“I need a new shelter.”
I fixed my gaze on the rock formations directly across from where I sat. Unlike the one my back rested against, they were a collection of towering rocks and assorted boulders.
“That might work.”
From this distance, the surface of the rocks looked pockmarked and riddled with depressions. One of them might be big enough for a vampire to crawl into and sleep away the day. Maybe there was a slot canyon or some other form of shelter.
Whatever the case, it was better than remaining here and waiting for a painful death.
Earlier I hadn’t wanted to attempt shadow slipping given the inherent danger, but the situation had changed. I was now desperate and grasping at anything that might spare me having to walk under the full strength of a desert sun.
Unfortunately—whether because I still didn’t have a clear grasp of how it worked or I was too weak to manipulate it properly—the magic slipped from my grasp like grains of sand through a clenched fist.
I guess that left one choice. Making the journey on foot.
The fragile skin on my legs split in places to trickle blood as I forced myself to standing. “You can do this.”
Could I though?
The shadow I hid in offered protection against the full effects of the sun’s light, but I still felt the painful pinpricks that came from its presence.
It’d be worse out there.
“A hundred yards and you can rest.”
I forced myself to take that first step.
The excruciating pain of sunlight hitting my entire body at once had me wavering. It was like walking into a pool of lava. The instinct to retreat immediate.
Gritting my teeth, I took that second step that widened the distance between me and my former haven.
One foot in front of the other.
I shambled across the hot sand toward my destination, my energy level too low for vampire speed. Twice I fell, only to force myself back up.
The skin on my face blistered. The sores cracked and peeled only to form new ones immediately after.
The formation up ahead swam in my vision. A dancing, shimmering mirage.
The strength in my legs vanished. I pitched forward, landing on hard packed dirt. On autopilot, I crawled the final few yards to the edge of the rock formation.
I was so tired. The sun had burned away the last dregs of my will.
Somehow, I managed to lift my head. A small recess at the base of the rock formation offered respite.
I don’t know how, but I dragged myself into it.
Cool, blessed darkness embraced me.
My vision spun, unconsciousness rising up to claim me. For once I didn’t fight, too grateful for the reprieve.
Hours, days, months later, I half roused as something large entered my nest. An animal of some kind, I determined as it padded toward me.
Despite the alarm that tried to rise, I was already drifting back into sleep when a cold, wet nose poked itself into the crook of my neck. The whine that followed made my eyes flutter.
With effort, I cracked open eyelids that felt heavy and swollen.
A wolf regarded me with a concerned stare. Her ears were tilted forward and there was a yellow go-bag cinched around her throat. Seeing me looking at her, she whined again.
