Page 129 of Shadow Witch

“Something wrong, Paige?” Dewey asked.

“I thought I heard something. Must be a draft or something like that.”

“I didn’t hear anything. And I have superior hearing compared to humans.”

“Yeah, like I said, probably nothing.” She continued a few more steps before she froze again. “There it is again. Is your superior hearing picking up on anything?”

“Nope,” he answered with a shake of his head.

“That’s so strange. I swear I hear something.”

“What does it sound like? Like wind whistling? Or maybe air blowing through a space between the stones?”

“No, sounds like a scraping noise.”

“Scraping noise? I don’t hear any scraping noises.”

Paige stood silently for a second, peering down the hall before she heaved a sigh. “I guess I’m hearing things.”

“Keep going,” Dewey said. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

“Okay,” she said, twisting back toward the front and making her way down the hall. They reached another corner, and she swung a left to head away from where they’d been. “I hope you’re keeping track of the direction we came so we can find our way out of here.”

“I haven’t been keeping track,” Dewey said. “Have you?”

“No. Yes. Sort of,” she admitted. “It was right, right, right, left.”

“No, no,” he said with a shake of his head. “It was right, left, right, left.”

“No, we’ve done all rights except this one.”

Dewey slid his eyes closed, wagging his head back and forth. “I distinctly remember two lefts.”

“You can’t. Because there haven’t been two lefts.” She slowed her steps, her nose crinkling as she glanced at him. “Wait, maybe you’re right.”

“Pretty certain I am.”

“No, okay, there were two lefts, but it wasn’t right, left, right, left. It was right, right, left, left.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not really, but I feel like your answer is wrong. And you admitted to not paying attention.” The scraping noise sounded again, this time closer. “There’s that noise again. You can’t tell me you don’t hear it.”

“I heard it this time. It sounds like it’s…” As he flicked his eyes forward, his jaw dropped open. “Ahh, Paige?”

Paige drew her chin back at his reaction before she followed the line of his gaze. Her eyes went wide, and she swallowed hard. “How did you not hear that before?”

She stared ahead at the hulking werewolf standing on its hind leg. Its red eyes peered at her as it scraped long, yellowed claws against the stones beneath its feet. Saliva dripped from its fangs.

There was no way they’d outfight this beast. Her search for her mother had just come to an abrupt and deadly end.

CHAPTER 29

“Easy, big fella,” Paige said, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Her comment earned a snarl from the beast as it stamped a foot closer to her.

“Don’t make him mad, Paige. Just…back away slowly until we can get around the corner and go in a different direction.”

---