Blood Storm by Rhiannon Hart

harming was about to worm its way inside my head.
    I heard a bang and weak yellow light from the hall spilled into the room. Rodden stood in the doorway. I could finally see the shimmering dark form hovering over me.
    Rodden cried out and ran forward. The dark presence whirled, knocking him backwards, but it still kept its pressure on my body. Rodden reeled back, hitting the wall and holding a hand to his face. I thought I saw blood.
    Then he crumpled to the ground.
    I panicked. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs because of the force on my chest. The harder I fought the more quickly I tired. Black spots began to dance in my vision.
    Then suddenly the weight was gone. I sucked in air and sat up. Rodden was still on the floor, out cold. But now there were two shimmering forms in the room, one dark and murky, and the other blazing with white-blue light. I recognised it instantly: Rodden in his phantom form. They struggled frantically, flickering like candles caught in the wind. I tried to get up and find a weapon, but the moment I stood their whirling forms knocked me back downagain. The darker one seemed to be losing ground. Rodden’s form blazed brighter and brighter. And then with a drone like a swarm of bees, the darker one seemed to pull itself together, shove Rodden off and then zip out the window.
    Rodden’s phantom form hovered in the air for a moment, as if waiting to see if the other would return, and then sank back into his body. Several silent, agonising seconds passed, and then his eyes flickered open.
    I was off the bed in a second. ‘Rodden!’ My hands felt all over his body, reassuring myself that he was solid once more and all in once piece.
    He groaned and sat up. His nose was bleeding and he swiped at it with the back of his hand.
    ‘Are you all right?’
    His eyes focused. ‘Are you ?’
    I nodded. ‘He was trying to punch his way through to my mind. A few more seconds and he would have succeeded.’
    ‘He?’
    I paused. ‘Yes. I’m sure it was a he. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel him. I think I saw him downstairs, right before I went to bed.’
    ‘And you didn’t tell me? Why not?’
    ‘Because,’ I said, giving him a little shove, ‘I’mnot flipping perfect. You and your mood swings distracted me, and it didn’t occur to me at the time that it was a harming.’
    He sighed. ‘I think I know who you mean. In a leather cap in the corner?’
    I nodded. ‘He did something to my mind. I couldn’t move because he was holding me down, but I couldn’t find you, either, or Leap or Griffin. I couldn’t even feel the tors.’
    Before I could say anything more he put his arms around me and gathered me close to him. His heart beat a solid rhythm against my cheek. I loved the way he felt. I wanted to stay like that all night, but he released me.
    I blushed and dropped my eyes to the ground, not knowing why him being close should make the heat rise to my face, but sure that it wasn’t something I wanted him to know. Was Carmelina right after all? Did I have a crush on Rodden? I bit my lip, suddenly feeling guilty about the way I’d spoken to Lilith. If I did have feelings for Rodden, didn’t that make her right about the impropriety of us travelling alone together? But of course, it didn’t necessarily follow that Rodden had feelings for me. Did it?
    Oh, stop it , I chastised myself. It was just a hug, for goodness’ sake.
    Griffin came hurtling through the window and perched on my bedhead, hackles raised. She made clicks of concern in the back of her throat. I could hear Leap clawing his way up to the first floor and a second later he appeared at the window and jumped into my lap. I hugged him gratefully.
    ‘What do you think he wanted?’ I asked Rodden.
    ‘I think he knows who we are. Or at least suspects.’
    I felt a stab of alarm. ‘Then we have to leave, now. He could come back any second.’
    Rodden stood. ‘I’ll go back and get my things. I’ll just be a few