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"Malachi?" My voice sounded breathy - scared or satiated? I wasn't sure.
A shape moved in the fog. "I'm here. "
I exhaled in a whoosh. "What is this?"
The bed dipped. He drew me into his arms, his skin hot and damp. "Mist. "
I'd seen the fog creep over the hills, watched it curl through the trees and settle over the lake. But I'd never seen it creep in a window - except in my sleep. I'd never seen it so thick I could distinguish little beyond the swirl. As I stared at it now, the fog seemed almost otherworldly. I didn't like it.
"From the mountains. " Malachi's palm smoothed over my hair. "There's nothing to fear in the mist. "
He was right, of course, but that didn't make my heart stop pounding far too fast.
"Hush," he whispered. "We'll rest awhile. "
He lifted the quilt, tucked me in, then lay down on top.
I felt slighted. "What's the matter?"
He turned to face me, his eyes endless pools of black in the dim, gray, mist-shrouded room. "If I lie next to you, skin to skin, there'll be no rest for us. "
"That's okay. "
He put his hand against my cheek. "For now, this is enough. Close your eyes, a ghra. "
My eyelids were suddenly so heavy I couldn't keep them open. "What's a ghra mean?"
He hesitated, as if he couldn't quite remember, then whispered, "Pixie. You look like one with your red hair all wild and your mouth so sweet. "
Smiling at the image, I let the night slip away.
I awoke just before dawn and lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what had disturbed me. Then I realized it was so many things.
I could see the ceiling. The mist was gone.
I was alone in my bed. The window was closed.
And somewhere, out in the forest, something was howling.
I jumped up, then froze, frowning at my bare legs. I guess Malachi hadn't been a dream after all. Although I had been known to throw off all my clothes in my sleep.
I went to the window, yanked it up, and stuck my head and shoulders through the opening. Out here I could hear the howling so much better.
"More than one," I murmured.
That couldn't be good.
The eastern horizon glowed pink. Very soon the sun would burst over, slanting orange, red, and yellow fire across the mountains and the trees.
I waited, watching, listening, enjoying the cool morning air, sans mist for a change.
Daylight exploded across the sky, and at that very same instant the howling stopped as if the rays of the sun had silenced it.
The sudden quiet after the burst of sound was eerie. My skin prickled, and I pulled my head back into the room.
Grace would be out there now with her handful of hunters. She'd find the wolf, or wolves, and she'd end at least one of our problems.
I glanced around. Not a trace of what happened last night remained. Not his shirt or a sock, not even a note.
