Page 85 of Run Like the Devil

Or, perhaps because it was from this place, connected to this place, it could twist the world around it to cover more distance than I could.

Following was easy enough, because I could feel Loch still. Beyond that, the marks on the ground showed where Guardian had dragged her, the disturbed soil, the snapped twigs, the blood where she must have scraped over sharp debris.

Each thing drove my temper higher, especially because the logical part of my brain didn’t seem to want to work anymore. I inhaled, drawing in the scents around me, letting them sink into me, sorting through them.

An almost metallic scent that had to be Guardian, the copper tinge of blood and beneath that? A subtly sweet scent I recognized immediately as Loch. That smell was burned into my memory. When I found her, I would bury my face in her throat and inhale it until it soothed me again, until I was sure she was safe.

Why did I keep almost losing her?

Because I have kept her at a distance.

If I hadn’t been sulking, if I hadn’t remained on the outskirts so as to avoid showing her how I looked, admitting that I could no longer hold my human form, I would have been close enough to stop Guardian. I would have felt it drawing closer, would have predicted what would happen and could have rescued her before she was harmed.

Instead, I could only chase her, hoping to catch up in time.

Never again.

I hadn’t waited to speak to the other Lords, had left them behind. They could trail us, I was sure, but I could move fastest on my own. Time was of the essence.

The Path shifted, Loch’s location more difficult to pin down. Was that because I’d located her before? Was the Path trying to outsmart us? It had been so focused on Loch already, so was it trying to separate us? To ensure we couldn’t find one another again?

As plans went, it was a good one.

However, the Path had never dealt with a creature like me—its little games wouldn’t keep me from my prey.

Loch’s scent strengthened as I chased it, and I came upon her so fast that I skidded to a stop.

She was on the ground, Guardian nowhere in sight. She didn’t move, her clothing ripped, blood on her arms and having stained the back of her sweater. She had her hand closed around a large stick, and it took a moment to work out why.

Her leg…

Even without touching her, I could tell the problem. It hung limply, even when she shifted in her unconscious state. She had at least partially dislocated it. Had Guardian done that? Or was it an accident?

I crouched beside her, resting my hand on her chest, feeling the way she breathed.

In and out. Steady.

No signs of struggle, of collapsed or punctured lungs. Her heart beat regularly as well.

Which meant that the superficial wounds and her hip were the extent of the damage.

Why is she unconscious then?

I touched her leg, and she released a pained noise even when not awake. Ah, it was likely due to pain…

An uncomfortable tightness in my chest said I didn’t like that.

Instead of focusing on that, I grasped her knee in one hand and pressed my other to the outside of her hip joint.

“I’m sorry, Loch,” I whispered as if that mattered at all before jerking my hand, the pop both a relief and something I hated. The joint needed to be set again, but the idea of causing her pain, even if it was for her best, bothered me.

At least she didn’t wake. I didn’t want her to see me, to associate me with pain or fear. She shivered in her sleep, the cold of this place no doubt getting to her, especially with how her body had to heal the wounds she’d suffered.

A part of me didn’t understand how I could touch her, how I thought myself deserving to be so close to her. I no longer had even the pretense of humanity on me, appearing every bit of the monster I truly was. Knowing I shouldn’t didn’t change that I struggled to release her.

I should set a fire to keep her warm. The heat would help her to heal faster. When I went to leave, to gather the items to set one, I found myself trapped.

A glance down showed Loch’s eyes open, her hand wrapped tightly around my wrist.

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