Read Online Parahuman (Parahuman Series) by S. L. Hess - Free Book Online Page A

Nick walked toward Devan. Was he going to quiz him about
the incident too? 
        
“Devan.”
         Devan
turned toward Nick doing his utmost to look like he hadn’t heard a single word
they had said.
        “Did
you pay attention to the trail route here?” Nick asked, zipping up his
backpack.  
         Devan
breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course,” he replied. Nick was apparently
satisfied with Laney’s account of the event and didn’t need Devan’s, which was
fine by him. He didn’t really want to go into the details. 
         “How
many trail markers did you count?” Nick slung the backpack over his
shoulders.   
         Devan
knew right away what Nick was referring to. During their hike Devan had noted
ribbons marking the trail. As soon as he had recognized the first trail marker
he had began counting them all. “Twenty-two,” Devan answered easily.
        
Nick’s eyebrows rose, and there was a slight twinkle to his eyes. He hooked
both thumbs around the pack’s straps on his chest. “You caught that hidden one
did you?”  
         Nick
had tied a small ribbon to a bush, an bush that had been off the trail slightly.
“It caught my attention at the last second.” Devan lied. In actuality, he had
seen it two hundred yards off.
         Nick
considered him for a moment; Devan remained quiet during the process. “So you
won’t have any problem leading us home then?” He questioned at last.
         “No
problem.” Devan could do it with his eyes closed, but he didn’t say that.
         The
smell of food coming from Nick’s backpack caused Devan’s stomach to growl and
Nick had to be deaf not to hear it. The run through the woods had depleted a
lot of his energy.
        Nick
smiled. “Didn’t you get something to eat earlier?”
        “Not
enough it would appear?” Devan commented with a small shrug. One sandwich and
an apple weren’t close to a meal for him, he needed quadruple that amount.
         Nick
handed him a couple sandwiches from his pack. Devan had one unwrapped and half
of it in his mouth as Nick refocused his attention on the group. Devan sensed
and heard Laney walking up behind him.
        
“Little hungry there,” she quipped, eyeing the half sandwich that filled his mouth.
         Mouth
too full to answer all he could do was shrug as she continued past. Devan found
his gaze lingering on her form, resting again on her ponytail swinging between
her shoulder blades. His body tightened unexpectedly. Devan stiffened even
further at his body’s response. He was having the most illogical physiological
reactions.
         “Okay
everyone, let’s head out!” Nick yelled. The families were more than eager to
comply as they glanced nervously around. 
         Devan
took the lead and Johnny was his shadow the entire way back, and since the mother
wouldn’t leave her son’s side Devan ended up with a double shadow. When Johnny
wasn’t going on about the lion, she was thanking Devan profusely for saving her
son’s life.
         It
made for a long return hike. 
        
Thankfully, Nick provided the dialogue for the hike, something Devan would have
to practice at if it was going to be required of him. It was mostly geographical
and animal information which Devan would have no problem relating. It was the
conversation part he would need practice with. 
         Laney
took up the tail end of the group yet again. Devan had looked back at her once
during one of Johnny’s enthusiastic outburst and she had been smirking,
apparently amused at his predicament and the pained expression on his face.
Devan felt some relief viewing her expression; it indicated she wasn’t brooding
on the incident and his actions. With luck she had dismissed it from her
thoughts entirely.
          By
the time they got back to the building everyone appeared less stressed—seeing
that they arrived without any animal attacks—but visibly worn out. While