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The mermaid holds her hand out for me, her wet hair swaying as though she were still beneath the lake.
A low click forms in the back of her throat when I don’t move. She slithers closer, twisting and curling her long body like a serpent.
I furrow my brows, taking a step back as I watch her glide over the land. Thin lips peel back, exposing layers of needle thin teeth, and I suck in a breath.
Nope. Not a magical mermaid.
Creepy snake lady.
My legs are moving, spinning me around and pulling me into the forest before I’m able to fully register that she’s following me.
The clicks persist, like a bat using sonar.
I lunge through a web of bushes, catching my shin and stumbling to the forest floor at the same moment I hear a strangled screech, and the clicking ceases.
My breathing is quick. I spin around, searching for the source of the muffled cry. But it is followed with silence.
I can’t be certain, but it almost sounded like my pursuer had just been…pursued. And that only means whatever horrifying creature got her is still out there.
Instinct screams at me to get up and run, except I have no idea where I am. A step in any direction would only get me more lost. As desperately as I want to be out of this forest, the safest thing to do is hunker down, stay hidden, and pray that Josten comes back.
Squeezing myself inside the hollow of a tree, I close my eyes, try to steady my pulse, and wait.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SUMNER
Aresounding knock plays in the distance. It’s hard and rushed, escalating a sense of urgency, and I jolt upright, a small throbbing in my head when I do so. Looking around, I find that I’m in my room. The curtains are drawn, a soft light filtering in.
There’s no lake. No forest. No monster.
I am safe in the guest house.
What time is it? I think to myself, yawning.
The banging continues, so I throw my blankets off and stumble out of bed. A cold gust of wind rushes in when I open the door, seeing a very disheveled Josten with his fist held high, ready to knock again. The color returns to his face the moment he sees me.
I prop a hand on my hip, leaning all my weight to one side. “Care to explain why you left me alone in the woods?”
“I am so sorry,” Josten starts, his words falling quickly. “You were asleep and I heard my pack nearby. I thought it would be fine if I joined them on a quick run. I didn’t think you’d wake up in the time I was gone.” He runs his hand over the back of his arm, looking at me like he’s surprised I’m here. “How did you get out of the forest by yourself?”
Myself? “Uh…didn’t you bring me back?”
“Me? No. I was out all night looking for you. I thought you wandered off thinking I left. Which, I did, but I swear I was coming back.”
There’s a rustling of the shed door closing. Josten and I both look to see Rhenn walking across the lawn, squinting his face like he hates the sun.
“Late night partying?” I ask, relating to how completely exhausted he looks.
“Something like that,” he grumbles, not looking at either of us as he climbs the steps of the porch and goes into his house.
“Anyway,” Josten continues, “I’m really sorry. I promise that won’t happen again.”
I stare at Rhenn’s doorway another moment, wondering if it was more than an all-nighter at the tavern that has him worse for wear this morning. Had he spent the time with his friends, or given his attention to someone else after we danced? Was Siena there too? Not that it matters, of course. Better he’s distracted with her than sinking his teeth into me.
I spend most of the day in and out of naps. Sleep has never come easily to me. At least, sleep uninterrupted by dreams that refuse to let me forget. It doesn’t matter how far you run, the past always finds a way to haunt you. For me, it’s in my most vulnerable state, when my subconscious takes over and my dreams can run wild.
Eventually, I give up trying to catch up on rest. I run better on sleep deprivation anyway.
