Chapter One

Bessi

Summertime in Moon Haven is the best time of year. Outside the sun is shining, the air is cool and crisp, and the lakes surrounding Moon Haven are glittering and warm. Wandering through the woods, I stop often to take in the beauty of this place.

I come to the thick spread of woods often. Sometimes I pick nuts or berries for baking. Today I am hoping to find some wild chestnuts for a cookie I want to make. I ought to be back in town baking, but I am trying to shake off a bad mood.

It is my own fault I woke up in a sour mood. Last night I took some sweets to my sister, Luci. It is something I do often, but not as often since she began seeing her boyfriend Gareth. He is.... strange.

Not in a harmful way, just...he talks so differently, carries himself differently than most folks I know. He adores my sister though, which is all I can ask of him. Still, watching them together, seeing how they get lost in each other so often, it made me a bit sad.

I am the baby of three strong, independent girls, Cari being our eldest sister. They have always looked out for me, and we've always been close. Until she met Gareth, we all shared a cute little home. I guess part of me is not ready to grow up and misses my big sister.

Another part is good old jealousy. Not that I begrudge Luci at all, she deserves all the good things in the world. I love that she found what she did with Gareth. I think I am just hoping to find something just as special for myself someday.

"You should not be here," a hushed voice startles me, stopping me in my tracks.

Something hot shoots down my spine. Awareness. Fear. I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I take a shaky breath, turning slowly as if I plan to run. What am I aware of? What am I afraid of? What is out there that would send me running?

Blinking in the dim light of the twilight, I see nothing. But I feel something. Someone is there. Watching me. I start to move forwards, off the path, when a low rumble, almost a growl, fills the quiet. I stop and turn back to the path, taking a deep breath before I start walking.

"Get out of your head, Bessi," I tell myself as I power walk through the woods, my heart tittering with fear.

Behind me, I sense movement. As if that voice, that growl, is following me. Picking up the pace, I close my eyes for a moment, as if I can just shut off the world. Walking faster, until my legs begin to burn, I realize too late I am lost and well off the path.

Ahead there is a clearing I have never noticed before. A small pond sits off to one side. It is the fire beside the pond that catches my attention. Who would be out here camping? It is a thick, dark spread of woods, the clearing closed in by rocky hills and tangled vines.

"What in heavens?" I wonder out loud as I see the tents, five or six of them filling the clearing.

Plain canvas tents, they're lit up from the inside with lanterns, throwing shadows on the canvas walls. Squinting, I notice they're not plain tents at all. Each one has an almost translucent pattern on the sides. I am drawn to the swirling, twisting, rough designs, and stumble forward to get a better look.

"No! Do not go where you do not belong !"

That same voice barks, as if it is inside my head, trying to command me. Trying and succeeding because I slowly back up. I think my intuition is talking to me and I am going to listen. Before I can get too far, I see a shimmer of light in the clearing. It's there and gone so fast I think I imagined it.

"Did I hit my head today? Am I wandering the woods because I am suffering from a concussion?" My questions to myself sound loud in the quiet.

Glancing back once more at the meadow, I see some wolves and I know I need to get moving. I have never seen wolves so big before. Not that I hang out with wild animals to make a comparison. They seem to be looking right at me. That little voice in my head gets louder, almost shouting at me now.

"Move. Get out of here!"

Nodding at that, I turn and start to sprint. I stumble over twisted roots and thick bushes, but I do not stop. Even if the other voice in my head, the one that drew me to that strange clearing, is shouting to go back, I ignore it.

Rushing back the way I came, my heart is galloping in my chest, my head buzzing from panic. I break out of the thickest part of the woods, bending at the waist as I pull in lungful's of air. My chest is burning but I get that breath and start jogging again.

I am a bit accident prone on my best day and a total disaster on my worst. I stumble over my feet, getting tangled up in tangled roots. Going down hard, I whimper as the breath I just caught is knocked out of me. Seeing stars, I claw at the dirt until I get my bearings again.

"Oh, snickerdoodle!" I shout, punching at the ground as I push myself up. "Calm down you goofy girl. Everything is fine."

Pushing up on my knees, I take a moment to catch my breath. Dusting myself off, I glance back as if some monster will be there hiding in the shadows. There is nothing there but darkness. No figure, no glowing eyes, nothing that will jump out to get me.

"Always making something out of nothing," I condemn myself.

Shaking my head at my silliness, I start to climb to my feet. Before I can, faster than I can blink, a huge figure looms over me. I fall back on my heels, head tipping back, back, until I can look up at the large man standing over me.

"Oh. Oh...uh....hi," I stammer at the silver eyed man staring down at me.

"You should not be out here!" His barking voice startles me.

Yet as I kneel there at his feet, I do not feel fear or intimidation. I am safe. I have no idea what makes me certain of this, but I am. There is something in his steel gray eyes that sets me at ease. Something inside of myself that is drawn to this stranger.

"Why not?" I whisper in question, frowning up at him.

"You got lost," his voice softens, still coming out as a low grumble. "Dangerous things out in the woods, sunshine."

He is right, of course. Besides a half dozen wild animals that could harm me, the woods themselves with their tangled roots and poisonous foliage pose a threat. Most especially to me, because I would only find the twisted roots or the deadliest foliage by sheer bad luck.

"You ain't a woofing," I snark as I dust myself off.

Tall, dark, and mysterious cocks his head at me. I swear I see a smirk twist his lips for the briefest of moments. Too soon it vanishes. Backing up, he shakes his head, as if admonishing my clumsiness.

"Get back to town. Go for a walk somewhere safer next time."

Then he turns and fades into the darkness of the woods I just stumbled my way out of. I frown again, wondering if I made up the entire interaction after bumping my head. It wouldn't be the first time I dreamt up a hot hero coming to my rescue.

No, he was here, he told me to be safe--and now I want to know who he is and why he would care.