Page 18 of Hunter's Moon
Tharion glanced back at me, eyebrows raised. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say I have a talent for tracking down people who don’t want to be found.”
“People like me, you mean,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.
He fell quiet, and when he spoke again, his tone was softer. “I’m sorry about that. If I’d known what I was getting into...”
“You wouldn’t have taken the job?” I finished for him, raising an eyebrow.
Tharion’s lips quirked into a half-smile. “I probably still would have. But I might have gone about it differently.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“So you keep telling me,” he replied, his grin widening to reveal those sharp canines again.
Another rumble shook the cavern, closer this time. Loose stones clattered to the ground around us, and I stumbled, my heart racing.
Tharion’s arm shot out, steadying me and I rested against him despite my better judgment.
“Easy,” he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. “I’ve got you.”
I looked up, meeting his intense gaze.
The spell was broken by a piercing shriek that echoed through the tunnels. We both froze, Tharion’s arm tightening around me.
“What the hell was that?” I screamed, fear turning my blood to ice.
Tharion’s eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness beyond the reach of our meager light. “I don’t know, but I don’t think we want to find out. Run!”
THARION
Igrabbed Lina’s hand and sprinted down the dark tunnel. The eerie green glow behind us pulsed, casting strange shadows on the rough-hewn walls. My heart pounded, not from exertion, but from a primal fear I couldn’t explain.
“What is it?” Lina’s fingers wrapped tighter around mine.
“No idea. Keep moving.”
The chittering sounds grew louder, a cacophony of clicks and scrapes that set my teeth on edge. My senses picked up the faintest scent of something dangerous.
We reached an intersection, tunnels branching off in three directions. I hesitated for a split second.
“Which way?” Lina asked, panic laced through her words.
I chose the right path on instinct. “This way. Stay close.”
Our footsteps echoed off the walls as we ran. The tunnel narrowed, forcing us to slow our pace. The glow behind us intensified, casting long shadows ahead of us.
“Tharion,” Lina whispered. “I think it’s getting closer.”
I growled low in my throat. “I know. We need to find a way out of here.”
The tunnel curved sharply to the left. And suddenly my heart sank. A pile of rocks and debris blocked our path, the result of a recent cave-in.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Lina tugged on my arm. “We have to go back.”
I shook my head. “No time. Help me move these rocks.”
We frantically began clearing the smaller stones, but it was clear we couldn’t shift the larger boulders. The chittering grew louder, accompanied by an unsettling scrabbling noise.