As if I’m not in a realm of monsters.
ChapterThirteen
We walk and walk some more. The trees never seem to end, but Grimus appears confident about the direction we are traveling, which is good because I have no idea, and Bracken…well, is Bracken. I swear if he spends any more time staring at my ass, the dress will have a hole burnt through it, though I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Bracken!” I hiss when I feel his hand sliding under my dress, but just as I’m about to threaten to chop off the offending hand, my eyes widen as I see the blob of fur barreling straight for me. “Grim!” I scream and duck. I don’t even see my minotaur bodyguard move, but he’s suddenly before me, backhanding the creature away, and that’s when I realize it’s a wolf.
A wolf mixed with a man.
Saliva-covered jowls vibrate with a growl from a snout seemingly stuck on a human face. The thing has two wide, red eyes above the snout. Furry wolf ears sprout from black hair that seems to grow into fur on his humanoid body, which is naked. Two oddly bent legs and longer than normal arms ending with bleeding claws complete its ghastly appearance. Grim stomps his feet at the creature, and the wolf howls before diving back at him.
I scream, even as Bracken grabs me and hauls me away from the fight with a sigh, both of us watching as they meet head-on.
“Aren’t you going to help him?” I shout.
“He has this,” he drawls in a bored tone.
I turn back in time to see more wolf men launch themselves from the trees. My eyes widen as I watch him fight against impossible odds. He cleaves two in half before ripping one into pieces, but more pour from the woods, drawn by the howls, and not even his fury can hold them all back.
Not even my minotaur can take on a full pack, though he’s determined to try.
“He’s going to lose! Help him!” I implore Bracken, wishing I could assist, but I would only be a hindrance.
“Fine, Goldie, but what do I get for helping him?” Bracken flashes me a satisfied grin.
My eyes dart back to the fight to see more joining in. “Now isn’t the time for negotiations.”
“It’s the perfect time. Better hurry, Goldie, if you don’t want to see your monster buddy torn to shreds.” He chuckles, not the least bit bothered by the wolves’ death cries and Grimus’ roars.
“What do you want?” I shout, eyes darting back to the fight again.
“A kiss. That’s all, Goldie—one sweet little kiss,” he purrs.
“One kiss and you’ll help him?” I ask, watching the scene in dawning horror. The wolf men are crawling all over my huge minotaur, ripping into him as he fights, but as he kills one, another appears.
“One kiss, that’s all, Goldie,” he promises, holding out his pinky. Muttering about what a bad idea this is, I hook my pinky through his and lift onto my toes, kissing his lips chastely.
“You call that a kiss?” He groans. “A true kiss, Goldie, or Grimus there is as good as dead.”
I shut him up by grabbing the back of his head and hauling him down to me, slamming my lips to his. I kiss him hard, his mouth opening on a groan as I sweep my tongue in, tangling it with his. I ignore the heat pulsing through my body and the moan that escapes my lips, never mind the way my body falls into his as if seeking more of him. My hand tunnels into his hair, gripping him tightly. He groans and grips my ass, hauling me closer, even as a flash of pain has me freezing. His fangs cut into my lip, and I taste blood, my blood, and so does he. Going wild, he sucks my lip, the pulse of pain and pleasure making me moan before I force myself to pull back.
Chest heaving, I stare at the fey. His eyes slowly blink open as if he’s drugged, and he lifts a trembling hand to his bloodstained lips.
“I was wrong,” he rasps out. “That kind of magic won’t just get you killed, it will get us all killed. I’m ready to die just for another taste,” he whispers before swallowing and coming back to himself. “But a promise is a promise. Hey, wolves! You don’t want him. I’m much tastier, I promise!” he calls as he dives into the fray.
I watch as Bracken plucks them off the big guy and tears into them with fangs and claws, ripping out their throats before clawing them apart and moving onto the next. All the while, he laughs and taunts them, enjoying himself, but one of the creatures he throws away isn’t quite dead, and it starts crawling toward me, snarling, despite the fact its legs are ripped off. Panicking, I look around as I back away, but then Grimus grabs it with one hand while fighting four others. “Oh no you don’t,” he mutters and throws it so far, it disappears into the horizon.
Fuck this. I refuse to cower here. I grab a blade from Grimus’ side and keep it in front of me as I crouch low in case any come near me. When one does, I slash and stab, screaming as I do, until I’m just slashing repeatedly, letting all my anger out.
At my people.
At the laws.
At my father.
At my mother.
At the whole world.
