Free Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4) by Bethany Shaw

small doses, it wasn’t so bad clearing the air. Tonight, she didn’t mind talking a little more.
    “But it didn’t change how you felt? You still thought you weren’t living up to his expectations?” she asked curiously. Vincent was always so silly; it was a rarity for him to be so open. While she wanted to know more about him, she didn’t want to push too hard and have him not talk at all.
    “You hear something too many times, you start to believe it. Developing a sense of humor was my way of coping. The thing is, everyone always laughs with you, but no one ever takes you seriously, or wants to be your friend,” he said quietly. “Dev was my only friend in high school—Daniel too, to an extent. But, they were both ahead of me and they didn’t have friends either.”
    Sarah’s heart clenched painfully in her chest as she listened to him speak. Does he even know how much he’s helped me the past few days?
    “If you weren’t here with me, I don’t know where I would be. I don’t know why your father couldn’t see how strong, caring, and capable you are, but you’ve been my rock, Vincent. Thank you.” She turned her head and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. His scruff grazed deliciously over her lips, causing her breath to quicken; she was so close to his thin pink lips.
    What would it be like to kiss him?
    “What was that for?” Vincent asked, jolting her back to reality.
    Sarah blinked and cleared her throat. She shook her head and mentally chastised herself for thinking about him like that again. Her heart raced and she closed her eyes, willing her body to calm down. “Just...uh, thanks, for everything. You’re my friend...and I’m glad to have you here with me,” she stammered.
    What am I doing? Why do I keep having this reaction to him?
    Vincent kissed the top of her head, sending butterflies fluttering through her belly. “No problem. Thanks for being my friend.”
    Sarah closed her eyes and forced her frayed nerves to relax. She sighed contently as improper thoughts of Vincent fled her mind. “Good night,” she whispered.
    “Night.”

Chapter Six
    S arah prepared for another fun-filled day in the woods as she finished rolling up the blankets. Vincent scoured the nearby bushes for something to eat. Her stomach grumbled, and she groaned inwardly. Berries weren’t going to be enough to fill them up. But she wasn’t ready to eat the MREs yet. She’d only taken four of them and they wouldn’t last long.
    She zipped up the bag and stood up to stretch. Lifting up on her toes, she reached her arms to the sky, working out the kinks from a long night sleeping on the ground. She grimaced and scrunched her face up as a sharp pain sliced through her injured arm. How the hell did I forget about that?
    “You okay?” Vincent asked as he approached, eyeing her worriedly.
    “Arm,” she explained, gingerly rubbing at the sore flesh.
    Vincent walked around her, his hands gently grazing over the bandaged area. “The wrap seems to have held up, but should probably be checked and changed. We’ll stop by the river—make sure we get it washed out and re-bandaged,” Vincent replied.
    “I’m okay,” Sarah assured, giving him a weak smile. “Did you find anything to eat?”
    “There weren’t too many berries left on the bushes,” he explained, holding out his crumpled shirt. A few handfuls of the sweet fruit lay in his makeshift basket.
    “It will have to do. Thanks.” It wasn’t much and would do little to fill her, but it would do. She sat down on the ground and spread her feet out in front of her, wanting to stretch. “We should go over our plan, too.”
    “You still want to try and take them out?” Vincent asked, watching her as he scooped some berries into his hand and plopped them into his mouth.
    “They aren’t going to stop hunting us, and I don’t think they’re going to let us out of the area. I don’t know how they found us exactly—maybe the fire—maybe they caught our