Page 45 of The Girl in the Forest

Behind Julien loomed a ruined shed. Shattered boards cast sharp-edged shadows and the door hung on broken hinges. I shuddered as the vampire tossed something toward Fallon.

“Souvenir,” he said.

She caught it, opening her palm to study the item. Then she offered it to me—a curving black claw. “Touch it,” she said.

I crossed my arms and shook my head. “I don’t need to touch it. The air stings like nettles and the taste of ashes is in my mouth.”

“Even after all this time?”

“Yes.” The so-called bear attack happened months ago, but my faille impressions had developed while in Aine’s wrinkle, and I didn’t need to touch the claw to know the truth. “That didn’t come from a bear.”

“A spelled creature?” Julien asked.

I nodded. “You’ve seen them before?”

“One or two sightings.” His neutral tone told me he was good at lying, perfect for an emissary. He extended his arms with a formal bow. “Your transport awaits, my lady.”

“I feel guilty.” He’d already carried me away from the Gathering, then took Miranda and Albert, when he’d had no obligation to help us. “I should pay you for the ride.”

Julien flashed his fangs, did it with a blistering smile, and said, “Donations are always welcome.”

He meant blood donations—he was a vampire, after all—but as my knees weakened, I realized why Fallon said they were dangerous. Sex appeal radiated from Julien. Even when I knew he was teasing, his suggestion was difficult to resist.

I wanted to extend my arm to him in invitation, know the touch of a vampire’s lips on my skin. Julien wouldn’t worry about me biting him in return because I had no wolf—my teeth would be erotic, rather than dangerous.

Some threat I was.

But I should remember this feeling and guard against it, because not all vampires were like Julien.

“Tamp it down, big boy.” Fallon grinned. “You know how he is with his possessions.”

Julien slapped a hand against his chest. A smile tugged at his attractive lips, and for an instant, I forgot to protest—I was no one’s possession.

But Julien was speaking, so I remained quiet.

“A thousand pardons, Alpha,” he said to Fallon. “He knows I’m too afraid of his wolf to ever hurt his lady.”

She snorted. “Modesty doesn’t suit you, Julien. At least not with someone who pays attention.”

“And here I thought you were his softer side,” the vampire crooned. “Your teeth are just as sharp.”

“Remember it.” But there was no animosity, and I decided this was a normal conversation between species rumored to be enemies.

I bent to pick up my backpack, sliding the straps over my shoulders before reaching for the quiver and bow. “How far are we going?”

“Ten miles and a minute or two,” Julien said. “Not long enough to puke on my shoes.”

I smiled and teased, “I’d never puke on your shoes.”

“You were close the last time.” He grinned, no fangs visible, and wrapped his arms around me. The ground dropped away. Wind battered my face. I gripped his strong arms, but as he’d said, a minute or two, and I was standing on solid ground again. The only difference was the cooler air.

“How do you do that?” I gasped.

“I could tell you. But then I’d be daggered by my sire for revealing secrets, stuck until she needed me again.”

“Your sire is a woman?”

“One of the ancients,” he said. “Cleopatra’s handmaiden before she was turned.”

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