Reign of Blood (27 page)
The three girls spent hours browsing, which turned out to be a lot of fun. The crowd steadily built in the room so that it no longer looked sad and unused, but with the dim light and the noise of guests, it felt like a fair. After enough time had passed, and Keegan’s feet were starting to hurt, she yawned and stretched dramatically.
“Are you guys ready to go?” she asked, tugging at Anna’s sleeve.
Lauren nodded vehemently. “I shouldn’t have worn these boots. I’m exhausted.”
Though she had done well hiding it for most of the day, Anna had obviously been shaken by the psychic’s words. There was a haunted look in her eye as she just shrugged and said, “Sure, let’s go get dinner.”
As they walked towards the door, Keegan sensed someone watching her. She glanced around the room, searching for the source of the feeling, and was startled to come face to face with another elf.
Elves could recognize each other if they happened to cross paths. Unless, of course, it was one’s chosen—they were cloaked from each other by magic. Keegan had never seen anything quite like this elf. The girl was stunningly beautiful, but that was not a surprise as all elves tend to be overly attractive. She had short black hair, pale skin, rosy cheeks, and the greenest eyes Keegan had ever seen on a person. She felt as if she were staring into the eyes of a cat.
What took Keegan by surprise was the darkness around the stranger. Keegan had heard of dark elves. Wherever there was light there had to be dark, but knowing something in your mind and actually seeing it is different. This was the first time she had seen a dark elf with her own eyes. She had heard they mainly lived up north and rarely made efforts to be a part of the human world like the light elves. Since her childhood, they’d almost felt like specters—boogeymen told through light elves’ folklore.
Keegan’s body went cold. She tensed up, and all her senses heightened as her eyes were caught by the stranger’s.
“Do you know her?” Anna asked, looking between Keegan and the other girl.
Keegan couldn’t talk. She felt as if her eyes were locked in place by the dark elf, and she was unable to move unless the girl allowed it.
Finally, the dark elf averted her gaze, and Keegan’s body relaxed. A distracted look crossed her face as she replied, “She looked familiar, but let’s get out of here.” Keegan’s only desire in that moment was to rush home and talk to her mother about what had happened.
From a distance, Rourk was staring with a grim expression on his handsome face.
What was that exchange all about and who was the dark elf?
He had to make a choice. He could continue to follow the girls or go inside and talk to the dark elf. As much as it pained him to watch Keegan walk away, he quickly advanced into the building. He needed to know if she was in danger.
Rourk scanned the room, but he didn’t see the dark elf anywhere. Where could she have gone? Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply as he felt the coldness wash over him. He saw her with his mind’s eye. The dark elf had taken the back door and was walking casually down the alley. It was times like this when he was grateful to be the descendent of a great warrior. He’d trained his whole life for his calling—from the time he got out of bed in the morning until the time he went to sleep at night. Hell, he even dreamed about the techniques he’d learned. He needed to put them to good use.
Silently he advanced. He was now the hunter, and she, his prey.
Purchase on Amazon
www.juliacraneauthor.com
Table of Contents
