He moved into the lake slowly, step after step, like a predator testing the shallows. The water reached his ankles first, then climbed up his calves, then his thighs. He just kept moving forward until I realized, with a sinking feeling, that he was coming closer to my side of the lake.
Why is he coming this way? My thoughts started to scatter. Why my side? Why not the other? Unless—
A cold wave rolled over me, sharper than even the lake’s freezing water.
Unless he followed my scent.
He knows. He knows you’re out here, Skye. Lyra’s voice slid through my mind like a warning.
My pulse jumped. The edges of my vision seemed to tighten, as though the trees themselves were closing in. Panic clawed at my chest, scraping at my ribs. I forced myself to stay still, to keep my breathing quiet eve
