Coming out of the trees, he tugged at his neck uneasily. “Something’s lurking out there, Loch. It feels—I dunno. Powerful.” He buttoned the top of his shirt, now disheveled from whatever shift he’d gone through.
Finley followed swiftly behind, shirt open, beautifully chiseled pecs on full display.
Oh. Hello.
Heat flared to my cheeks as I gawked.
Get your shit together, Carwynn!
Clearing my throat, I turned back to the carriage, embarrassed to think about if he noticed me ogling.
“Right. Let’s head back.” Lochlainn waved an arm, motioning us to get back to the carriage. “We’ll regroup and return at daybreak.”
I let out an exhale, more than happy to ditchthe woods of decapitation.
At least Lochlainn was smart enough to choose his battles wisely. This obviously wasn’t the work of some ordinary person. We could all feel it. It was all off.
Keeffe and Finley pulled themselves into the carriage, Lochlainn following.
Pogue glanced over his shoulder at me as he stepped aside, gesturing a hand for me to go first. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Him—a gentleman? Somewhere in the distance, a pig must’ve taken flight.
For a moment, something twisted my gut, and I hesitated. He shot me a sideways look.
I shook it off and took his hand. A heated flush rushed through my veins as I unexpectedly fixated on our point of contact. The way his skin felt against mine was the complete opposite of all his stabbing looks and prickly words.
With my free hand, I grabbed the edge of the door to pull myself up.
Before my foot left the ground, I froze.
“He’s hereeee . . .”a haunting voice whispered in my mind.
Pogue’s hand locked around mine with a twitch of concern.
“Carwynn?” he said, quietly.
Invisible, icy fingers slid up my back.
Slowly—ever so slowly—I turned my head.
There, in the pitch black beneath the canopy of trees, were two piercing eyes, like two flames alight. Just below them, a grin.
A horrifying dark tongue slid over white, spiky teeth.
To its side, something shifted. It was faintly illuminated, floating in the air like a long ribbon caught in the wind. No, not a ribbon. More rigid, textured.
It violently snapped up, whipping around as if it were about to?—
Oh. Dear. God!
The massive whip shot through the air, instantly cutting the distance between us.
Like a snake striking, it coiled around my ankle.
Excruciating pain tore up my leg. The feel of barbed wire dug into every point of contact, piercing myflesh.
A harrowing scream forged in my lungs, bellowing out.
“Fuck!” Pogue roared.
