AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Daria paled. “I was wrong.”
“It’s plenty,” he warned, shoulders stiffening when one of the shadows did break from the forest. The grass moved, headed for the damaged area. The eerie silence that followed had his senses going haywire.
He reached for her. At the same time, she clutched his wrist and tugged, just as aware that they were about to be overpowered if they stayed where they were. They crawled their way out of the grass and field, then sprinted towards trees that could block them from view. His bear clawed until fur sprouted from his body, but he shoved down the rest—
The hand tightened, then was frantically pulling him close. When he felt her energy circling them like a balm, Charlie stood still and willed his beast to settle down—a near-impossible feat as it sensed the approaching danger.
Stay. Hold. Don’t you dare.
The bear calmed.
Seconds later, a figure broke through the trees, a blur he couldn’t see thoroughly until it stopped. Then more figures were surrounding them, pale faces feathered with intent and glassy orbs methodically flicking around in search of their target: Her. Him. Daria’s other hand went up to touch his other hand, and he squeezed tightly. More of that soothing balm slithered over his skin until he was certain that they were wrapped tight in her magic and invisible in every sense.
Still, it was nerve-wracking watching the creatures lurk and glide as they went in and out of that space, sniffing and patting the trees in search of tracks. When they found none, most moved on while one stayed behind, hulking down into a statue-like state and blending into the night. Not a single word was spoken between them, but he felt their menace all the same and knew this one was ready to jump at the slightest shift in the environment…meaning they couldn’t move yet.
Damn it.
“We have to go.”
At first, he assumed it was his imagination until a persistent tug on his arm followed the words. Charlie glanced down, startled, and found her already peering at him. The once-cloudy eyes were swimming with emotion. At the same time, he felt the magic push a third time, coating them so thickly as she repeated her words.
“Now. We have to go.”
It dawned that she was turning paler by the second. Then everything else registered: her body shaking, her pupils dilating, and her breath becoming labored as she gripped his shirt like a lifeline. Like a trigger, it sent him moving as he hauled her body up and dragged them away as fast and as quietly as he could. A glance behind showed the vampire still blending in, so he jerked her up further until she gasped.
“Put me down,” she hissed.
“It’s faster this way—”
“Shh.”
The energy around them swirled, then thinned out. He felt its soothing quality dim just as the vampire reared a head out from the shadows, staring in their direction. But it couldn’t see them, her invisibility cloak still working and allowing him to book his way out of there. Instinct took over as he avoided sounds and areas that made his beast shudder, and soon he was running with the breeze and back to more familiar forest areas. When the energy dissipated altogether, she tugged again.
“Put me down, please.”
Cold, delicate shivers rubbed against his skin as he settled her on her feet, but he still held on until she stopped swaying. His bear roared, raging to protect, but soon understood that the danger from earlier was gone. When she pushed him off, he reluctantly let go, his gaze sweeping over her and pausing at the darker spots: under the eyes. Tips of fingers. Her magic was gone.
“Since when did it become this hard to…maintain it?”
Daria looked away, hands shaking. She fisted them, then spread them until the dark spots returned to their original color. Her gaze pinned his, just as reluctant to reveal her truth. So, he waited her out until the defiance was gone.
“I can’t recall. It just happened. Then it just keeps on happening.”
“How long can you maintain invisibility now?”
Silence.
“An hour on a really good day. Less than five minutes on bad ones.”
Something inside him lurched at the revelation, knowing how much magic meant to Fae—the same way the beast was an essential part of every shifter. He felt her helplessness even when she didn’t show it, knew the grief thrumming in her system that would eat her up in the long run. At that moment, he knew why shadowing the myth had become her quest and why she hid it from the world, wanting to keep that hope wrapped up tight before anyone could break it. It tugged at his emotions, fierce as they snapped.
“Is there any other path towards that mountain?”
Daria’s head snapped up in shock even as that hope illuminated her features, calling out to him.
“Yes. I think so.”
They avoided the vampire’s area like it was a plague, certain it was a den now with the masked energy practically bursting from it. They circled the mountain until they were in spaces even more unfamiliar than the last, the journey slower as they passed through unknown forests and made sure they weren’t invading someone else’s territory. Halfway through, Charlie took the extra precaution used by one of his cousins: climbing trees and swinging from branch to branch until they got closer to their destination.
