“It’s me.” Faelan’s voice was little more than a warm breath against her ear. Her body sagged into his. “Keep quiet. We’re not alone.”
“Who’s in here?” she whispered. Except for the campers, they’d never had trespassers. Now people were sneaking around everywhere, and she was afraid they weren’t people.
“Stay here, and don’t make a sound,” was his only answer.
“Don’t leave.”
“I’ll be back.” He squeezed her arm, and something brushed the top of her head. A spider? A kiss? She didn’t see him again until he passed in front of the window. A broad shape leapt at him, and Bree stifled a cry. His dagger! She still had it. Silhouetted in the moonlight, the two forms lunged and dodged, moving impossibly fast. She smelled the thing behind her before she heard the hiss. Her spine chilled, like cubes of ice had replaced bone. She slowly turned. Sharp teeth flashed as yellow eyes glittered in the dark.
Chapter 11
It stood as tall as a man, but even in the darkness she could see it wasn’t human. Bree backed away until her shoulders dug into the worn pillar. Lips drew back over pointed teeth as it stretched a claw toward her face. Trembling, she scooted sideways, moving out of its reach. The creature hissed and tilted its head, its snake eyes tracking her. If she didn’t run now, she would be dead.
Drawing on memories from childhood, she turned and ran. Her ankle throbbed. She could hear the creature coming behind her. Could it see her? Smell her? If she screamed, Faelan would be distracted, which could get him killed. The remnants of a fallen pew caught her foot, sending her headlong into a wall. Her fingers scraped the rough surface as she pulled herself upright.
She looked back and saw the hulking shadow still coming, its movements awkward, as if bones weren’t connected in the right places. She had to hide. A memory came from nowhere. The small alcove near the front of the chapel where she’d played hide and seek with her cousins. Hurrying toward the niche, she slipped inside, pressing her body against the wall. The darkness closed around her like a blanket, and she saw in her mind a little girl huddled under the covers. Bree could feel the girl’s terror, feel the softness of the stuffed animal that hid her face, blocking the monster with thick, gray skin, sharp nails and teeth, watching by her bed.
The shuffling sounded closer. Bree peeked out. It was almost here. She crouched lower and felt the wall behind her give. A rain of stones hit her. When the creature was so close she could touch it, she lunged past its legs. It swiped at her, claws biting into her shoulder. Her skin burned like she’d been hit with a branding iron.
“Faelan!” She rushed toward the window where she’d last seen him fighting. She heard an inhuman scream, and then Faelan was there, gripping her arms.
“I told you to stay over there.”
“I couldn’t—”
The thing hissed, and Faelan stepped in front of her. “How did that get in here?”
The ugly one looked from Faelan to Bree as seven others slunk in behind it. The two on the outside appeared normal, from the outline of their bodies, but those in the middle had shapes that were all wrong. Long arms, deformed heads. They pulled out swords, and Faelan tensed beside her.
“We can’t outrun them,” he whispered. “I’ll distract them. You run for the door.”
“Wait, I have your—”
He put a hand against her waist and pushed. One of the creatures charged, swinging his sword at Faelan’s neck. Bree bit back a scream as Faelan leapt clear and extended his leg, sending his opponent’s sword clanging into a wall. Two moved in from behind. Faelan whirled to meet the attack, his body now visible in the dim moonlight at the window. Both creatures lunged, and Faelan leaned backward, his hair brushing the floor as the blades skimmed the air above his nose. There were too many. He would never escape. Claws dug into Bree’s arm. She screamed as the ugly creature yanked her close. Its skin was rough, cold, the smell nauseating. She kicked and punched. Faelan’s fist shot past her head, slamming into the creature’s face. Faelan pulled her free and planted his foot in the beast’s chest, knocking it backwards. It opened its mouth and let loose a sound between a scream and a howl. Like this morning.
“Quick,” Faelan yelled, shoving her behind the pillar again.
A voice called from the back of the chapel. “Leave the woman alone, or the master will be angry.” Every head turned toward the figure standing outside the door.
Faelan spat out a name. The man cursed then quickly ran. The ugly creature lumbered toward Faelan as the others closed in. He moved back, drawing them away from where Bree hid.
The nearest one spun to look at her, but only his head turned. He rotated his body to match his head, took a step forward, and hesitated, looking at the door where the man had disappeared. Turning back to join Faelan’s attackers, he opened his mouth and let out a wail, as the others picked up the terrible cry. They rushed Faelan, forming a circle around him, voices rising in unison, like a pack of howling wolves. One of the creatures flew backwards, opening a hole in the group, and she could see Faelan’s arms were trapped, but his feet were vicious. She couldn’t make out any details of the one who held Faelan, except the creature had a face that was too wide, body thick as a bull, and sharp teeth closing in on Faelan’s throat. She had to get his dagger to him.
Her breathing slowed. A calm settled over her. She smelled the stone crumbling under her fingers, tasted the mustiness of the chapel on her tongue, the stale air of dust and decay. The creatures were clearer now, as if someone had turned on a soft light. As she’d suspected, they weren’t human.
One minute the thing was there, the next, it wasn’t.
Faelan’s stunned gaze met hers. Before Bree could absorb what had happened, he snatched the dagger, and moving so fast he was a blur, slit the throat of the one next to him. It gurgled and disappeared. He leaped into the air and did some kind of fancy flip, landing several feet outside the circle. Maybe he
“Bree, cover your eyes!”
She could taste fear, but nothing this side of heaven could make her shut her eyes or leave Faelan to fight the
