Page 91 of The Shadow Path
“I’ve got you,” he murmured. “Don’t want you to rip your clothes.” He lifted her up nearly to the top of the gate, and all Carys had to do was throw her foot over and drop to the other side.
Did his blatant display of manly strength leave her a little turned on? Okay, yes. Yes, it did, but that was understandable. Not every man was built like Duncan Murray.
Cadell frowned at both the women, looked up at the top of the fence, then walked over, twisted the padlock in his fist, and broke it off. “There was really no need to climb over the fence when there’s a gate.”
Laura looked up at him. “You could have done that before I nearly twisted my ankle.”
“You could have waited for me to open the gate.” He pushed the metal gate open, and he and Duncan walked through. “Don’t blame me for your impatience.”
She tried to hide her smirk. “You gonna make another joke about delayed gratification right now?”
“No.” He walked past her and bent down. “But if you want something from me, you should state your desired expectations clearly.”
Laura turned and narrowed her eyes at the dragon.
Carys grabbed Duncan’s hand and quickly walked past them, heading toward the large shed that was leaning to the side.
Duncan wove their fingers together and chuckled. “Don’t envy that dragon one bit.” He squeezed her hand. “Are you a hand-holder then, darling?”
She turned, her cheeks a little red. “I mean, it’s holding hands. It’s nice.”
“I agree.” His eyes were dancing. “I like learning these little things about you.”
“Really? What else do you want to know?”
They walked under an alleyway of gnarled oaks, their twisting branches bright green with spring leaves. As the sun rose and light filtered through the limbs, a dust of spring pollen drifted through shafts of light, lending the green tunnel an otherworldly air.
“What’s your favorite music album?”
“Ever of all time?”
Duncan hummed a little bit. “Favorite of all time and favorite of the past… five years or so.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and kept her hand firmly in his as they walked deeper into the woods. The light grew dimmer, and the trees grew taller. She heard Cadell and Laura walking at a short distance behind them, but the wind rustling the leaves overhead drowned out whatever they were talking about. “Obviously the greatest album of all time is John Denver’sChristmas with the Muppets, which is both seasonal and timeless.”
Duncan snorted. “God, you’re fucking adorable, Carys Morgan. But that is a ridiculous pick.”
She turned her head and gawped at him. “How dare you?”
“It’s not even the best Muppets album,” Duncan persisted. “Which is obviouslyThe Muppet Moviesoundtrack.”
“Unbelievable,” Carys muttered.
The path in front of them abruptly stopped, and the trail narrowed to a thin, beaten track that twisted through a darkbramble of weeds, bushes, and a few scrappy wildflowers that defiantly bloomed in the filtered light.
Duncan looked back. “You feeling anything now?”
Cadell nodded. “There’s something here.”
“I feel it too,” Laura said. “There’s a weight to the air.”
Carys wouldn’t have said it like that, but she knew exactly what Laura was getting at. The air around her felt pressed in and heavy. The pollen drifting from the oak trees stuck to her skin. As she stepped off the path and around the tall bramble blocking her view, she heard a distant humming and a faint, eerie song.
“Carys, watch out.” Duncan grabbed her arm.
Looking down, Carys had nearly tripped over the outstretched leg of a young man lying half in the bramble and half out. He was shirtless and wretchedly thin with blue veins crawling up his pale forearms. He must have been no older than eighteen or nineteen, the same age as the freshmen in her Intro to Mythology class.
“Hey.” She gazed at the young man, who appeared to be staring into the canopy overhead. “Hey, you.”
