The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 181

“Man, this is disappointing,” Mia sighed as she kicked aside some underbrush. “We’ve already reached the edge, and nothing—”

Before she could finish, her foot suddenly slipped on a rock. Her ankle bent at an unnatural ankle as she fell with a cry.

“Mia!”

Zane jumped down from the tree he’d been climbing and rushed over. I was already kneeling beside her. She was clutching her ankle and rocking back and forth. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and her face had gone red, but it had nothing to do with the gloves this time.

“Owowow…” she moaned. “My ankle…”

“Are you okay?” I gingerly moved her hands aside. “It’s not broken, is it?”

“I… I don’t think so…”

“C’mon.” Zane took Mia’s arm. “Let’s see if you can put weight on it.”

Together, Zane and I helped Mia to her feet. She tested her ankle, but cried out again and nearly fell once more. Zane caught her, steadying her, while I peeled down her sock to take a look.

I hissed through my teeth. “Ouch. Looks twisted,” I said. “Already swelling. You should go back to the school and rest.”

Mia bit her lip. “But I don’t know if I can get back on my own—”

“I’ll carry you.” Zane swept her up into his arms, making her cheeks flush again. He looked at me. “Do you wanna come, or…?”

I hesitated, glancing back at the yellow caution tape. There was still a good amount of land to search, and every person was vital if we were going to find Marissa. “I should stay,” I said.

“But you need a buddy,” Mia protested. “They said not to search alone.”

I gave her a smile and patted her arm. “I’ll find another group. Don’t worry.”

“Oh,” I said, shoulders slumping. “It’s you. You gave me a fright.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have if you were with a group like you’re supposed to be,” he pointed out, folding his arms. “Where are your buddies?”

“Mia twisted her ankle, so Zane took her back to campus.”

“And you were just going to continue searching on your own?”

“No,” I retorted. “I was going to find another buddy, but everyone thinks I’m the King’s whore, so…” I glanced around then, and noticed that Callum, like me, was completely alone. “Looks like I found one, though.”

Callum’s eyes widened slightly. I could tell he didn’t want to be my buddy just as much as I didn’t want to be his. But he sighed, relenting, and gestured for me to follow.

“Fine. Let’s go.”