Free SnaredbySaber by Shelley Munro Page B

grin in return.
A foreign feeling. She’d seldom felt the need to laugh or smile—only for a
brief period when she’d had Pryce. And almost never since Pryce had died.
    The valley went quiet, and Saber froze.
    “What is it?”
    A piercing shriek from above answered her
question.
    Saber scooped her off her feet and thrust
her beneath the drooping foliage of a tree. The skinny green and pink leaves
blocked her vision, but she could hear the screeches of the bird flying
overhead.
    Saber squeezed under the low branches and
hauled her trembling body into his arms. “It didn’t see us,” he said against
her ear.
    “God, I hope not. It can land in the
valley.”
    “It could, but I think it’s hunting
different prey today. Listen.”
    Eva swallowed and listened. In the distance
she could hear panicked squawks, the thunder of running feet. She recognized
the high-pitched shriek of the big-ass bird, heard the whop-whop of its
wings.
    “Whatever the bird is hunting is running
this way,” Saber said. “Curl up. Make sure your limbs are well off the path.”
    Eva didn’t need to be told twice. She
curled against Saber’s warm, strong body and concentrated on breathing. Hellfire
and Finnian bats . After this adventure, nothing in the city would ever
scare her again. Even the Dearbhorgaills were manageable—their reactions
predictable compared to the creatures inhabiting this island.
    The panicked sounds came closer and closer.
Squawks. Screams. Fast-running feet. Dust rose as terrified birds thundered
past their hiding place. The birds were big and all she could see were strong
legs that ran past as they headed for the safety of the forest.
    Eva pressed her face against Saber’s chest,
breathed in his masculine scent. His strong arms wrapped around her trembling
body, and she was fiercely glad of his presence.
    The whop-whop of wings sounded
closer now, and the number of birds sprinting past their hiding place had
thinned. The old and the young bringing up the rear, Eva thought. The infirm.
    A bird limped past, trying to go fast but
unable. A smaller bird raced at its heels, frantic squawks filling the air. The whop-whop sound was almost on top of them now, and Eva trembled
violently.
    “It’s all right,” Saber said. “The bird
can’t get us while we remain under here. He’s after easier prey.”
    Eva opened her eyes again and watched as a
bird was plucked off the ground right in front of their hiding place.
    A small blue missile shot under the tree
and hit Eva’s side. She screamed, her cry of terror cutting off abruptly as she
heard the whop-whop of wings.
    “It’s another bird,” Saber said. “It’s as
scared as you are.”
    Eva swallowed, felt the bird quivering
against her side. She shifted her position in a measured way so as not to cause
fear and glanced down. The bird was bright blue with stout legs. Without haste,
she reached out and stroked her hand over its blue feathers. The bird moaned,
or at least the sound came close to one, and tried to squeeze closer.
    “I think it’s a baby,” Saber said.
    Eva croaked in dismay. “Is everything big
on this planet?”
    “So it would seem.” Amusement colored Saber’s
voice and she became aware of something poking into her hip.
    “Is that you?”
    “Afraid so,” he said without apology.
    “That’s disgusting.”
    “You didn’t think so this morning.”
    Eva changed the subject. “Do you think the
big-ass bird is gone? I can’t hear anything now.”
    “Wait until we start to hear the other
birds singing,” Saber said. “That way we’ll know it’s safe.”
    “I’d love to have a wash.”
    “We will, as long as it’s safe.”
    Eva relaxed and stroked her hand over the
quivering bird that cuddled against her so trustingly.
    “Have you seen one of these birds before?”
    “No, there aren’t any on the resort side of
the island. Not big like this. We have the smaller variety.”
    “Maybe you should start running adventure
tours,” Eva