The twig snapped behind Furia, and she froze in place with her bare feet sinking into the wet leaves and her heart slamming against her ribs.
Every instinct told her that running was the only option, so she ran without looking back while her torn nightgown caught on branches and her breath came in ragged gasps. She heard something heavy running after her, something that breathed in short bursts and did not call out or announce itself, and the sound pushed her faster through the dark trees until she reached the back gate and slipped through it. She did not stop running until she was inside the kitchen with the door bolted behind her and her back pressed against the wood.
She crept up the back stairs and down the hallway to her room, and she found the door still locked from the outside wit
