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“Thanks,” she said.
I tore my eyes off her legs and blinked at her. “Right,” I said. “Let’s go.”
I opened the door to the arena and waved Evelyn inside, ahead of me.
“It’s dark in here,” she said. “And…” She covered her nose and mouth with her forearm. “What’s that smell?”
I conjured a ball of light and let it float ahead of us. “Hell beasts,” I said. They may have been removed, but she was right, the arena still stank of their blood.
Her eyes went wide. “This is where you—”
“Yes,” I said, interrupting her. I took her hand, the one that wasn’t covering her face, and led her across to the tunnel. Her hand hung limply in mine, and she craned her neck to study the room.
“Why would you bring us back here?” she asked.
“There’s a tunnel,” I said. “Up here.”
Noises in the corridor behind us reminded me that we needed to hurry. Edric and his Hunters may be gone, but Lilium’s demons might still be after us. I extinguished the light and started moving faster, allowing my senses to lead the way.
“Stay close to me,” I whispered.
Evelyn gripped my hand tightly and sped up to match my pace. When we reached the mouth of the tunnel, I pulled her inside and held my open palm between us. I conjured a dim light and let it glow so I could see her face.
“I’m going to need to transform into my animal form,” I explained. I watched her face closely for a reaction, but she just nodded. “That will make it easier to follow the trail out.”
“Okay,” she said. “It can’t be any worse than anything else I’ve seen today.”
I laughed. “Good point.” I let the ball of light grow and released it far ahead of us in the tunnel, hoping the glow wouldn’t be visible to anyone searching the arena. I would be able to use my night vision, but I didn’t want Evelyn running in the dark.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Wait,” she said. “Is there anything you can do about my shoes?”
I cringed. I couldn’t just conjure her a pair of running shoes out of thin air. The slippers they’d given her to wear to the ball seemed sturdy. At least they didn’t have high heels.
“I can prevent them from slipping off your feet, but that’s about it, I think.”
“Do it,” she said.
I spelled them to her feet, and then, without further warning, transformed.
Evelyn took a step backward and pressed herself against the wall. She looked terrified. I had no voice to reassure her, and I decided it would only make it worse if I growled. Instead, I bowed to her, stretching my front paws out before me and lowering my head until it nearly touched the ground.
She took a cautious step away from the wall. “Can you understand me?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Okay. You win. That is probably the strangest thing I’ve seen today.”
I rolled over onto my back and exposed my belly to her, arching my head back so I could still see her face.
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Belly rubs later. Let’s get out of here.”
I pounced to my feet, and she jumped back. I crept closer and rubbed against her legs. Those legs. I purred.
She laughed and gave me a little shove. “Go,” she said.
I took off at a loping run, and she easily pulled alongside me. I focused my senses on following the scent of Sorcha and the others. I lost myself in following the trail, and we’d been running for some time before I realized I’d picked up the pace considerably. I turned my head to see if she’d fallen behind, but she’d kept pace with me. This girl was strong and fast, and I loved it.
