Mismatched(A collab with EmeraRider)

Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hey everyone! Hope you like the story so far! Just wanted to say a few things things: 1) In case you just jumped in, I'm co-writing this story with EmeraRider! She's an AMAZING writer, and you guys should check her out. :) She writes from Nathan's POV, which is very...different from Zoe's. She wrote the conversation Nathan and Zoe had, that is not posted here. 2) An AWESOME friend of mine has decided to be the illustrator for this story! If my laptop would start working like it should, maybe in the next chapter, or even this one, you'll have a glimpse of Nathan!  3) Another awesome friend gave me some ideas and even wrote a little for this chapter, so she deserves the credit for this one :) Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and I'd love to have some feedback!

--DD32(my new signature 'cause my actual username is too long :P)

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For the rest of the ride, Halfsoul---Nathan was his name, actually---remained silent, which gave me a chance to recollect my thoughts. The energy that had abruptly overcome me when I tried to get away was now nonexistent. Now I could feel the burn in my wrists as skin grated against rope. My legs ached after all that running, I also felt Half----Nathan's strong arms around me as he held the reins and gently lead the horse. My heart beat started to race, and I had the compulsive desire to draw away from his touch. I chided myself. Growing up, I was taught that physical contact was very powerful, and should not be used often. And contact between the opposite gender, unless it was your Half or a member of the family, was nearly nonexistent. Back home, a mere handshake between a boy and a girl was enough to start a little gossip.

Back home. Those two words stung like a reopened wound. I would never see my mother or father again. Of course, I could try to escape, but the chances of me getting away from such an agile criminal were slim at best. And then, there was another reason why I wasn't so eager to leave: Nathan himself. I wanted to know why he had chosen this way of life, when he could have had such a fruitful life. He appeared to be a few years older than me. He could have been married now. I dare to look back and steal a glance at my captor.

I was never able to get a good hold of how he looked like earlier--with all the capturing and whatnot, but now, I had the chance to closely examine his visage. He was quite handsome actually, in a rugged sort of way. Messy, raven black hair fell in front of his ice blue eyes. His skin was tan, probably because of his years living on his own in the outdoors. I glanced down at the strong arms wrapped around me.  They weren't  too large, but they awere definitely muscular.  I looked up to his face again, and found those cerulean eyes trained on me,

"What are you looking at?" Nathan snapped.  My eyes widened as I realized my mistake.  I looked down quickly, probably blushing a bright red. As I looked down I saw a jagged scar protruding from under my captor's shirt sleeve. 

"Where did you get that scar?" I blurted out, not knowing whate else to say.  I could feel his body stiffen behind me.  It was a feeling that was new to me, having another person so close that you could feel their movements. 

"That is none of your business," he replied icily, his blue eyes regarding me harshly.

I blinked, somewhat fazed at his sudden severeness.

 "How could a scar mean so much, anyway?" I mumbled, turning around.

"Oh, look," Nathan interjected quickly, "We're here."

I took a glance at our surroundings as the horse came to a stop. A gently river softly lapped over stones, and tall, giant-like trees hovered close by. Their rich leaves giving the forest an almost green tint as the sun's rays penetrated them.