Venturing through the forest side by side, they enjoyed a few moments of peace. At least, as far as silence went, it was peaceful. Luke knew better. The woman beside him was troubled, the weight of what had happened still lingering in her mind.
He knew silence would never be an answer, much less a remedy for something that had already been burned into the heart. So, he broke it with an unexpected question.
"Blood. Do you like its color?"
Laila blinked, caught completely off guard. "What kind of question is that?"
"Just a reminder that we're going to see plenty of it today. And you'll be seeing it up close, since you're the one skinning them."
Laila was left both flustered and confused by the turn of events. Nothing about the conversation was going the way she had expected.
She stared at him for a moment or two before finally asking, "I thought you sent me with Dalia so I could forget about..."
