Musky stew grease still coated Rayanna's tongue. And her host's line of questioning didn't help the swill of bad tastes filling her mouth. She grimaced, unable to swallow away traces of bile. "Guilty of what?" She rose a few inches, but didn't make it to her feet. Reeve kicked the…
Steam and smoke slithered around the cauldron and hissed over the hearth. Reeve hooked his poker into the lid and removed it. He ladled marshy chunks into a pie tin. When he handed it to her with a flick of his wrist, its stiff lumps remained mudded to the center…
Bristly appendages stretched up over the table's edge in front of her. A spider emerged with them and Rayanna gasped. It skittered past the lantern and traced her host's forearm, resting on the table's surface. The man didn't flinch. "You got nerves strung higher'n cat gut on a fiddle. But are…
Bristly appendages stretched up over the table's edge in front of her. A spider emerged with them and Rayanna gasped. It skittered past the lantern and traced her host's forearm, resting on the table's surface. The man didn't flinch. "You got nerves strung higher'n cat gut on a fiddle. But are…
Rayanna leaned back from the table as the grisled stranger settled across from her. The lantern and rifle took up more than half of the meager space between them. As she pressed herself as far away as she could, the chair's gnarled branch spindles knuckled into her back. As he…
The shifting breeze swept occasional drafts of smoke into Rayanna's eyes. She squinted against the soot, but did not back away. With her bent legs hugged to her chest, she propped her chin on her knees and stared across the flame tips into the imperceptible wilds of the dark forest. The…
The night breeze sighed as it pursued Rayanna like a specter through the dark forest. Its breath needled through her damp blouse and prickled her skin. She hugged her arms and rubbed the stubborn chills. But, more than the misty air triggered her shivers. She whipped her head in the direction…
Fierce throbs coursed through Rayana's forehead as she pried her cheek from the dashboard. Thin, warm trickles wove through her brows and oozed along her nose. She patted the vinyl dash to find a glass-free spot and pushed herself away from the smashed windshield. Back and limb muscles burned in protest. Her bruised…