The forest was alive in a way Aliena had never noticed before, the rustle of leaves, the snap of twigs, the occasional flutter of wings. The moon cast sharp silver beams, turning everything it touched into light and shadow.
Sebastian moved ahead like a shadow incarnate, silent, confident, and impossibly graceful. Aliena struggled to keep pace, boots crunching over the underbrush, heart hammering.
"Slow down," she huffed, trying to catch her breath.
He didn't slow. Didn't even glance back.
"You do realize I'm not a cat, right?" she called after him.
"I am aware," he said, voice smooth, dark, and utterly irritating in the way it made her shiver. "But you should try to keep up."
"I am keeping up!" she snapped, almost tripping over a root.
He finally stopped just far enough that the moonlight caught the outline of his face, sharp and dangerous. "You're not."
Aliena gaped. "Excuse me?"
