Saphora: vol.1 Retention (The Athena Universe) Read Online Free PDF Page A

you.”
    Her head tilted back slightly at the harshness of the words. Hunting? She didn’t know what those words meant in that context. Only she did, but didn’t want to make the connection with what he just said and herself. Not only did she have the urge to run, but charge at him with everything she had in the same instance. She didn’t know which one she should have done first.
    “Don’t understand?” he asked, reaching for his hip, and unhooking a weapon that resembled a gun of some kind.
    Her eyes immediately darted to the previously concealed weapon, wide and cautious. Her arm flinched, as if to protect herself, and then her entire body flinched when hearing and seeing the second half of the tree trunk to her left side slide forward along with the movement of her arm. Both of their heads jerked in its direction, and stared at it in bewilderment. It stopped when she did, its branches still giving off slight movements as a few dozen leaves fell from them. She turned back to look at the man by the name of Tebias, and he turned to look back at her, now in a crouching position. He honestly looked quite scared. Which meant … He didn’t do it. Slowly, he stood straight, and cracked his neck, looking back at the now still tree trunk. He fixed his attire and repositioned the weapon in his hand, clearing his throat.
    “Well that was odd ,” he said with a slight grin.
    She shook her head a bit. He wasn’t going to fool her. This tree… What was she doing to this tree? She turned back to look at it again in wonder, and he cleared his throat again, trying to get her attention.
    “As I was saying. I’m your hunter. I need you to come back with me, or I might have to use this. I spared you this weapon before because you were a child. But it seems I underestimated you ,” he said with a grimace, walking towards her again. She swung her arm out again, staring at the tree. But it did not move. She raised her arm above her head, and still nothing. This made him laugh.
    “What are you doing? Do you think you did that? Obviously the tree just fell a little mor e,” he said, rolling his eyes.
    She stopped her moving and thought about that. It had been in a position where it was susceptible to falling further. Her suspicions died a bit as she thought about the logic behind that. She turned back to look at Tebias, who was beginning to really close the gap between them, making her retreat again.
    “Who are you?” she asked again, having been lost in her thoughts.
    “Why, I just told you. Is your memory really that bad?” he asked in a soft voice.
    “What do you mean, you’re hunting me?” she asked, beginning to feel like she was in a dream. Maybe she had actually fallen unconscious in the tree, and she was now dreaming. It would make sense that she would dream of him, after just talking about him in her session with Dr. Lupin.
    “Just as it sounds. You’re hearing it right ,” he said with a grin, spinning the weapon on his index finger, causing her attention to be drawn to it. And then it was suddenly aimed between her eyes, making them go wide as her body tensed. She was in no dream. Her body would have startled her awake ages ago. No. This was a living nightmare.
    “So are you going to come with me , or am I going to have to use this?”
    “Go where?”
    “That’s none of your concern. It’s a yes or no question.”
    “I think it is my concern.”
    His grip on the weapo n tightened in frustration and she took an uneasy step back, which he followed and then some.
    “Yes or no ,” he repeated, his eyes narrowing while hers darted about. Her heart rate quickened and her frame began to shake again as he waited for her answer, which she knew to be no. Sensing her answer, he shrugged and gave off a look of indifference before speaking.
    “Suit yourself. Such a waste ,” he said before going to pull the trigger. She felt her body pulse with adrenalin as her arms moved to guard her body, and her face buried