Page 51 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“Help!” I scream into the night air.

The Demon lunges behind me, and my eyes slam close, bracing myself for the inevitable pain I know is about to be inflicted. Only, it's not the burning pain of claws or even the sharp sting of a bite I feel, but a strong, warm hand grabbing mine before yanking me to the left and sending me flying to the ground with a startled scream.

Green light fills the air around me, making me gasp and fall to my back, my eyes widening as the Demon roars in outrage at me being pulled from its path. The light swirls and bends like some kind of hypnotic sea creature swimming through the ocean. It dips and bends, flowing around something that now stands in front of me before sparkling bright and attacking.

The Demon lurches to its side, dodging the green magic as another Demon emerges from the black of night, jumping into the fray as the green magic attacks them. I breathe out a shaky curse and sit up when I realize that magic is not the only thing attacking the Demons. The thing in front of me shifts, moving to strike at the shadows, and I realize it's a man, his hand lighting with green symbols that remind me of the magic the Seniors had sparking on them during the Demon attack at the castle.

Relief hits me, and I struggle to stand, watching in awe as the man quickly and efficiently kills the two Demons with the aid of the green magic. When the monsters lay bleeding and unmoving at his feet, he raises a glowing hand at me, and I startle back as he releases a burst of green magic that flies over my head. It strikes a smaller Demon I hadn't seen before in the chest, making it crumple and fall to the ground, its life bleeding from its eyes until nothing is left but us and the snow swirling in the air.

The man turns toward me, and I take in his appearance. The first thing I notice is bright, ash-blonde hair cut close to the sides, a little longer on top. The roots of his hair are slightly darker, making it look like the brighter ash color is sunbleached. He has strong cheekbones, and a square jaw, his skin so pale, it almost looks like it glitters in the moonlight. My breath catches, and I stare in awe at the man who saved my life. He looks like some kind of Fae king trapped in this world of ice and cold. I look to see if the guy is wearing a crown… or maybe has some wings, but I’m oddly disappointed when I see nothing there.

The man curses a few times and looks at me with pale green eyes, the color so unique that it takes my breath away.

Holy shit. He’s beautiful.

“Are you alright?” he asks as he rushes toward me, the green magic at his fingers sparking and then fading away. The man sinks to his knees in the snow where I’m still sitting and leans forward, getting into my personal space with a concerned frown.

“You’re an Umbra Hunter?” I finally spit out, making him arch a surprised brow and tilt his head to the side before clearing his throat and looking around the snow-covered mountainside.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, and I shake my head and flinch when I hear more howling in the distance.

The man curses and nods, standing and straightening his oddly formal dresscoat. The fabric looks thick and well made with golden buttons and a matching golden swirl embroidered on his dresscoat's collar and cuffs. He has on a matching pair of pants, that I’m instantly envious of as my legs slowly grow numb under me, and a comfortable pair of black shoes. The clothes this man is wearing only succeed in making him look even more stunning, his pale skin and hair a stark difference from the dark color. The man nods and stands back up, offering a hand down to me. “Come on. We need to leave before more of them show up.” I take his offered hand while looking down at my dress and frown.

Why the hell are we both dressed in formal wear?

“Where are we going?” I ask, shivering as the wind picks up in speed, the gusts stirring up the already fallen snow, forming drifts.

“Shelter. We need shelter,” he grinds out, his pale eyes flicking over the landscape as he curses, probably realizing what I did when I first got here. There is nothing to hide under.

His long fingers lace with mine as he tugs me after him. I follow him, not sure what else to do. It's not like I have many options here. It's either go with the pretty man or stay here in the cold and freeze, possibly being confronted by more Demons. I shiver again and squint against the snow that pelts us.

“Fuck! This is useless,” he says after a few moments of stomping through the deep snow. “This is your dreamscape. Change it,” he demands, turning toward me and looking down at me through blonde lashes. “I can only help if there are things I can see. There’s nothing here, Regina. You need to create it!”

“What? I can’t…” I trail off, looking up at him like he’s crazy.

“You can,” he says determinedly. His hand releases mine before he rests them on my bare shoulders. I sigh and sink into the warmth he provides, making his eyes widen in concern as he looks down at my trembling lips. “You're freezing,” he whispers in shock, tugging an unamused laugh from my lips.

“You think? It's freaking snowing out here, if you didn’t notice,” I point out sarcastically, raising my voice to be heard over the wind.

“You shouldn't be cold. This is your dream; you control it. Why are you cold, and why the hell are the Beastia physical? They could have killed either of us,” he asks in rapid succession, making my head spin. His hands light up with green light, and I shiver at the burst of warmth that runs through me.

“What the hell are you talking about? This is a dream. How would I control any of it? It's coming from my subconscious. I can’t control anything until I wake up,” I shout. The man curses again and lets my shoulders go, spinning on his heels and holding his arms out at his side. I can feel a tingling of something shifting through the air, but it quickly dies out, and the man shouts angrily.

“Come on. We’ve got to get out of this before you freeze to death,” he grinds out as the snow thickens around us, creating a white sheet that is practically impossible to see through. The guy lifts his hand up in front of him, letting the glow of green magic help him see, but it doesn't do much. “If you could try and make this snow stop, that would be helpful,” he shouts over his shoulder as he blindly leads us forward.

“I’ll get right on that,” I grumble, looking around the snowy mountain while trying to figure out how to make it stop. How does one alter a dream? I close my eyes, trying to relax my frazzled nerves as I stumble after the man yanking me through the snow, but it's no use. My mind is going a million miles an hour. Even if I already knew how to change my dreams, I doubt I could in this frame of mind.

“There!” the man shouts, pointing in front of us, and I squint, trying to see what he’s pointing to, but he must have better eyesight than me because all I see is snow. I nod and let him tug me after him, trying to step in his tracks so my poor feet don't have to bust through the fresh snow.

Sure enough, after about another five minutes of walking, I see the side of the mountain finally give way to what looks like a small cave, and I almost cry in relief as the guy drags me into it, the wind and snow becoming a howling presence outside the mouth of the cave.

“Stay here. Let me make sure there’s nothing else in here with us,” he says, letting go of my frozen hand and walking around, his hand still lit with green magic as he finds the back of the small cave. “I don't see anything. I think we’re good,” he finally says, and I nod, my teeth chattering as I stand awkwardly in the center of the cave, looking around.

Thankfully it's deep enough to shelter us from the snow and wind but not too deep for animals to take up residence. “Right... uh, can you magic some fire for us or something?” I ask, making the man snort and shake his head.

“No, but we can make one,” he responds, amusement heavy in his tone as he bends down and grabs a small twig.

“With a twig? How are we making a fire with a twig?” I ask doubtfully. The guy laughs and shakes his head.

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