If I'd ever feared death before in his presence, it was nothing compared to how I felt now.
He streaked through the dark, thick underbrush of the forest like a bullet, like a ghost, like a ghost bullet. There was no sound, no evidence that his feet touched the earth. But the trees flew by at deadly speeds, speeds that would kill me if I happened to be doing this on my own.
I was too terrified to close my eyes, completely forgetting that it was even an option. I felt like I was sticking my head out of the window of an airplane mid-flight. Why was I doing it? And, for the first time in my life, I felt the faint dizziness of motion sickness.
Then it was over. We'd hiked hours this morning to reach Fredward's meadow, and now, in a matter of minutes, all of that work had been undone.
"Exhilaration, isn't it?" His voice was high and excited.
He stood motionless, waiting for me to clamber down. I tried, but my muscles wouldn't respond. My arms and legs stayed locked around his body while my head spun in circles.
"Bella?" He asked, anxious now. "What's wrong with your head?"
"It... it does this when I get dizzy. I think I need to lie down," I gasped.
"Oh, sorry." He waited for me, but I still couldn't move.
"I think I need help," I admitted.
He barked a laugh and gently unloosened my strangle-hold on his neck. There was no resisting the iron strength of his moves. Then he pulled me around to face him, cradling my entire body in his arms like a small child. He held me for a moment, then carefully placed me in the sproingy ferns.

281

Chapter 13

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