Amelia froze. What was this thing? Nothing human, surely? A thing of nightmares. Of horror stories.
A sob was wrenched from her throat, but even as the shadow neared, there was a sudden flurry of movement from behind the shadow. In less than the beat of a heart, a large, utterly solid form had blocked the path between her and the advancing danger.
A form that thankfully appeared to be human.
"Halt." The new form held up an arm and Amelia could see the glint of a sharp blade in the silver moonlight. "I will not allow this."
A dark, grating laugh echoed through the silence. " You? You will not allow?"
Amelia's rescuer never wavered. "No."
"Do not be more of a fool than you need to be. Return to your books and pathetic studies.
You do not possess the courage nor the will to confront me."
"Shall we see? Shall we test the strength of my dagger? I do not fear you."
Lost in a thick fog of terror, Amelia nevertheless managed to notice that the gentleman now standing between her and the shadow was surprisingly large. Not only tall, but broad through the shoulders and possessing the type of chiseled muscles not often seen in society.
She also realized that his rich, smoky tones held a trace of an accent that was impossible to trace.
Not that she particularly cared if he were a foreigner or not, she acknowledged with a near-hysterical urge to laugh. At the moment she would have welcomed the devil himself if he were here to protect her.
The shadow seemed to swirl, then, with a sudden hiss, it slowly began to retreat toward the nearby stables.
"We will settle this later, fool. I must think how best to punish you for your insolence," the shadow warned before it disappeared entirely.
For a breathless moment there was nothing but the thick silence, then, with a flowing swiftness that was oddly similar to that of the deadly shadow, the gentleman turned and threaded his way through the thick hedge. Amelia regarded him with a sense of lingering shock, not even flinching when he reached out to gently touch her hair.
"Are you harmed?" he demanded in soft tones.
Amelia struggled to breathe as she pressed a hand to her painfully racing heart. "No. I.. what was that thing?"
He seemed to hesitate. "A creature A creature of the dark."
"Creature?" Amelia gave a sudden shudder. Did he mean an animal? No. She had seen what she had seen. That had been something other than human or animal. "What sort of creature'?"
Without warning, he reached out to grasp her arm in a firm grip. "Come, we must not linger here."
Before she even knew what was happening, Amelia discovered herself being tugged away from the hedge and turned back down the alley toward her home. Just for a moment, she allowed herself to follow his lead, wanting nothing more than to be back in the comforting familiarity of her tiny home Then she abruptly dug her bare heels into the dirt.
"Wait. I must find my brother I was following him when that shadow appeared."
His grip tightened, almost as if he considered physically dragging her away from danger. Then he drew in a deep breath.
"Very well, but we must be swift," he said. Without waiting for her approval, the man turned and began searching the high hedges for a sign of her missing brother. He had taken only half a dozen steps when he softly called out, "He is here."
Attempting to still the shaking that still clutched at her body, Amelia moved to stand beside her unknown savior, her gaze searching the hedge until she discovered William happily seated on the filthy ground.
Her brief flare of relief was swiftly replaced by a bout of annoyance. As always, her brother was utterly indifferent to the world, and dangers, about him.
"William, what in heaven's name are you doing?" she demanded in sharp tones.
Glancing upward, her brother offered her that sweet, heart-melting smile that never failed to touch her.
"Cats," he said, pointing at his lap.
Amelia prayed for patience as she noted the numerous kittens that had crawled into a tight ball upon his legs, along with his own stray. Well, she at least now knew where that demon-spawned cat of William's had been disappearing to at night. And precisely what he had been doing during his midnight excursions.
"Cats," William repeated with a wide smile.
"Yes, I see."
"Cats and cats."
"Yes, there are many cats, William, but it is very late. You should be in your bed. A bed you should never have left, as you well know."
William simply smiled, but at her side the shadowed gentleman stirred with growing impatience.
"We must be away from here," he said in low tones. "There is still danger."
She was not about to argue. Not when she fully agreed with his impeccable logic. She did not yet know enough of this shadow creature to be certain that it might not suddenly decide to reappear.
"Come along, William. It is time we return home."
William heaved a sad sigh, but thankfully began to replace the kittens in the hedge before clutching his renegade black cat in his arms and rising to his feet.
"Cats."
"Yes, yes. We shall visit them later."
Taking her brother's hand, Amelia joined the impatient gentleman as he turned back down the alley. In silence the three moved down the cramped lane, their footsteps echoing eerily. For a time, Amelia was simply relieved to be moving away from the nightmare that had haunted the abandoned stables. But as they continued onward, she discovered her gaze covertly studying the large male form at her side.
"Will you tell me of that creature?" she demanded in tones soft enough not to attract her brother's wandering attention.
"Perhaps. But not tonight. For now we must concentrate on returning you safely home."
She grimaced. She had expected no less. He appeared decidedly reluctant to reveal what he knew of the evil shadow.
"Then at least give me your name so I can properly thank you for rescuing me," she persisted.
"No thanks are necessary. I but did my duty."
Amelia frowned at the odd choice of words. "Duty? Surely it is not your duty to roam the darkness and rescue maidens in danger?"
Rather than answering her question, the man raised a sudden hand, bringing all three of them to a halt.
"Hold a moment."
"What is it?" she demanded in sudden fear. Dear heavens, she was not prepared for another encounter with unnatural spirits.
"Someone approaches," he answered, pointing toward the unmistakable glow of a lantern.
Peering through the darkness, Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. It is the Watch."
"We must not be seen," the man at her side commanded in low tones.
She stiffened in surprise. "Why? We should tell them of the shadow." She gave a shiver as she recalled the recent encounter. "And there was a body on the ground ... I think that creature murdered some poor soul."
He moved closer, the rich scent of his warm skin a welcome exchange from the stench of the alley.
"Someone was murdered, indeed. Do you wish to be the one who claims that it was a mere shadow?"
"But we both saw it..."
"It would not matter if the entire neighborhood witnessed the murder," he insisted, his head deliberately turning toward the silent William, who stood behind them. "The Watch cannot arrest and hang a shadow. They will desire a more tangible suspect to haul before the magistrate."
Amelia's breath caught at his horrid implication. "You cannot mean William? He has done nothing."
"Are you so certain that the authorities will believe in his innocence?"
She itched to reach up and slap him for even daring to imply someone could possibly think so ill of William. He was sweet and kind and utterly incapable of harming another soul. But even as the fury raced through her, a sensible voice urged her to consider the danger.
It was true that William was completely without guile. And that he would never lift a hand toward another. But she could not entirely deny that there were always those willing to believe the worst of her brother.
Because of his simple nature and large size, it was easy to presume that he could pose a danger. Few would take the time to discover his soft heart beneath his odd demeanor.
She gnawed her lower lip as she watched the lantern come ever closer. "Perhaps you are right."
"Follow me," he urged, stepping out of the alley and into the garden of one of the town houses.
Regaining her brother's hand, Amelia hurriedly set out after the swiftly moving form. In martyred silence, she ignored the brambles and stones that cut into her feet, and even the realization that they were blatantly trespassing from one garden to another. But as he actually angled up a path to one of the darkened houses and pulled open the kitchen door, she came to an uncertain halt.
"What are you doing?" she demanded in breathless tones.
"Leading you into my house," he retorted before he disappeared into the darkness within.
Feeling rather foolish, Amelia tugged her brother forward and stepped over the threshold.
Once inside, however, she was forced to come to a halt as the darkness shrouded about her.
