Page 70 of One Forbidden Moment

He swallowed hard."Same."

She smiled and kissed him again, slow and tender.She slid her fingers into his hair.Her breath warmed his cheek.

For a moment, there was no Everstill.No darkness.No fear.Just the quiet miracle of being held by someone who chose him.

Then the air changed.

Cold.Sharp.Wrong.

Jillian froze mid-kiss, her breath catching.A ripple of icy pressure slid down his spine.

"Moe..."she whispered.

He pulled back, eyes snapping toward the corner of the room.The darkness was already there.A tall shape, twisting and reaching toward him.

It stretched along the wall like a living stain, peeling itself upward, bending toward the bed.The air thickened, pressing against his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Jillian scrambled back, clutching the blanket to her chest.Moe grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he swung his legs off the bed.

"Get dressed," he said, voice low and urgent.

She nodded, hands shaking as she reached for her clothes.Moe kept himself between her and the shadow, never looking away from the thing creeping along the wall.

The darkness ignored him and moved toward Jillian.

Even with him blocking it, the shadow stretched sideways, sliding along the ceiling, angling itself to reach her.Jillian stumbled as she tried to pull on her jeans.

"Stay behind me," Moe growled.

The shadow pulsed, a deep, throbbing vibration that made the lamp flicker violently.

"Moe," Jillian cried, "it's trying to—"

The shadow lunged.

A long, dark tendril reached down from the ceiling, curling around Jillian's wrist like smoke.

She screamed.

Moe grabbed her instantly, yanking her back, his fingers locking around her arm.The force nearly pulled him off his feet.The shadow tightened, dragging Jillian toward the wall.

"No."Moe roared, tugging with everything he had.

The darkness pulled harder.

Jillian's body jerked forward, her feet sliding across the floor.Moe wrapped both arms around her waist, bracing his legs, fighting the impossible strength dragging her away.

"Moe!"she cried, her voice breaking.

"I won't let you go."He snarled, teeth clenched, muscles burning.

The shadow pulled harder.Jillian's scream tore through him.Her fingers slipped from his hand, dragging her toward something he couldn't see, couldn't fight, couldn't understand.

His heart pounded as if ripped from his chest.

"Jillian!"he shouted."Stay with me!"

She reached for him with her free hand, fingers clinging to him desperately.He grabbed her hand, locking their fingers together.