Page 9 of The Right to Bear Claws
"What is it?"
Kaia closed her eyes, trying to identify the sensation crawling up her spine. It felt like being observed, studied, hunted. Like something in the growing darkness knew her name and was whispering it just beyond the edge of hearing.
"Something's wrong," she whispered.
Immediately, Elias moved closer, his presence solid and reassuring at her back. "What kind of wrong?"
"I don't know. It's like..." She struggled to find words for the creeping dread settling in her bones. "Like something's calling to me. Something I don't want to answer."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Around them, Hollow Oak's cozy atmosphere seemed to flicker, shadows deepening and streetlights dimming as if something was drawing the light away.
"We need to get you inside," Elias said, his voice tight with concern.
But as they hurried toward the inn, Kaia couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was calling to her wouldn't be deterred by walls or wards or the kindness of strangers. It knew where she was now.
And it was patient enough to wait for the right moment to answer.
5
ELIAS
The wrongness started subtle, like a discordant note threading through Hollow Oak's nighttime symphony.
Elias adjusted his patrol route for the third time in an hour, his bear agitated as he catalogued the small disturbances rippling through the town's supernatural ecosystem. A flock of ravens that should have been roosting instead circled the church spire in agitated loops. The protection crystals embedded in Main Street's lamp posts flickered sporadically, their steady glow interrupted by moments of unsettling darkness. Even the autumn wind felt different tonight, carrying whispers that made his enhanced hearing strain to decode words that vanished before he could grasp them.
But it was the shadows that really set his teeth on edge.
They moved wrong, sliding across buildings and pooling in doorways with deliberate purpose instead of following the natural dance of moonlight and streetlamps. Twice now, he'd caught glimpses of darkness that seemed to watch him back, pressing against the edges of his vision before dissolving when he turned to confront it directly.
Whatever had followed Kaia to Hollow Oak was getting bolder.
His radio crackled to life, Lucien's voice tight with controlled tension. "Alpha Seven to Base. Got reports of disturbances on the south side. Mrs. Morgestan called about shadows moving in her garden, and the Tansley brothers are complaining about their ward stones going haywire."
"Copy that." Elias keyed his mic, already altering his route toward the reported incidents. "Any injuries?"
"Negative, but everyone's spooked. Whatever this thing is, it's affecting the sensitive residents worse than the others. Twyla had to leave the café early because her fae senses were going haywire."
That explained the unusual darkness emanating from the Griddle & Grind's windows. Twyla Honeytree had weathered supernatural storms that would send lesser beings running for the hills, but even her considerable abilities had limits.
"I'm heading your way," Elias said, but his feet carried him in the opposite direction, toward the inn where Kaia slept under Miriam's protective wards. His conscious mind knew Lucien could handle the south side disturbances, but his bear had other priorities.
Protect the mate. Everything else is secondary.
The inn sat quiet and peaceful in its pool of warm light, windows glowing like beacons against the restless shadows gathering in the surrounding streets. Miriam had reinforced the building's natural protections with decades of careful spellwork, creating a sanctuary that could withstand most supernatural threats. But most wasn't all, and the darkness hunting Kaia felt older and hungrier than anything Hollow Oak had faced in recent memory.
Elias positioned himself across the street, settling into the deep shadow cast by Moonlit Meadow Restaurant. From here,he had clear sightlines to all the inn's entrances and enough concealment to avoid drawing attention from whatever prowled the night. It wasn't an official patrol position, but nobody would question his decision to maintain extra security around their newest resident.
Especially not when the wrongness in the air continued to thicken with each passing hour.
His radio buzzed with periodic updates from the other Night Guard members. Unusual animal behavior near the Council Glade. Residents reporting nightmares so vivid they woke up screaming. A street lamp on Elm Avenue that had started bleeding shadows instead of casting light.
"Base to all units," came Varric Thornwell's gravelly voice, the Council leader's tone carrying the weight of centuries. "We're implementing Condition Yellow as of 2300 hours. All sensitive residents are advised to remain indoors and avoid sleep if possible until further notice."
Condition Yellow. The last time they'd implemented that level of supernatural alert was when a coven of blood witches had tried to establish a foothold in the territory three years ago. That had ended with bodies buried in unmarked graves and questions nobody wanted to answer.
Elias hoped this situation wouldn't require similar solutions.
Movement in the inn's second-floor window caught his attention. A pale figure in flowing white, barely visible through the gauze curtains. Kaia, probably unable to sleep despite her exhaustion. He couldn't blame her. The supernatural pressure building over Hollow Oak would affect anyone with even a trace of sensitivity, and everything about her suggested she was far more gifted than she realized.
