Page 48 of Claimed By Night

Another twig breaks; I strain my ears even harder. My eyes are useless in the dark, thus I attempt to rely on my other senses. Then it occurs to me that if there is something out there, hunting me, I’m basically useless to defend myself. My body is too weak to fight. My nakedness feels even more uncomfortable now. And my head is nearly splitting in two with the pain of my last seventy-two hours.

I want to call out to Dragan, to find out if he’s nearby, but on the slim chance whatever’s out there doesn’t see me, I have no desire to alert it to my presence. ‘Course, even if I wanted to call for help, fear is currently acting like a gag in my mouth.

I hear another sound… breathing?

My heart pounds and sweat has broken out across my forehead and the small of my back.

You need more light,Eilish,I tell myself.Light repels creatures of shadow.

Leaning over the fire as quietly as I can, I blow gently into the coals. The red-orange glow intensifies briefly, but as soon as I release my breath, the coals grow tired once again. I glance to my right, where I notice a pile of kindling left by Thoradin. It’s maybe five feet away. Swallowing hard, I reach for the twigs and what looks like dried and black lichen. I grab a handful and throw it on the coals and a few seconds later, the fire ignites again, roaring back to life. My surroundings become marginally visible.

I look up and immediately frown at the sight before me. A small red fox stares at me from just beyond the perimeter of our camp.

You’re seeing things, Eilish,I tell myself.

I close my eyes, then open them again.

The fox is still there.

I shake my head, disbelieving what my eyes report as the truth. How is it possible that a fox could survive in this shadow forest, a forest inhabited by abominations and monsters?

I don’t have an answer for myself.

My mind races, imagining the hideous monsters that would make quick work of this beautiful creature. Even though it takes all of my energy, I push myself closer to the animal.

“Hello, little guy,” I whisper as I approach. Cautiously, I hold out my hand. “Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

But then I remember theGlyph of Wardingthat protects our camp. The red fox won’t be able to enter. If I want to protect him, I’m going to have to go after him. I don’t even know if I possess the strength to stand, but I attempt it all the same. I fail.

Instead, I roll over onto my hands and knees, then close my eyes against the dizziness that plagues me. After a few deep breaths, I open my eyes again, noticing the fox hasn’t changed position.

He continues to watch me with intelligent eyes. I begin to crawl toward him until I reach the perimeter of our camp. Once I travel beyond the perimeter of theGlyph of Warding, I’ll no longer be protected. But the fox is standing so close, I imagine I might be able to reach over and simply lift him up and into our protective enclosure.

He’s a wild animal, Eilish,I think.He’s not going to just let you pick him up.

But I’m an angel, which means I have the ability to communicate with beasts,I remind myself. I’m not sure how I know this, but I know it all the same.I should be able to make him understand he needs me.I figure it’s worth a shot.

The fox looks at me with suspicion.

“I won’t hurt you,” I explain, holding the creature’s gaze as I smile and try to make him understand he’s in danger and he needs my help. I reach for him, but he startles and takes a few steps back. A howl sounds in the darkness and my heart starts to thunder. This fox isn’t going to last much longer; he’s a walking target.

“Come on,” I plead, but the fox makes no attempt to come closer. “Please.”

He just looks at me. It’s then that I realize if I want to protect the little guy, I’m going to have to go get him.

I realize it’s madness but I take a deep breath and reach out, over theGlyph, so half of me is still within the perimeter and theother half is beyond it. The fox stands his ground—ground which happens to be just beyond my reach.

I crawl forward until I’m inches past the line of theGlyph, still on my hands and knees. I’m no longer protected, and fear is starting to surge inside me. I feel myself growing more and more weary as the seconds tick by.

“Please come to me,” I call to the fox, holding out my hand. “I can’t wait much longer.” I need to get back to the safety of my camp.

The animal takes another step back and as soon as he does, a wind whips up around him. I close my eyes against the dead leaves and dust. When I open them, the fox is nowhere to be seen. Instead, I find myself at eye level with a pair of men’s knees.

I swallow hard and time seems to stand still as I glance upward, following the lines of the man’s naked body until I’m face-to-face with… a stranger.

Run, Eilish!The woman’s voice suddenly awakens inside my head, screeching at me.Get behind the wards, now!

My heart starts pounding but just as I turn to try to scurry back, the man bends over and wraps his arms around my waist, preventing me from escaping. He lifts me and then pulls me into him and, as much as I want to, I can’t fight him. I’m so exhausted. All I can do is lay there limply, my arms dangling at my sides as my back rubs up against the coarse hair on his chest. It’s then that I realize the sheet covering my nudity has fallen down, and now lies strewn across the ground.

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