Oreo emitted playful little growls and sought more pets.
Just as I was deciding on how to break the news to my men that we had a new puppy, the air thickened around me. What little sunlight bled through the canopy of trees dimmed, like a dark cloud passing in front of the sun.
The hairs on my nape stood on end.
Amidst the darkness, a burst of color drew my eye. A cluster of bright red flowers sprouted from the soil, the petals thin and jutting in all directions. They held a ghostly glow.
Had they been there earlier?
Wait.A red glow. Was that what I’d seen earlier that had lured me closer to the woods?
Oreo’s tail swished in his excitement, and he gave a littlewoof. He stared toward the darkest part of the forest—as if looking at someone.
Heartrate spiking, I surveyed the trees, seeing nothing but shadows and the eerie red glow of the flowers. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.
“Hello?” I squeaked. A drop in temperature had me shivering. Fear probably aided in that too.
Within the darkness, something stirred. Moved. Goosebumps snaked down my arms, and I could’ve sworn I heard traces of a low chuckle, silky and deep.
“Evan?” Callum called from somewhere behind me.
The thickness in the air vanished, and the patch of glowing red flowers wilted, the petals shriveling and detaching. Within seconds, no sign of them remained.
Armor clanked as the knights advanced, chopping at vines with their swords and shouting my name.
“Over here!” I called out, not wanting to scare Oreo by moving.
“There you are.” Callum cleared a path as he approached, hacking at shrubs. “Why did you run off without telling us?”
“Sorry,” I told him over my shoulder. “I fell down the hill.”
“Gods, Ev. Look at you. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Just some scratches. I’ll live.”
“The captain is going to murder me.” Callum stepped closer… then froze. “Evan? What are you doing?”
“I found a puppy. Isn’t he the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” I scratched behind Oreo’s ears. “Do you think Maddox will let me keep him if I promise to bake, like, a hundred muffins?”
“Ev—”
“Okay, two hundred. A mix of blueberry and banana nut.”
“Evan!” Callum’s harsh tone cut through the quiet forest. “No sudden movements. I’m coming over to get you.”
Oreo rose on all fours and bared his teeth, moving in front of me.
“It’s okay, boy,” I told the puppy. “Cal is nice. He’s just yelling because he’s worried. I do that to all the men in my life it seems.”
When Callum took another step forward, Oreo snapped his jaw and snarled, low and throaty. Threatening. Something was different about him. Sharp claws jutted from his little feet, and his fur looked prickly. The ends pulsed with a blue glow, as though electrically charged.
That was… strange.
Duke and Quincy burst through the shrubs, Baden a step behind them. Their relief at seeing me broke once laying eyes on the puppy.
“Dear gods,” Duke muttered, tightening the grip on his sword.
“What’s wrong?” My confusion grew.
