Page 55 of Primal Hunger

“Stay here, Erin. Do not move.” His tone is lethal, even though his voice is barely more than a whisper.

It’s a command; one I plan to follow.

With his attention focused on the door, he raises up on all fours, looming over me.

“The plant is working,” he assures me in an undertone. “If it weren’t, whatever is outside would have already made it through the door.”

“What are you going to do?” I fight to find my voice.

It’s difficult to breathe with him this close and the silent terror of whatever stalks us just outside these walls. Another beat, and then the plaintive hiss and wail of a beast struggling to breathe reaches my ears.

My lungs go tight, and my blood turns to ice.

“Syros…”

His hackles are high, and the dark fur along his forearms lifts to attention. There is something terrifying about this posture.Despite the way he hovers over me, the hunter is back and primed for an attack, ready to tear those claws through flesh and bone.

Which doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies.

It’s a reminder of reality, the same one I couldn’t find earlier.

Syros is not a man and he’s not gentle.

He’s a killing machine who eats humans.

I struggle against the urge to lean into his arm and steal some of his strength for my own. Then I forcefully remind myself that he’s just like whatever creature is outside, and there is nothing to stop him from changing his mind and deciding to just give me up.

It would be easier.

His curiosity about me can only last so long before he gives in to his own hunger. I’m sure of it.

“What are you going to do?” I push.

Syros takes another step forward on all fours, and the moment he clears the nest, he straightens. The tips of his horns practically brush the ceiling overhead as he stands to his full height.

“Stay here,” he warns again, ignoring my question. “If you move, you risk your life.”

He’s a menacing presence in the dancing shadows from the fire. The light plays over the bones of his face, emphasizing the sharp lines of his skull. Those pointed horns are perfect for gouging holes clear through flesh.

More noises sound from outside the house, and before I have a chance to tell him to stay with me—a coward’s plea—he leaves abruptly.

The curtain swings closed behind him, a pitiful barrier of protection from whatever is lurking outside, and I’m left alone.

Chapter

Twenty

Erin

My chest is so tight my ribs are primed to squeeze both lungs into ash.

This time, he didn’t bother to tie me up before he left to investigate.

Now is my chance if I want to make a run for it.

Probably one of the only chances I’ll get before Syros returns and finds me gone.

Only the thought of going out at night alone, while he’s distracted, makes me sick to my stomach.

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