Page 21 of Shadow Caster
“I need to sit,” he said. And then he just dropped where he was. “Maybe if I go to sleep here, I’ll wake up in my bed.”
The ground had become uneven and rocky, and there was a definite incline to the terrain. We couldn’t be more than an hour or so from our destination. If we kept going …
The human groaned. “My feet ache.”
“I could do with a rest,” Minnie said. “This day walking is kinda tiring.”
“Yeah, now I understand why we use golems to do our day bidding,” Thomas said. “I can’t wait to get mine once I graduate.”
Golems were a luxury the legacy families got to enjoy. Woven into existence by the head weaver and his team at Nightwatch headquarters, they were custom designed to suit their masters.
I found a flat-looking rock and parked my butt. “Fine, we take a break.”
Harmon and Oberon exchanged glances and then shrugged and joined us.
“Minnie, how about one of those energy bars?” Harmon asked.
Minnie passed the energy bars to Harmon and Oberon, then retrieved the blood bags for us.
I shook my head when she offered me one. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
Thomas accepted his.
“Funny?” Oberon said, eyes on the sky. “Sun’s setting. Early.”
“I guess someone on the outside wants to hurry us along.” Thomas sucked on his blood bag. “Not bad for a simulation drink.”
“How long do you think we’ve been under in reality?” Minnie asked.
“Couldn’t be that long.” I shrugged. “It’s a double period, so they probably want us done in two hours.”
“Hence the fast sunset.” Oberon nodded. “Makes sense.”
The sky pinkened and then darkened. A tingle ran over my skin as my nightblood powers surged back to the surface with the waking of the moon, but then my fingers and palm flared with prickling pain that quickly turned into a burn.
“Shit!” I shook my hand.
“You okay?” Minnie reached out to take my wrist and studied my palm. “Shit, what is that?”
Even with the rapidly setting gloom, the red smudges on my fingertips and palm were clearly visible.
“Fuck, it burns.” I pulled away from her as the burn sank into my skin and was gone. “Okay, that was weird.” I wiggled my fingers. “It’s gone.”
“What happened?” Henry asked.
I glanced over at him, suddenly hyperaware of his presence—the smell of him, the sound of his blood whooshing through his veins. My gums throbbed, and hunger squeezed my stomach.
Oh, God.
I stood and backed away.
“Indie, what is it?” Minnie reached for me, but I jerked away.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not again. I couldn’t go through this again. But there was nothing but the thud of Henry’s pulse and the gallop of my heart, nothing but the hunger. It rose up like a blanket to cloak my consciousness—a crimson tide of ravenous intent. I had to fight it. I needed to get away before it took over, before the bloodlust claimed me and I killed the human.
But there was no getting away.
We were stuck in a simulation until we passed the finish line or until we died.
