Page 64 of The Unseen Hour

“But you told me you hadn’t traveled much! The brother who wrote that traveled quite a bit!”

“I said I hadn’t been able to travel in the manner I wished. That’s true. All those trips were strictly business, first with my father, and then in his place after he passed and I became Duke Holmes. No opportunity to really explore.”

He stared at me as I chewed my lip.

“Was there something else, Starlight?”

“To be honest, I’m a bit relieved. When I read the diary, I … well, I … I developed feelings for the author. It would have been incredibly awkward to tell you that I’d been pining after your brother for the better part of a year.”

He smirked, pulling me into an embrace.

“Are you telling me you were enraptured with me before we even met? I’m even more romantic than I thought. I really should provide tips to the other gentlemen. Apparently, they don’t stand a chance against my charms.”

I laughed, pushing against him without really trying to get away.

“I never said enraptured! I merely meant that⁠—”

Orion opened his mouth, but he was cut off by the cracking of wood in front of us. I noticed that the tree hoppers had gone silent, and I couldn’t see a single squirrel.

A thundering roar erupted from the trees.

Orion shoved me behind him.

For a moment, I thought we were in for another slycat encounter. I began to reach for the knife at my side; then three creatures shoved their way through the tangled branches and into the clearing where we stood.

Each was notably larger than the slycat. Bears, of a sort. They were furred, with large heads and enormous clawed paws, but the shape was wrong. They had long snouts, more like a wolf than a bear, and a long tail with a series of small points at the edges.

“Orion, what are they?” He took a few steps back, with me still pulled against him.

The three creatures had paused, watching us.

Orion’s voice was barely a whisper, and he spoke through the side of his mouth, not opening it fully.

“Great bears. Celia, you need to run.”

“What about you?” I hissed as the great bear to our right let out another roar. The other two shook their heads, appearing to recover from the shock of finding two half-Shades in their woods.

“I’ll try to distract them. Don’t come back for me, no matter what you hear.”

“I could help,” I insisted, bending down again for the knife.

Orion grabbed my arm, holding it firm.

“No.”

Ry had been a stream of information on the plants and animals in the Ether. What they ate, how they behaved, if they were dangerous. If he wasn’t sharing a plan on how to beat these creatures, it meant he didn’t know of a way.

“I’m not abandoning you!”

The largest of the three creatures lunged at us. Orion threw us on the ground, rolling us awkwardly away from the great bear.

Unfortunately, the one on the right was prepared, and as we stood it snapped at the Head Shade. Orion dodged its jaws, shoving me out of the way, but the side of the creature’s massive head slammed into Orion’s ribs.

He grunted, stumbling backward and clutching his side. With what appeared to be difficulty bending over, Orion reached toward his boot and pulled out a dagger.

“I’ll hold them off. Head back to the cottage. Please, Celia.”

I’d spent more time than I wanted to admit admiring Orion’s physique, his muscled arms and strong shoulders. But facing the three great bears, it was clear that he was utterly outmatched.