Page 25 of Ember and Eclipse
Some strange mixture of relief and defeat ran through her at the sight of his piercing gray eyes.
She should slit his throat right then and there, but he was looking at her with the same primitive look he had that night she tried to kill him.
“Youcouldslit my throat,” his chest rumbled against hers with his words, “but if you want to survive the night, I would advise against it.”
She studied him, calculating the risk and reward as she pressed the knife deeper into his skin. He didn’t take his focus off her nor move away from the blade.
Then she remembered, her eyes sliding to their dark surroundings. “There’s a creature and…” How did she even explain it?
“I’m aware.”
“I was being chased and then—”
“I’m the most dangerous thing out here. But when it returns, and it’s when not if, it won’t be alone, and then that just might not be the case.”
Her gaze found him again.
A howl slashed through the night, haunting and far too close.
She lowered her knife, her eyes wide with unhidden horror.
“Smart choice.” He stood up, somehow looking pristine and not like someone who crashed through the woods after her in the rain.
He offered her his hand, but she sat up and struggled to stand on her own.
When she went to step forward, though, her leg buckled from under her, and she tumbled into him.
He steadied her. “We have to move quickly. Themalsdon’t run in full packs generally, but they’re also rarely alone. And they are stubbornly hard to kill.”
“I’m fine,” she said, righting herself again and testing it, but before even half of her weight was on her ankle, it gave out again.
He was lifting her before she knew it, cradling her in his arms and already setting a pace that jostled her in his grasp.
“Put me down!” she hissed, even as she threw her arm around his neck to secure herself.
He didn’t bother reacting to her, and after a brief struggle, she accepted her fate. As they entered the forest again, she spent several minutes staring around into the darkness that he seemed to be able to traverse through easily.Tooeasily. She peered up at him.
Without looking at her, he spoke first. “You know, out of all the nights to run, this was probably the worst of them.”
“I had to take the chance when I was given it. How did you find me in the clearing? And please, for the love of any god in this realm or the next, just answer the question.” She knew the answer was linked to the same way he’d found her in the swamp and again in the Mark.
Despite the warmth that radiated from him, she began shivering, and within seconds, her entire body was shaking with tremors. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let them chatter, but to no avail.
He breathed in deeply. “I tracked you by scent.” He looked down at her, but there was no humor in his expression.
“By scent,” she repeated slowly.
He nodded once. “In Romul, your scent was always soft and lingering—sweet plum and some dewy floral aroma. The scent of water lilies and fenty vines were additions from your swamp life. But more importantly, I tracked your magic, which has its own complex fragrance.”
“My scent,” she said, mystified. “What are you saying? I’ve been gone from Romul for two years now, even if it were possible to track me that way.”
“I’m very good at it. In fact, I’m the only one capable of it.”
Several realizations settled over her. “TheWolfof Romul,” she breathed.
He huffed a breath of laughter.
She’d gotten away because of another beast. And that creature was… It suddenly made sense. “You’re like that thing out there?”
