“Miss Samuels,” he called to me again, his voice carrying on the wind. “Stay inside after dark.”
Chapter 7
By the time I reached my bed that night, the wind had died away, and the night was eerily quiet. Earlier in the evening, the Lord and Lady had trundled away with their guests in carriages to some distant ball. It was not until the early hours of the morning that they returned. The sounds of hooves and chatter woke me from a fitful sleep and I tossed and turned, listening to creaks of tired feet heading to bed. Soon, silence crept through the house again. I had the feeling that only I lay awake, unhappy thoughts marching through my mind.
Why had Mr. Edwards demanded I return before dark? Had he himself not travelled in the dark with the other guests to the ball tonight?
I had never feared the dark, even as a child. Although now I feared something lurked in the shadows. That creature. That creature which seemed more and more real the longer I lay alone in my bed. I had not imagined it. It had been there, beyond the window, watching me. I remembered the scraping of its claws on the glass, and as if my very thoughts had conjured it forth, I heard a menacing howl from the garden.
My body froze in terror, and for a full minute, I could not move a muscle.
Then it came again. Louder this time, piercing through the night.
The monster. It was there. Again. I was sure of it.
But then I heard another sound. A muffled cry of alarm, a plea for help.
Despite my fear, I dashed to the window, throwing back the curtain to peer outside. The moon shone full now, a perfect discin the heavens, and the whole garden lay bathed in its silvery light. Immediately, my eyes landed on a figure lying prone on the lawn below my window.
Mr. Edwards!
With an effort, the man lifted himself up onto his hands and knees, his head lolling forwards, only to collapse back down.
Was he hurt? Injured?
Had the monster attacked him? Would it return to finish the job?
I gasped, dashing into the hallway to snatch at an old sword that hung on the wall. Then, before I knew what I was about, my feet hurried me out of my room, down the back stairs, and out into the frigid night, the cold air assaulting my face and bare arms.
“Mr. Edwards!” I called, stumbling across the uneven ground, the sword heavy in my hand. He lay unmoving, and I stifled a sob, half convinced the man had died in the time it had taken me to descend the stairs. “Mr. Edwards!”
But no, he was breathing, his shoulders falling and rising.
With another heave, he lifted himself once again onto his knees and twisted his head, peering through the night to where I stood but a pace away.
“Miss Samuels,” he growled, his mouth twisting into a sinister smile.
Stay in after dark.
I hugged my free arm around me in terror as his body jerked and jolted, his limbs bending in awkward directions, his very bones snapping. His frame swelled in size, the clothes he wore ripping and falling in tatters to the grass. Hair sprouted from his skin and his face elongated, his teeth enlarging, claws springing from his hands.
Fear gripped my throat with icy fingers and no scream would come, no plea for help. I stood frozen to the spot; the swordfalling from my fingers, unable to drag my widened eyes away, as the monster that had once been Mr. Edwards clambered to its feet before me.
“I warned you to stay in after dark,” he said, his voice, like those dark eyes, unaltered. He lurched towards me and that familiar scent of the wilderness filled my nostrils, stronger and more violent than before. “You did not heed my warning.” A long tongue dragged from the creature’s mouth and wrapped along his lips as his gaze weaved down my shivering form.
“I did not mean to…” I began, stumbling away from the monster that towered before me.
But he snatched my wrist, his sharp claws grazing my skin.
“Oh, but I think you did.” I shook my head, attempting to tug my arm from his hold. He held me firm and yanked me towards him. “I think you are as intrigued by me, Miss Samuels, as I am by you.”
“Intrigued?” My voice quivered, my gaze swallowed by those dark eyes.
He leaned closer, inhaling my scent, a little moan escaping his throat as he did.
“Hmmm, as soon as my wolf laid eyes on you, as soon as he smelled you, he recognised you for what you are, Miss Samuels, our mate, and now that you’ve come willingly into our arms, we intend to make you ours.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I mumbled.