I was settling into the comfortable vigilance of the night watch when I detected movement from Samara’s tent. The tent flap parted, and she emerged like a shadow, pausing behind me.
I remained motionless, curious about what she intended to do. Val had tried to throw a blanket over my head once while I was in gargoyle form. He’d learned quickly why that was a terrible idea.
But Samara didn’t move closer. Instead, she slipped between the tents and into the trees behind our camp. I tracked her progress by sound, and about twenty feet out, she curved her path in an arc, clearly trying to circle wide of the camp. She likely thought she was being stealthy, unaware that my gargoyle senses could track her every movement as clearly as if she were illuminated by spotlights.
It was possible she was using the bathroom, but then sheset off deeper into the forest, heading directly toward the approaching storm. What the hell was she doing?
I released myself from stone, my body shifting back to fur, and followed. I stayed low, using the shadows as cover, tracking her without a sound.
Her purple hair made her ridiculously easy to follow. The unnatural color shimmered with an almost iridescent quality whenever the light struck it just right. My paws itched with the impulse to run through those silken waves.
The thought was so unexpected, so unwelcome, that I nearly stumbled. What the fuck was wrong with me? This woman was a complication in Val’s life that I was tolerating.
The farther we went, the more my panther bristled with unease. The storm was closing in, the air growing heavier. Whatever she was doing, wandering alone in a dangerous forest with a lightning storm approaching was reckless at best, deadly at worst.
When the trees grew denser, I took to the branches. My claws found purchase in the rough bark as I leapt silently from tree to tree, following her path toward a small clearing that opened up ahead.
She stopped in the middle of the exposed space and went completely still. Her posture shifted, tension draining from her shoulders as she stood transfixed, face tilted toward the sky. The hairs on my arms rose as lightning flashed closer, illuminating her profile for a split second.
Her expression was serene, almost rapturous.
This wasn’t normal behavior. I crouched lower on my branch, muscles bunching as I prepared to leap down and drag her back to safety. The storm was practically on top of us now, lightning dancing between the clouds.
A bolt struck the ground ten feet from where she stood.
She didn’t even flinch.
Lightning that close should trigger every survivalinstinct in a demon’s body. Her utter stillness was unnerving. Either she’d lost her mind, or she knew exactly what she was doing.
I was a heartbeat away from jumping down when a chittering sound caught my attention. I turned to find Nico perched on a nearby branch, his beady eyes fixed on me. He shook his head vigorously, tail flicking in urgent, silent communication.
The intensity of his gaze gave me pause. He knew what was happening, and he didn’t want me to interfere.
I turned back right as a blinding bolt of lightning struck Samara directly. The world went white, my vision temporarily overloaded by the brilliant flash. The lightning didn’t dissipate immediately but lingered, coursing through her for several seconds longer than any natural strike should last.
She dropped to her knees, one hand clutching her chest as if in pain. Before she could recover, another bolt hit her, then three more in rapid succession. Each strike made her glow brighter from within, her skin becoming luminescent and her hair shifting to a more vivid purple.
As suddenly as it had appeared, the storm vanished, leaving an unnatural silence in its wake. Samara collapsed onto the ground, her body radiating light like a fallen star.
Nico leapt from his branch, shifting mid-air, landing in his demon form with unexpected grace. I followed, my shift smooth as I hit the ground beside him.
“What the fuck?” The words burst from me before I could stop them.
“Quiet.” He didn’t spare me a glance as he rushed to Samara, gathering her into his arms with practiced care. Her body trembled violently, teeth chattering, eyes squeezed shut. The glow emanating from her skin cast eerie shadows across Nico’s concerned face.
She was fuckingglowing. Not metaphorically, but literally glowing like the moon. Nothing had prepared me for this.
I followed them back to camp in stunned silence, watching as Nico carefully placed her back in the tent. When he emerged and positioned himself beside me, I was surprised he was willing to leave her side at all.
He pulled the tie from his hair, running his fingers through the mess before gathering it back into its knot. In the moonlight, the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than I’d noticed before.
“You can’t say anything about this. Her life depends on it.” His voice was laced with warning.
I raised my eyebrows, unable to keep the incredulity from my expression. “I don’t understand.”
His gaze shifted to the tent, then back to me. “Let’s just say it didn’t take her light.” The whispered words were so faint that even my enhanced hearing struggled to catch them.
If it didn’t take her light, then what exactly had it done? Given her light?
