Page 5 of Nocturn

As I sped over the hard cobblestones, my legs burned, but I did not stop until I reached the perfectly manicured lawn. Shouts exploded from behind me, but I did not let them sway my focus. If I was one thing, I was fast. I narrowed my eyes on the forest, thick enough that I could not see what was through it, but I could not slow.

“Close your eyes,” I ordered Piper, not having the luxury of closing mine.

I hunched my shoulders high to protect my face, but branches tugged at my sleeping gown and sliced my arms. All I could do was hiss, because stopping was not an option. I broke through the other side of the compact foliage and onto another lawn, not letting my stride falter as I looked over my shoulder. It was only a line of trees.

‘I don’t think we can escape.’

I faltered at Piper’s comment. Ahead of us were various towering structures and a main road leading toward open gates. Trees stretched far to my right, but based on the iron gate slicing across it, I could only guess I’d eventually meet the barrier.

‘You must hide.’

I was already running toward the stable closest to the trees, breaths panting out of me. I could hide until nightfall . . . but Hollows.

What should I do?

A vise constricted around my throat.

If I turned around right now, would I be whipped?

What about Piper . . . She would be taken from me. I owed it to her to attempt to get her away.

I careened through one of the open barn doors. More cobblestones lead inside and became polished stone, rounding in both directions. I’d never seen a stable like this, but it worked in my favor—easier to hide and think.

I followed the thick sawdust path, my steps muffled by it. Horses snorted and neighed, serving as another barrier to hide my progress.

Straw mingled with manure, thickening the air with an aroma that roused feelings of melancholy. A memory of running through the stables while Arik chased me flashed briefly through my mind, enhancing the pressure in my chest.

A high-pitched shink echoed through the stalls. I froze for a single beat, then ducked into a stall with a heap of straw bales. Hugging Piper tighter, I took everything in. The wooden ceiling had iron-framed windows allowing in the dusklight. A horse in the stall next to the one I hid in whinnied, setting off the rest. I took the opportunity to peek toward the sound of steel sliding across metal. Quietly inching toward the edge of the stall, I placed my palms against the wooden planks, then pressed my knees against one of the straw bales to hoist myself higher to look through the iron bars.

Just beyond, a stone’s throw away, sat a bare-chested man on a thick barrel, sharpening the blade of a sword.

I watched quietly, enthralled by the cords of muscles playing along his back that jumped and moved with every smooth, practiced motion. This man knew what he was doing and he loved doing it. Each draw of his sword glided with slow precision, an obvious care toward the craftsmanship.

He could kill me so easily; that much was clear.

The bale gave under my knee and I gasped, my palm slapping down on the bars to stop my fall. I sucked in a breath and went silent, as did the man, who had stopped his rhythmic movements. The silence was piercing. I had no doubt he was about to investigate.

Piper climbed down my side and hopped off me.

“Hide and do not dare come out,” I whispered so low that the purposeful stomp of my foot muffled my voice.

Getting to my feet, I hurried out of the stall, not wishing to be trapped when he approached, but as soon as I stepped out, I skidded to a stop.

The man had stood. He turned around, and the breath ripped out of my lungs.

Above the thick leather breeches tied by a belt wound of multiple thin strips of leather was a dented abdomen, making him look like a terrifying, chiseled statue. My eyes moved from the strong edges of his jawline to the stiff, curled lips which allowed sharp fangs to peek past his upper lip.

I jerked my shoulders up as if I could hide my neck.

The baring of his teeth grew, displaying the sharp points of his fangs in a sneer. Terror rendered me immobile. I could not breathe. Between one blink to the next, he stood before me. The movement was terrifyingly quick. Nothing I have ever seen moved with that speed.

Because of the distance, I hadn’t recognized how truly massive he was. A deep rumbling sound of disgust left him. The back of my neck strained with effort to look up at the towering immortal.

Those eyes. Piercing.

Thick, sooty lashes framed irises the color of dawnlight. Red spread outward from the pupil like a starburst colliding with gold.

Suddenly, his thumb settled against my jaw and his finger curled around the other side, hand so large the tips dug into the hollows of my cheekbones. His pupils moved over me, taking in my face with analytical sweeps.