Page 70 of Nightshade

Huffing, I held it up higher. “It’s just that … I never wear dresses.”

“You wear trousers?” She spat the word as if it were something sour.

“I just prefer the clothes I arrived in.”

Brows quirked, she shrugged. “Well, too late. I’ve discarded them. Whatever fabric used to make them will be useless against this cold. You’d be better off wearing absolutely nothing, for as warm as your beloved, old clothes would be.”

“You discarded my clothes?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Sealing my lips, I shook my head. “Not at all. Looks like I’ll be wearing a dress.”

“Splendid.”

22

Farryn

I paced the room, waiting for Anya, biting my nails with the anxiety bubbling up inside of me. He’s just a person, I reminded myself. A ruggedly handsome man who just happens to have the reputation of Death.

No biggie.

Except, I felt as if everything, every confusing moment of my childhood, came down to this one meeting.

Through the window, I caught a glimpse of the man from the night before. Jesper, the one Anya had dragged from the carriage. He ducked into the bushes below, as if he were hiding from something.

I stood there for a moment, distracted by the oddity, watching him tremble. It was then I noticed his clothes tattered and torn. And bloody?

An enormous, black figure stalked forward, it’s shadow preceding the dog that prowled toward the man’s hiding place. As if … hunting him?

My hand balled at my side, wanting to bang on the glass and warn him, but a part of me worried it might draw the attention of the dog.

“Hey,” I muttered, heart hammering as I watched it edge closer, its eyes undeniably locked on the unwitting man. Hand raised to knock, I willed myself to lower it again. But what if it gave him the opportunity to run by distracting the dog?

“Hey!” I pounded against the pane, which startled the man, but did nothing to deter the approaching animal. “Hey! Jesper! Up here!”

As the man twisted toward me, I pointed at the dog, frantically slamming the tip of my finger into the glass. “He’s there! Right there!” I whisper-yelled.

In the next breath, the dog took hold of the man’s leg, and I watched in horror as it dragged him out of the bushes.

“Hey!” Pounding harder on the glass did nothing to deter the beast. “Hey! Stop! Stop!”

Clawing at the ground, the man scrambled to escape, but it was no use. Blood poured from where the animal’s teeth had lodged into his flesh. The sound of his screams rattled my nerves.

“Let him go! Let him go!”

One more glance toward me showed a pleading look in the man’s eyes, before his body slipped around the corner like that of a ragdoll, and out of sight.

“Wait! No!” Spinning on my heel, I dashed across the room, toward the door.

It swung open, nearly smashing me in the face, but I jumped back in time to avoid the collision.

A gasp flew past my lips.

In the doorway stood an enormous and intimidating figure whose scarred lip, peeled back to a snarl, told me I was extremely unwelcome.

Remembering Anya’s warning, I lowered my gaze from his.