Page 118 of Reaper's Quest

I couldn’t recall if we had actually discussed the specters and if he’d had a different name for them.

Winter took the torch from me and tossed it, along with his own, down the tunnel. One dropped near the last junction, brightening the chalk arrow he’d drawn upon the wall, and the other landed only a few feet away. Both torches continued to burn. The closer torch provided enough light for us to see by, but not enough to highlight our presence to anyone else…hopefully.

“Yes. Stay still and quiet.” His words sounded clipped as he pushed me backward.

I hit the wall of the alcove, and he stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his own. My every breath brushed against his chest, his shoulder.

“But what of you?” I asked.

This was not the ideal place to hide should we need to turn and run.

“I should be fine. We both should. They usually ignore me. Avoid me, even.”

He likely meant the comment to reassure me, but it only created more questions. Why would demons drawn to everyone else want to avoid him?

He shifted, the movement drawing my gaze to his face. Light from the nearest flame torch dancedacross his features. Features etched with discomfort. A thin line of beaded sweat crowned his brow. I suspected neither reaction came from my physical nearness, but…

My eyes widened.

My heat. The heat I’d experienced rising around me, within me, since I’d stepped onto the path beyond the invisible barrier. Was it harmful to his cooling magic?

Click, click, clack.

The sounds drew nearer, and I sucked in a breath, holding it firmly within my chest.

Stay quiet, he’d said.

I didn’t want even the gentle rasp of my breath to give me away.

I laid a hand upon his upper arm and pressed the other to his chest, tilted my face into his shoulder. He felt warm. Warmer than I expected him to feel after his little disclosure regarding bodily self-cooling.

Clack. Click-click-click-clack.

I peered over his shoulder. Three black-shrouded specters slipped into view, gliding as if rolling upon a ghostly wind, heading toward the rock wall?or invisible barrier.

They moved closer and closer. Moved past the point of the invisible barrier. Moved up to and past me and Winter’s position in the alcove.

I swallowed hard.

Click. Clack-clack.

They stopped in unison.

I strangled the scream building in my throat. A scream of irritation and outrage, a tinge of fear. These things shouldn’t exist. They shouldn’t be here. And they definitely shouldn’t be bothering me…or Winter.

“It will be fine,” Winter said quietly through gritted teeth. However, the hint of panic that flashed in his eyes for a split second suggested he didn’t believe his spoken words. “Just stay quiet and give them a moment.”

Lines of sweat dribbled down Winter’s temples.

I stared at the glisten upon his body. Why was he perspiring? He’d said he self-cooled.

Again, as if connected by one singular brain, the specters turned in unison toward our hiding place. My muscles tensed.

They slid forward, clicking and clacking.

A long sliver of an arm reached forward from the cluster of three. Its black, spindly fingers wiggled, tasting the air, moving dangerously close to Winter.

“This isn’t working,” I whispered. “We need to run.”