When Adeline's eyes adjusted to the dim light from her powers, her breath caught in her throat.
They were surrounded.
Monsters. Dozens of them. Their grotesque forms crouched low in the darkness, silent and watchful, as if waiting for an invisible signal. Their claws dug into the soil, their fangs glistened with saliva that dripped steadily onto the earth.
A strangled gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Oh—"
Aaron was on her in an instant, his hand clamping lightly over her mouth, his voice low and sharp. "Adeline!"
She blinked rapidly, her heart hammering. When he pulled his hand back, she whispered in a shaky voice, "I'm sorry, I just—I didn't expect this many."
She had been lulled into a false sense of security. Their journey had felt calm. No monsters had attacked, and that made her almost forget that they were in a dense forest riddled with ruthless, bloodthirsty monsters.
