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Behind me there’s a thud and Caspian cries out before he falls silent.

“Stay away,” I snarl. The creature with the red eyes doesn’t move.

“We need...” it starts, its words getting cut off as its form flickers in the darkness. “He’ll stop if we get what we…” In a flash, the creature is gone and I’m on the move towards the spot it was standing. I look behind the trees and strain my eyes, peering as far into the darkness as I can. But whatever it was is gone. I’ve had my suspicions that the man after Caspian’s land had a supernatural creature in his employ, but I’m certain now. Why he’s helping this man, I don’t know, but I will find out.

Caspian curses, and I turn my attention back to him. Though I want nothing more than to sweep him into my arms, I know it’s not an option, unless I’m willing to reveal myself – all of me – which I’m not. Not yet.

Moving slowly on light feet, I follow Caspian’s scent until I spot him. He can’t see me because of how dark it is, but he must sense my presence because he looks in my direction. There’s a chance he can see the glow of my eyes, and scales, but if he does he doesn’t react.

He’s on his knees, his hands resting on his thighs. Rain pours down his cheeks like tears and the torch he was using is off, laying in a puddle a few feet ahead of him. The little goat is tucked up against his side.

“Hello?” Caspian shouts into the darkness and I hold my breath. He shakes his head and looks at the goat. “What do we do now, Apple?” Without the light to guide him, there’s no way he’ll get out of these woods.

I can’t go to him either. Not like this and if I shift now, we won’t have any light and I’ll be completely naked – not something I have a chance of explaining away. Thunder rattles the sky again and Caspian shoots his gaze upwards. Lightning follows soon after and it’s the kind that cracks through the atmosphere, landing with a sharp sting on the earth. The kind that could easily harm a human and his goat cowering at the foot of a tree.

“We can’t stay here.” He stands, then picks up the goat. He’s limping as he heads in the completely wrong direction.

“Shit,” I grumble, trying to come up with a plan to get Caspian to head in the opposite direction. When I do, I don’t love it, but short of revealing my true self, I don’t know what else to do.

“I hope you don’t hate me for this,” I whisper before I dart around him, deliberately making my steps heavy, branches cracking beneath me. Caspian stills and he spins around. His back is to me now and he’s facing the way he needs to go to get home.

Lifting my chin, I howl, a terrifying noise that has him racing forward. I can hear his heartbeat, can taste his terror, but he’s headed where he needs to be. He stumbles, but manages to stay upright. I keep behind him and howl again. As much as I usually like his fear when it’s mixed with arousal and curiosity, I hate this. Because he is truly terrified.

When he finally reaches the break in the trees, I tell myself I did the right thing because he’s safe, then I race back through the woods, shift into the Sterling he knows and get myself dressed.

I find him at the barn, locking the doors.

“Hey,” I greet, keeping my voice soft.

He startles, then slowly turns to face me.

His teeth are chattering, and his entire front is covered in mud. He rubs his hands on his joggers, frantically trying to remove the dirt. But it’s not working.

I step closer, and he doesn’t flinch. So I take another step and then another until I’m right in front of him. He looks up at me, his brown eyes red rimmed, his body trembling.

Neither of us says a word as I pull him into my arms and lift him up. His legs wrap around my waist and he buries his face in the crook of my neck.

Holding him tightly to me, I carry him home.

NINETEEN

CASPIAN

There’s mud on my hands, in my hair, on my face. It’s all I can focus on – the way it’s making me itch, caked between my fingers, and drying thick and gritty on my skin. I’m aware that I’m clinging to Sterling, my body trembling in his hold, my nose pressed to the warm skin on his neck.

But the fucking mud. I need it off of me. Now.

Sterling opens the front door and without a word carries me up the stairs. He pauses at the top, then turns towards the main bathroom. It’s not the one I usually use, but it has a large walk-in shower. Sterling’s hands are on my lower back, and he’s holding me tightly, the way I like. Lifting my head, I pull back so that I can look in his eyes. They’re dark but warm, searching. I try to smile, but fail, my teeth chattering too hard to manage.

“You’re cold.” He releases his hold and sets me on my feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He turns and switches on the shower, holding a hand under the water. “It’s not getting warm,” he says, fiddling with the taps.

“Boiler’s broken.” I shiver but strip off my soiled t-shirt, anyway. I need it off, all of it. I don’t even care that I’ll be cold, I just can’t have this mud on me. I start rubbing my hands together, then scratch my arms where it’s smeared across my skin. Panic builds in my chest and I feel physically ill the longer it stays on me. “I need it off,” I say, my voice weak.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Sterling lays a hand gently on my shoulder and I flinch, pulling away from him. “Sorry.” He holds his hands up.

“It’s okay.”

I move my toes, my feet still in my shoes, and there’s fucking dirt in there too. I kick them off and remove my socks, nearly losing my balance as I war with the wet fabric.