Perhaps she would have no memory of this incident at all. Even so, if shedidremember, would she alert others of her kind? Would they use him harming her as reason for an attack? Slightly shifting his weight from foot to foot, he could feel the nerves bundling in his gut.
Looking back to Shadow, his heart fell as he took in the sight of his new book, now a tattered mess of mud and bent pages. It must have been thrown from the carriage amidst the chaos.
Perfect. The only thing I had to sate my curiosities, is gone.
His shadows flicked around him as he sensed blood beginning to leave her body.
She is bleeding.
But he couldn’t possibly take her. He would be bringing her into his safety and, even more concerning, she would bearoundhim. The feeling of being the cause of fear in someone else made his gut churn.
He never wanted to be the reason for harm.
Yet, shewasharmed. Because of him.
Cautiously, he took small steps towards her. Her eyes would flutter open every few breaths, but he made sure to use his shadows to hide his presence. Kneeling down, he reached for her.
If her injury was not severe, perhaps she would be fine on her own.
His gloved hand was an inch away from her head when, suddenly, he froze at the sound of her voice.
There was no room for mistake or misinterpretation of what he heard.
“Escape,” she whispered, before losing consciousness once more.
His shadows snapped around even more erratically reflecting the sinking feeling in his chest.
She is only unconscious.
He had to remind himself as he knelt beside her.
Relenting to his only option, Osiris moved his arms gently under her legs and the back of her head. Once he had a hold on her, he carefully lifted her up and walked back to the carriage.
What am I doing?
Just as he placed her limp body on the wooden bench, he could sense yelling and hollering from within the forest.
The beings were beginning to leave the enclave.
Osiris hurriedly hoisted himself up, sitting next to her, and flicked the reins. The carriage began to pull away slowly, but Osiris pushed Shadow to move faster.
Using his shadows, he made sure to hide her from any beings that might happen upon them. If anyone looked their way, they would only see darkness.
Why is a human woman out this late at night on Hallows Eve?
He flicked the reins again, urgency clawing at his chest
If any of the beings knew of a human encroaching on their space, it could cause a mass panic.
Pushing Shadow faster and faster until they finally pulled onto his land, Osiris did not waste even a moment of time as he jumped out of the carriage, turning back to scoop up the human woman. His shadows spun and curved around them as they walked towards the door.
One of his shadows unlocked it and Osiris rushed inside, kicking the door closed behind him.
He walked through his house which, all of a sudden, felt much too small. Much too vulnerable.
If she screamed would the beings hear it?
If she bled would the beings smell it?
