Stupefaction had him frozen. But it didn’t last long. To her dismay, his other hand covered hers, a fleeting warmth before he steadfastly pushed her fingers away and disentangled from the grip.
“I will be back.”
Then he was gone and Anne was all alone again.
Chapter 5
The coast was clear by the time Nico got out of the cottage, but he would never forget the sensations that had wracked his body when the energy had pulsed so hard as if trying to penetrate his skin. More so, there was no forgetting the way she looked: terrified, the kind that indicated she had been in this scenario before, and it was something she never wanted to experience again. Then there was her voice, croaked out and small, as if she hadn’t used it in a long time. Maybe she hadn’t.
He tried to set everything aside. His beast made its way out, more than ready to take on the challenge as it burst into a run and followed the trail he knew by heart. Leaving the cottage area was difficult, but the knowledge that the magic would keep it protected left him with some comfort.
Thank you, Fae magic from Fae allies.
He scented rust and knew what was coming next. He charged into the scene and growled at the sight of a dead fox, flattened with its tongue hanging out. It was in the forest but just outside their territory. The trail of blood stopped just at the end of the line of trees, the tall grass displaying nothing. But something warned him not to step beyond that line, and he ended up watching the field and steep path for the longest time. When he was sure there were no signs of life around, he covered all his tracks and returned to the cottage, where a figure rattled her chains until they strained against her wrist. He inwardly grimaced, then strode towards her without a word.
The woman was quick to leap back and press against the wall like a cornered animal. Her defensive posture made him pause, aware that he could have her on the floor if she tried to tackle him. She didn’t, tensing as she waited for his next movement.
“Not a good idea,” he said, keeping his tone light. “That wall’s charged with energy, and even I can’t stand to be near it when it’s like that. I will approach you. But just to remove your chains.”
Her wariness remained. He approached, anyway, steps light and cautious, noting how her shoulders formed a rigid line when his hands reached out. He didn’t speak when he touched the chains, didn’t react when his fingers brushed her wrist and she hissed. The handcuffs unlocked with a click and he stepped away promptly, bringing it with him. She stayed where she was, perusing it before she rubbed her ankle.
He threw it to the side, as far away from them as possible. He waited for her to run for the door, but she didn’t.
“So, you can talk.”
The woman looked at him as if trying to figure him out. He did the same.
“Does it hurt to talk?”
Silence. Tentatively, she nodded. So did he, mentally backing away from the interrogation as the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. The certainty that she wasn’t an accomplice rang in his soul, remembering how crazed she had gone earlier.
“I hope you tell me your name next time. When you are ready.”
Nico turned, debating between going back to sleep or standing guard outside the whole time—
“Anne.”
The word reverberated in the silence. He glanced back and saw her chin lift.
“Hey, Anne.”
She jerked that chin and broke the gaze. That was all he got, but he didn’t push. Something had happened. He felt it was enough, understanding how trauma worked and how long it lasted. He had seen it enough times in the years that their clan dealt with forces of evil and manipulative people.
He kept himself busy, resecuring the cottage and the Fae force that coated it. His mind raced a mile a minute, torn between going out to track and staying to protect. His beast screamed the former repeatedly. When he turned back to her, he found her observing him expectantly as she sat on her futon. The lack of urgency to flee had him sitting down, too, and facing her, forced to confront the reality of the situation.
“I didn’t find it again. But it’s not human. What we felt earlier can’t be human. So, it’s either a shifter with really crazy energy to make the walls act up like that…or it’s something else.”
She nodded, cementing that he wasn’t delusional. When she didn’t ask questions, he took out his phone and called a number.
“Hey, Nico. Report?”
Nico went straight to the point, reporting everything that had transpired since he first arrived. When he was done, he waited for his clan leader to announce the dispatching of more clan members or the setup of more traps.
“I want you to retreat as quietly as you can and leave no traces behind.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”