Page 4 of Only in Moonlight (The Moonlit Court #1)

Emmeline

T he pegasus’s hooves hit the ground with four deep thumps, and it tossed its head with a snort, folding in its wings. Up close, it looked even more massive than it had in the sky. The air thrummed with the residual power of its flight. Magic—I felt it like a subtle vibration in my chest.

“Emmeline Le Brun.” The rider towered over me atop his steed. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Shit. So his appearance wasn’t a coincidence. And speaking of coincidences…

I peered at his face: olive skin, striking amber eyes staring out from under sharp eyebrows, and stubble that didn’t quite form a beard.

He was irritatingly handsome like all men of the Moonlit Court, but a hawkish, slightly too-thin nose saved his face from boring perfection.

And I recognized that face even with the helmet obscuring it.

Sir Valen from the party.

A small, extremely stupid part of me felt happy to see him again. He’d given me the only good conversation I’d had that night. Actually, it was the first time in ages I’d spoken to someone other than Maman for longer than two minutes and enjoyed it.

He didn’t seem up for a friendly chat now. Gone were his witty grin and bewitching gaze. His expression had all the charm and good cheer of a castle portcullis.

How the hell had he found me? He’d obviously tracked me to arrest me, but how could he possibly know I was the thief? I was in my normal form: runty, pale, with curly brown hair. He’d never seen me like this before.

He dismounted smoothly but came no closer. “We need to talk. I have an offer you’ll want to hear.”

An offer? Not a warrant for my arrest? What the hell?

I was frozen like a spooked mouse. I needed to think—fast—but what could I do? I couldn’t outrun a knight on horseback—much less a winged horse. Maybe if I could reach the woods… His pegasus wouldn’t be able to maneuver through the tight trees.

Yes, that could work. His heavy armor would slow him down. I could hide until he left, and then I’d find Maman and run. I didn’t care about his offer—if it was even real. He probably just wanted me to lower my guard so he could arrest me.

He came closer.

“Please, sire.” I dipped into a clumsy curtsy. “I’ve committed no crime. You have the wrong person. I’m a simple farmhand.”

I kept my head bowed low to hide my wince. Ugh. That had been too over the top.

He smirked. “Nice try, but—”

I bolted. Valen spat a curse behind me, but I didn’t turn around to check on him. I crashed through a bush and raced into the trees. My mother waited far to the right, so I veered left. No matter what happened, I couldn’t let Valen find her.

He crashed through the bush behind me. Shit, he was too close. I stumbled over uneven ground, losing valuable seconds. Gnarled roots threatened to snare my ankles, and branches scratched at my face. Behind me, the methodical crunch of armored footfalls pursued with annoying persistence.

I launched myself at a low-hanging limb, muscles straining as I swung up into the embrace of an ancient oak. Valen slowed his pace, face tilting upward, scanning the leaves where I pressed myself against rough bark.

I moved silently from branch to branch. The trees here grew close enough that their limbs intertwined, creating a precarious path above the forest floor.

I’d honed my skills since childhood, climbing and jumping across rooftops as I fled angry merchants and outraged nobility.

(Before I got so good at pick-pocketing that they stopped noticing me.) I was used to cities, not forests, but I managed just fine.

My fingers found knots and handholds in the bark as I traversed sideways, putting distance between myself and my pursuer.

Valen abandoned stealth entirely, crashing through underbrush as he traced my path above. Shit, I wasn’t losing him. He tracked me with the precision of a predator, and he wasn’t slowing like the lazy guards who usually chased me.

The dull rumble I’d heard by the stream had turned to a roar. The waterfall. Maybe if I were lucky, I could lose him there.

I vaulted to the next tree, and the next, rushing toward the sound. The trees thinned, sunlight streaming between their trunks, and it took me a second to comprehend what I was seeing.

A ravine.

It cut through the forest, the stream rushing along it over twenty feet below. It was too wide to leap across at ground level, but the trees—those beautiful trees stretched over the abyss from either side, nearly meeting in the middle.

I climbed higher, seeking thicker branches that bridged the gap.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I inched out along a massive limb that sagged beneath my weight.

Had I thought the stream lay twenty feet below?

Make that thirty, and the water flowed around sharp, deadly-looking rocks.

Halfway across, I heard the ominous crack of splintering wood.

Oh, no. Oh, shit.

I scrambled forward as the branch gave way, fingers clawing at the bark of the opposite limb just as my foothold dropped into the chasm below. Dangling by fingertips, I pulled myself onto solid wood, chest heaving.

Ha! Let’s see you follow me now, Valen.

The knight stood at the edge of the ravine, considering the obstacle with inhuman patience before turning to seek another crossing.

I descended on the far side, dropping into a thicket of ferns that cushioned my landing.

Ancient standing stones loomed ahead, their weathered faces covered in moss and lichen.

Maybe they served some magical purpose, but whoever had built them must have fled or been executed long ago.

All I cared about now was that I could hide behind them and catch my breath.

Valen might find another way to cross the ravine, but it would take time.

As my heartbeat slowly returned to normal and my breathing evened out, I tried to wrap my head around Valen chasing me.

I’d thought about him once or twice since the heist…

Fine, more like several dozen times. He’d shown a sense of humor as sharp as his sword, wasn’t afraid to make fun of himself, and knew his wine.

I’d never taken to someone so fast before.

Never in a thousand years would I have thought he’d be ruthlessly hunting me through a forest.

The day’s light was fading, shadows lengthening across the forest floor as twilight approached.

Maman must have started worrying. Would she come into the forest to search for me?

Had she seen the pegasus in the sky? I had to get back to her, but I couldn’t risk Valen seeing us together.

If he realized she was my mother, he would use her as leverage.

I scaled one of the standing stones, its rough surface providing ample handholds. From its summit, I jumped to the nearest tree, fingers wrapping around a branch as my body swung in an arc that carried me to the next tree without touching ground. Then I climbed up, up, up.

My head poked out from the canopy. Crisp, clear air invigorated my lungs and whipped about my hair as I scanned the landscape. There was the road, but I couldn’t see Maman. And where…?

Another shadow passed over me, and I heard a whinny.

Oh, hell . How had I forgotten about the pegasus?

The knight swooped down, grabbing for me. I reared back, lost my balance, and tumbled with a shriek.

A million thoughts and regrets passed through my mind as I fell. How long would my mother wait for me to come back? What would happen when she realized I wouldn’t return? How would she survive without me taking care of her?

I hit at least three branches, and the agonizing impacts slowed my fall. Then I landed in a thick, soft bush. Lucky me.

Dazed, I lay there for several moments. Huh. I didn’t feel any pain. You’d think—

Ah. There it was. Groaning, I pushed myself up into a sitting position just in time to see Valen drop to the ground beside me.

I let my head flop back down onto the bush.

“Shit.”