That night more than any other night, I was glad when Bastien took me up to the treetops to sleep. Instead of resting on a wide branch as we usually did, we found a hollow in the trunk, right near the top. It was large enough for the two of us to lie comfortably together—after he had brushed away the centipedes. In here, we were sheltered by the wind. It was also surprisingly dry. I worried it might be home to some kind of animal, maybe even a giant, carnivorous bird. But Bastien deemed it safe for us to spend the night in, and I trusted him.
We settled down, our backs resting against the walls of the cubby hole. As I glanced at Bastien, I was surprised to see his eyelids drooping. This was the first time I’d seen him show any sign of sleepiness throughout the whole journey. All this traveling must have finally taken its toll on his body.
“You should sleep tonight,” I said, reaching out and giving his hand a small squeeze. “I’ll keep watch.”
He nodded, smiling faintly, before letting his eyes fully close. He was still leaning against the wall.
“Bastien,” I whispered, not wanting to annoy him, but his current position looked so uncomfortable. “Why don’t you lie down?”
Not opening his eyes, he took my suggestion and lay down before turning on his side and facing the other way, his back toward me. I felt a faint stab of disappointment. I had been hoping to watch him sleep. Like a creeper, my inner voice admonished me.
I settled myself down, lying the opposite way to Bastien with my head near the entrance. From this angle, I could look up at the treetops and the starry sky beyond. Shafts of moonlight fell across my face, a pleasant breeze catching my hair at this end of the hole. As my own eyes grew heavier, dangerously near to closing, I reminded myself of my promise to Bastien. I’d said I’d keep watch. But lying here, I knew it was only a matter of time before I slipped off to sleep.
I forced myself to sit up, and seeing that there was a wide, sturdy branch sprouting just beneath my feet, I swung my legs over the edge and dropped my feet to the wood. This did not solve my drowsiness, however. I only lasted so long sitting before my eyes started closing again. I was going to have to stand. I slid out of the hole and shifted my weight to my feet. I made sure to grip hold of two branches to keep myself steady. I had better not fall asleep standing up. The threat of death should be enough to keep me awake. We were surrounded by a myriad of wolves, many of whom hated Bastien’s guts. It was imperative that somebody kept watch.
I glanced back at Bastien, who was breathing more deeply. He had fallen asleep. At least I could be thankful for that. The poor guy deserved a lot more than a couple of hours of sleep.
Then I averted my eyes to the neighboring treetop. It was dark and shadowed, except for small patches of glistening light where the leaves reflected the moonlight. A stronger wind blew, swaying the thick curtain of foliage draping the tree’s trunk… and as it did, I noticed something. An oddly shaped shadow among the tree’s interior branches. The foliage fell back in place before I got a chance to figure out what it was. It looked like the curve of a back—definitely not human. Something hunched over…
I was barely breathing as I waited for the wind to sway the leaves aside again. This time, however, when it did, I saw nothing. Just the skeleton of the tree.
It was a trick of the eye. It’s nighttime after all, and it’s not like I have vampire vision.
I was just in the process of convincing myself not to worry—for I really, really did not want to wake up Bastien—when I heard a dull thud on the ground, many feet beneath us, followed by the rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs. And then the shadow of a large wolf, bounding away into the darkness.
Bastien
Rising slowly to consciousness, I reached instinctively for Victoria. I felt her body next to me, the curve of her hips. Still half asleep and barely aware of what I was doing, I moved closer to her, wrapping one arm around her midriff and pressing my chest against her back. I buried my face against the back of her neck and breathed in. Mm. I love this girl’s scent.
“Bastien,” she murmured, pulling me fully awake.
I let go of her and sat up, realizing only now that the cobwebs of sleep had cleared just how close I’d gotten to her. She gazed up at me with her light blue eyes, her expression tense and worried.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. My voice, heavy from sleep, was several tones deeper than usual.
She glanced furtively outside. I wondered what time it was. It was still dark. “I saw something,” she said. “Someone.”
I stared at her. “Who? Where?” I moved to the opening of the hollow and gazed out.
“I’m not sure who,” she replied. She pointed to the treetop directly opposite us. “In that tree… a wolf was in that tree. I had been standing outside keeping watch, but that spooked me and I moved back in.”
I whirled on her. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because he or she was gone before I had the chance.”
“Can you describe the wolf?”
She breathed out a sigh. “Not really. It was too cast in shadow. All I can say is that it was big.”
My mind ticked over, even as my stomach tensed. The Bonereavers had joined us last night. Could that have been Dane, spying on us again? Perhaps he’d been commissioned by Brucella to check if, indeed, all I was doing with this human girl was protecting her. Dane would have hoped to catch us being intimate. I knew he would take extreme pleasure in reporting us to Brucella.