Hunted by a Night Fae

Chapter 35

I heard a low hiss behind me, then a crunch of leaves. The breeze collecting along my fingertips whispered a warning.

Dammit.

I had hoped they would be so focused on Ronan they would leave me alone. I pushed myself harder, the wind around me surging up behind me, propelling my legs forward. A familiar light footedness graced my steps, and my body felt weightless. I leaped over a tree root, jumping higher into the air than usual. My leather-clad boots bounced back to the ground, and I had to keep myself from stopping in surprise.

I didn't have time to think. There was another faint snap behind me. My ears perked up. I tilted my head, listening. Over my own faint intakes of breath, I could hear the patter of light footsteps, then a faint sniff of the air as my pursuer tracked me through the thickly warped trees.

I pushed forward, trying to urge myself faster. A sheen of sweat gathered across my skin, the humid heat of the jungle-like forest bearing down on me. The branches overhead curled and moved, as if shifting out of my way.

I need to keep going.

I didn't know where, but once I got away from Ronan, I could figure it out. Find somewhere. Someone had to know something.

There had to be a way for me to get home.

A scuff, then a pant. Twigs snapping, echoing through the air. I ducked under a branch only to trip over a root. I gasped, but then quickly caught myself, rolling to the ground then pushing myself back up. Sharp pain shot up from my ankle but I grit my teeth and continued. Compared to the Hunt, my body hummed with energy. Where I had been tired before, now I knew I could run for ages.

I just had to be fast enough.

My heartbeat remained steady. The wind through my fingers remained fierce. I ripped through the trees, their gnarled roots sticking up from the ground. The moss under my boots was slick and slippery. I turned to avoid a thick looming tree only to slip to the ground. My arm slammed into a thick knobby branch and I let out a cry. Somewhere in the distance, I could smell smoke.

A piercing caw rang through the air. I saw a large raven sitting on a branch in the tree over me. It tilted its head, its beady little eyes meeting mine.

They were bright red.

A scent wafted through the wind, strong and feline, and I turned away sharply from the bird. The smell prickled at my nose. I jolted up to my arms and knees, searching my surroundings. Everything was silent, but I knew the phooka was there.

The wind blew, and I felt the slight shift in the air. I jumped to the side just as the phooka pounced. His nails dug into the area where I had been moments before. He spun on me, his lips lifting off its teeth into a violent snarl.

A strange rumble moved through my chest. My body shifted into a defensive stance. I glared at the faerie defiantly. I would not let it get between me and the first chance of freedom I'd had in days.

The phooka's mouth twitched, his eyes roving over me. His head tilted to the side as he straightened, his wide nostrils flaring. Behind him his tail flicked side to side,

"Human," he said, the sound low and guttural. He sniffed the air again, then looked me up and down.

"What is it to you," I retorted, my voice coming out as a low growl. I strange ferality was taking root inside my body, poisoning my muscles and determining my movements. Like a creature, a second entity inside of me that didn't see or feel things like I did. It was both terrifying and invigorating.

More ash floated through the air, the distant smell of smoke carrying through the trees. I watched as the phooka straightened, his eyes quickly fixing behind me. I turned my head carefully, keeping an eye on him. In the distance I could see a tall flume of billowing smoke.