Twilight dissolved into a dense, moonless night, cloaking the ancient pines in overlapping layers of black shadow as I forced myself farther down the creek bed.
Every step away from the limestone outcrop required conscious effort. My boots dragged through fresh snow, and the cold had already seeped through the leather deeply enough that I could barely feel my toes, but the memory of the silent watcher among the hemlocks kept enough adrenaline moving through my exhausted body to prevent me from stopping.
Whoever had observed me from the ridge had never shown themselves. I had heard no footsteps behind me and caught no clear scent of pursuit, yet the sensation of being watched had followed me long after the slope disappeared behind the trees.
Alana suddenly went rigid inside my consciousn
