Chapter 221

Aurora and Allison were off to the side as Aurora fiddled with her camera. James glanced over at Lucian, who had been chatting up a storm until his gaze landed on Allison, and suddenly the atmosphere went silent. James knew the score, so he and Kamilla took up spots on either side of Lucian, leaving one area open next to him.

That’s where Allison stood.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Lucian’s chiseled jawline.

Once Aurora had her camera set, she moved to the other side of Allison and struck a pose. Allison followed suit.

Aurora checked the shot and nodded approvingly.

“Not too shabby I’ll get these developed later”

“Huh Aurora exclaimed, adjusting the camera settings and noticing that Lucian was smiling.

A rare sight indeed.

“Lucian, where are you guys headed next?”

Lucian didn’t answer, so James did. “We’re going to keep trekking. There’s still so much to explore around here. We’ve been eastward, nearly to the fence, but Kamilla was tuckered out, so we headed back. Didrit get to delve as deeply as we’d have liked.”

Kamilla was curious but had no stamina, and the environment wasn’t doing her any favours. Her curiosity quickly lost out to the harsh reality of the trek.

And with just James and Lucian, things got boring fast. But now, with Allison and Aurora around, things were looking up. “Honestly, though, there’s not much to it. Just bugs everywhere. Look, they’re all over my arm.”

Even Aurora had a few choice words to say.

With Allison leading the way and James and Kamilla bickering behind, the atmosphere lightened up.

As Allison moved ahead, she didn’t notice a branch and nearly tripped. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. Stumbling backwards, she collided with something solid.

She caught a whiff of a faint scent of mint and tobacco.

In the forest, it stood out but was strangely familiar.

Allison’s cheeks heated up. It was the same as the robe she wore that morning.

It finally clicked. The robe from that morning was Lucian’s.

James and Kamilla were still arguing, with Kamilla rolling her eyes and tuning him out. Aurora was busy snapping photos, playing with filters and beauty modes. Seeing Kamilla done with their conversation, James decided to go to Lucian. To his surprise, he saw Lucian with an arm around Allison’s waist.

A smirk spread across his face as he cleared his throat.

The man let go, and Allison straightened her clothes. Thanks, Mr. Lindberg.”

James came over, lightly jabbing Lucian. “Lucian, I’m not intruding, am 17”

Under Lucian’s icy stare, James quickly backed off. “Lucian got it. I’ll give you some space. Carry on.”

Suddenly, Aurora’s scream rang out.

James instantly spun around, “What happened?!”

Lucian and Allison stopped, quickly turning back.

Aurora clutched her ankle, grimacing in pain, while Kamilla helped her stay upright.

James, being a doctor, quickly moved to check on her. “What happened?”

Kamilla explained, “A critter scared us, and Aurora twisted her ankle trying to avoid it.”

Aurora bit her lip, her face pale: “It hurts.”

James rolled up Aurora’s pant leg to examine the injury. There was no immediate swelling, but attempting to walk on it brought Aurora to tears.

All she could hear was a ringing in her ears, and the pain blurred her vision.

James gently probed, causing Aurora to cry out.

He frowned, looking at Lucian “Looks like a sprain. She needs to rest”

Luckily, they had a first–aid kit. James sprayed some bruise–relief medication and hoisted Aurora onto his back.

They were ready to head back, but James said, “Kamilla, you were ready to call it quits earlier, right?

Just come back with me. Lucian, Allison, you two can carry on.”