Faster,they seemed to whisper.
Roux fell behind, then caught up. “In a hurry?”
A twig snapped in the forest, and we froze, listening.
Leaves stirred ever so slightly. Too quiet for a normal sense of hearing, but not for someone with my shifter ancestry.
Somewhere behind me, something was moving through the forest.
My heart rate tripled, and I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Keep walking. Slowly,” Roux whispered.
I did, sniffing the air. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing from the wrong direction, giving me no hint of what that might be.
But whoever — or whatever — it was, they continued stalking us.
“If that’s Bene, I’ll kill him,” I whispered.
“If that’s Bene,I’llkill him,” Roux grunted. “But it isn’t.”
“Who, then?” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No idea.”
I pulled out my phone as I speed walked, thinking to call Bene.
“Already alerted him,” Roux rumbled, pushing me along.
Oh. Right. Those two had worked together long enough to mentally communicate. In the few weeks I’d spent around them, I’d consciously blocked them out, but maybe it was time to rethink that.
Another twig snapped — on the opposite side of the driveway this time.
Shit. That meant we had two stalkers — or more.
Hurry,the magic woven into the stonework of the château urged.
“Roux…” I murmured nervously.
He kept my arm in a vise grip. “Don’t run. Not until I say so.”
Branches snapped as our stalkers picked up their pace.
Roux pushed me forward. “Run. Run!”
I sprinted, with Roux half a step behind, but our stalkers were faster.
I glanced back just as one broke out of the woods directly behind us. A man with long, glistening fangs and eyes that glowed red with the thrill of the hunt.
Vampire!my instincts screamed.
Then I caught a glimpse of a forked tongue and a weird, flaring neck.
“What the hell is that?” I whisper-yelled, running for my life.
“Naga,” Roux grunted.
I had no idea what a naga was, but if Roux was concerned, I was concerned.
