Page 24 of An Accident Waiting to Dragon

Gwen

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“I told you it would get dark faster than you thought,” Asher growled back at Gwen as he ran ahead of her, only pausing to hold branches so they didn’t whack her as they went past.

“We need water,” she pointed out.

Not that they’d found it. All they’d had was coconut water so far.

But thanks to her insisting, they’d strayed too far out searching. By the time they’d gotten to the beach to retrieve the egg from where it had been safely buried while they searched, darkness was crawling its way across the skies, which were now purple on the horizon. They needed to get to the tiny cavern they’d found and hole up for the night. Quick.

Zigzagging around trees and bushes, Gwen followed Asher to an outcropping of rocks, skirting them inland, having to navigate around more trees and vegetation, until the roll of the waves could no longer be heard.

She only started to breathe easier when the long crevice that was the opening to their hiding spot came into view. There was only one small entrance, and no other way to get at them in there. Asher’s dragon fire would keep them safe if they were found.

They were maybe a few yards from the entrance when a movement in the trees ahead to their right caught her attention. Gwen didn’t have to look twice.

Unfurling her wings, she sped up and grabbed Asher by the shirt, yanking him to the side so that he stepped directly into a wide shaft of moonlight. In the same instant, she wrapped her wings and one arm around him, clamping her other hand over his mouth to smother any surprised noise he might make.

“Stay quiet,” she whispered as she moved them quickly through the beam of moonlight, so they weren’t in the same spot she’d used to make them disappear.

Only when they stopped did she slowly lower her arm. Just as a hand of swirling shadow reached through the shaft of moonlight where she’d hidden them.

A wraith in the darkness.

Damn. She’d thought she’d gotten them far enough away.

For a split second, a memory surfaced. One of her laughing as she used moonlight to hide from the very dragon shifter in her arms right now. Only this wasn’t a human hand after her.

And this definitely wasn’t a game.

The storm was closer, but not on top of them yet. Was this the same wraith they’d been dealing with all along? If it was, the bastard was hard to kill. Or was there more than one, and this was a scout that got lucky?

The hand reached again.

Icy fear froze its way down her spine, and she clenched her fists against it.

Gwen and Asher stayed still and silent, and she prayed the wraith wouldn’t look down. She could hide them in the white light streaming between vegetation, but the indent of their feet in the sand would be visible.

She stared at the shadowy hand clawing around for them, heart tripping so loud she worried the wraith might hear.

“I know you’re here, pixie.” The sweet sigh of the wraith’s whisper—a sound even sirens envied, meant to lure prey closer—was at direct odds with the threat in the words. “Come out now, and I’ll be nice and let your dragon shifter live.”

Asher twitched against her but made no other reaction.

It was getting closer, forcing Gwen to lean them further back without moving their feet. Even if the wraith could penetrate the moonlight with its hand, it couldn’t see inside it. The light would blind it. Unfortunately, given where it had cornered them, with shafts of moonlight broken by shadows, escaping would be…difficult.

But maybe she could distract it. Give Asher a chance to hide with the egg, which he was carrying, while she got to unbroken moonlight where she could safely hide indefinitely.

She glanced around them, taking in the options and escape routes available. Not many. There had to be a way out of here that didn’t involve a throwdown with the wraith. She couldn’t fight a wraith. Even with its weakness to her light, it was more powerful and more dangerous than she’d ever be. Dragon fire would obliterate it, but it would also gain the attention of whatever drove the storms. And possibly more wraiths if they were dealing with multiple.

So she had one shot—blind it and she and Asher could split up and hide.

Gwen held her breath as those wispy fingers of darkness continued to dig around inside the shaft of moonlight where they hid, keeping an eye on both it and the edge of the beam. Asher’s shoulders would be visible if they leaned any further. Soon they’d have no choice but to move their feet, which would make their location much more obvious.

Stomach clenching around her fear, Gwen held her breath and slowly started absorbing the moonbeam, drawing it inside her through her skin.

She couldn’t fly up, but she could use her wings to propel her faster along the ground. If she could just reach the beach…

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