Darkness Becomes Her by Jaime Rush

them in darkness. Only the dim lights from their rooms spilled into the hallway. He ducked into his room, killed that light, and returned seconds later wearing dark sweatpants. He carried the sword at his side, fingers gripping the handle. “Stay here.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Do you have a weapon? You don’t even have pants on. Stay here.”
    He opened the window that led outside and climbed out deftly, considering he carried a sword. She closed the window behind him before he could open his mouth to tell her to do so. He gave her an approving nod and disappeared into the night.
    She prowled the hallway, going from window to window. Russell would blend right into the night if he Became. He’d tear Lachlan up before Lachlan even glimpsed his enemy. Her chest bloomed with fear.
    Like hell I’m sitting here while you fight my uncle.
    Jessie pulled on the pants and tied them as tight as she could, though they hung low on her hips. She climbed out the window, but before her foot had touched ground, a hand grabbed her arm from inside the house.
    Inside!
    “Where are you going?”
    She yelped, falling the rest of the way out the window into a probably ungainly heap on the ground. Lachlan’s voice. She lurched to her feet. “Going after you.” She brushed leaves off her shirt. “How’d you get back in the house so quietly?”
    “I have my ways. Here.” He held out his hand, and gripped hers hard enough to pull her back in. She had a little more poise coming in, at least. Then again, his hands were on her hips to steady her, his fingers brushing against her bare skin. His gaze went down to his hands and he pulled away, a bit too fast, she thought.
    He looked beyond her for a second, checking outside once more before he closed the window and pulled a leaf from her hair. “Get some sleep.”
    “No sign of any dogs?”
    He shook his head. “Maybe some sod’s hunting, thinking this is unoccupied land, and those were his dogs.”
    The words Or maybe not hung in the air.
    He escorted her to her room, remaining by the doorway like a father watching his child. She couldn’t see his face once he’d cut the light.
    “Good night,” she whispered, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
    “’Night.” He closed the door.
    She lay there, listening for any unusual sounds. Lachlan would be sleeping on the other side of this wall. It was comforting in a way. In other ways, not comforting at all.
    R ussell watched through his minions’ eyes as the dogs roamed. He smiled, knowing that they would be the key to achieving his goal. He didn’t use them in the fight with Jessie because he was injured, and thrown off. But now they would work for him.
    They moved fast, too fast at times for him to see the surroundings. Images bombarded him, because he saw through all of their eyes at once. He could tell, though, that they were going south of Annapolis, over a bridge, and then into a rural area.
    “Good doggies,” he murmured.
    They entered a large forest, hot on her trail. He couldn’t see much here, only shadows and the trunks of the trees they passed. Suddenly, they stopped. He could feel their confusion. They’d lost the signal. They went in one direction, then turned and went in a completely different one.
    Was she using Darkness as some kind of magnetic field? So far she didn’t seem to know how to wield it as a weapon. She fought physically, and only Became when incited, having no definite form or weapon. She had managed to keep him at bay long enough to escape, but time was running out. Maybe he could ask for help. It would take a flight on a private chartered jet and some sweet talking. Begging even, if it came to that. Julian was the one person who could help him, and the one person who would least be willing to. But he would take that chance. If he didn’t get Jessie soon, he would lose the most important thing in his life. And for him, that would be true darkness.

Chapter 6
    T here would be no nightmares tonight.