It looked to be a woman, judging by the way she moved.
The perimeter lights cast long, eerie streaks of silver, flickering over her as she made her way toward the border—toward the Human World.
And then, in the faint silver glow of the night, I finally got a good look at her face.
Emma. Of course.
Something in my chest went tight, and I wasn’t sure if it was irritation, curiosity, or something else entirely.
What the hell was she doing sneaking out alone?
I picked up my pace, staying far enough back so she wouldn’t notice me, but close enough to intervene if I had to.
And then—she crossed the border. She didn’t even pause, didn’t check over her shoulder. She simply crossed.
I cursed under my breath but didn’t stop. Did she do this often? Slip out into night like it was nothing?
I stopped at the edge, watching as she put ten feet of space between herself and the boundary, until she reached a small clearing. Then she stilled, her gaze locking onto the vast, untamed wilderness of the Highlands.
She didn’t fidget. Didn’t pace. She just stood there. Staring into the night like it held answers she hadn’t found yet.
For a second, I considered letting her have her moment, but such wasn’t exactly my style.
So I stepped forward.
She must have felt me approach, because her shoulders stiffened slightly before she exhaled, her eyes locked on the nothingness front of her.
“You followed me.”
Not a question.
I took a slow step closer, shoving my hands into my pockets. “You snuck out.”
“Didn’t know I needed permission to leave.”
“You don’t.”
She finally turned around, all warmth stripped from her face. “Then why follow me?”
I shrugged. “Call it morbid curiosity. Or boredom.”
She snorted softly, but it faded quickly as she swallowed hard, her attention shifting back on the horizon.
She hadn’t invited me to stay, but she hadn’t asked me to leave either. So I sat my ass down on a nearby branch, elbows on my knees, my focus fixed on her.
She stood perfectly still, arms folded loosely, her fingers tucked beneath her elbows. The wind tugged at her hair, teasing strands free from whatever attempt she’d made to tie them back. The rest cascaded over her shoulders in an unruly mess, shifting like dark silk against her white coat.
Her expression was unreadable, but her lips were slightly parted, and I could see the faint crease in her brow—enough to make me wonder what she was thinking.
She looked out over the Highlands, her posture rigid but tired. Like she was bracing for something or maybe trying to hold herself together.
Fuck me, that girl was stunning.
Not in a way that made heads turn—but in a way that made it feel dangerous to breathe. There was something inside her—untamed, coiled tight beneath the surface—but hidden from the rest of the world. As if the one who caught a glimpse, was privileged to the secret of her existence.
A quiet fire lived behind her eyes—sharp, knowing, and far too bright to ever burn unseen. And I was the lucky bastard, trapped in its blaze.
She must’ve felt my stare, because she turned—slowly—her gaze drifting over my face, then down my body.
