ever being freed from the Megalya facility.  Now, her eyes flooded with tears at the simple pleasure of sleeping in a warm room on a mostly soft mattress.  Her stomach grumbled and as she’d done so many nights before she simply ignored it.
    “I’m glad you’re awake.”
    The words pulled her attention to a chair she hadn’t even noticed next to the window.  York’s massive frame barely fit in the weak looking piece of furniture.  He had the curtain pulled back a fraction and was scanning the area. 
    Releasing the curtain he stood and stalked across the room to a table.  Shy’s eyes followed his movement and the instant she saw the bucket of chicken the scent of it hit her and had her stifling a moan of hunger.
    York grabbed the entire bucket and fisted a handful of napkins before crossing to the bed and setting the chicken on Shy’s lap.  “Sorry, it’s the best I can do right now.”
    With trembling fingers s he reached up and grabbed a piece of the still warm, fried chicken and attacked it.  Too hungry to care that she was acting like a starving refugee, she devoured two pieces before she finally looked up and bashfully held the bucket out toward York.
    The behemoth smiled and shook his head before his look