Surviving Passion Read Online Free PDF

where I live. As for me, my mom died when I was born and my dad died about seven years ago. I have no siblings.” It seemed he had nothing more to add. “What about you?”
    Selena blanched. There was no reason to lie, but she didn’t want to share information about herself with him. She would have to play by the rules of her own game, for now.
    “My mother died ten years ago and my father died four years ago. I have no siblings either.”
    “How did they die?” he asked.
    She tried not to look bothered by fact that she was the one being scrutinized and answered with as little emotion as possible. “My mother died of cancer and my father was murdered.”
    “By who?” he pressed.
    Selena pursed her lips. “A few strange men wanted his supplies and they thought he was hiding something. They couldn’t beat it out of him so they killed him.”
    “ Was he hiding something?”
    “Yes. Me,” she answered, almost glaring but fighting the urge. “How did your dad die?”
    “Ask me another time,” came his guarded response. “Were the two of you alone?”
    “Yes.”
    He nodded with a look of mingled regret and disapproval before turning to continue on their course.
    “What?” she demanded with annoyance.
    “It’s easy for things like that to happen if you’re alone.”
    “I guess that’s true,” she forced herself to say. The point was not to argue, but to make him ease his vigilance so she could slip away. As it turned out, she didn’t have long to wait.
    As twilight fell, she found her opportunity for escape. They had made camp an hour before sunset, not far from a stream. The horses had drank their fill and been relieved of their burdens.
    Selena sat down at the foot of a tree, leaning against its trunk. She wasn’t sure why he headed back to the river, but it was near enough that he shouldn’t think he had cause to worry. She kept her eyes on him as she crept to his pack and searched for her dagger. Within moments, she found it and returned the blade back to its rightful spot.
    The light was just low enough that the shadows could conceal her; and redwood trees grew in increasing thickness along the hill, providing possible cover. The spongy duff beneath them had always been good at muffling sound. Without wasting a moment, Selena grabbed her things and crouched low, sneaking swiftly toward the denser forest. As soon as she felt she was out of earshot, she zigzagged through the woods at a good speed, trying not to disturb the ground with her footfalls.
    Weaving a path up the hill as randomly as possible, she reached the top in minutes, halting at the base of one of the larger trees. Ears straining over her thumping heart in the growing darkness, she listened for his pursuit. If he managed to track her through redwood duff when she wore such soft shoes, then maybe he deserved to catch her, she thought grimly.
    Minutes passed like hours and there was still no sign of him. Scanning the trees behind her one last time, she set off again, running along the top of the hill. The forest was conveniently thick around her and she chose an eastern course, hoping that if he were following it would seem an unlikely direction to choose.
    Only moments later she heard something behind her to the left and paused to watch and listen. Selena prayed it was a deer as she searched the dim forest with her eyes. It wasn’t. How the hell does he do it? Selena thought furiously. He was running easily along the base of her hill not far behind her. A moment later, he looked up the ridge and saw her.
    “Damn you,” she breathed.
    At that moment, Selena pondered giving up, but she was just too scared. What if catching her set him off? Should she risk it for the chance of escape? In the course of a second, her indignity decided for her. He has no right to do this , she thought venomously. It stung her to realize he was a much better tracker than she was. Her perception and stealth had always been her great pride, but he had turned