Page 139 of A Soul to Touch

He returned her chuckle. “I thought you said you had to get your mind ready.”

“Thank you so much for this, Faunus. I’ll wave at you from the roof when I’m ready.”

Mayumi rushed to her coat rack and took her belt off it, her quiver following it. Once they were on, she grabbed her bow and slung it across her body.

She knew Faunus had gone outside by the cold chill that billowed inside the house. Then she grabbed a brick-hard section of bread she’d cooked the day before.

He was standing by the stake when she was climbing through the ceiling hatch and onto the roof with her brown cloak covering her. His skull followed her movements as she crawled until she was in position.

When she waved at him, he dug through the snow until he had a clump of sloshy dirt and proceeded to shove it into his nose hole. Still preparing herself, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it just as he walked over to the deer carcass, shoved his claws into it, and tore it open from its hips to its chest.

Its entrails spilt against the ground.

A large grin spread across her face when she heard an odd sound in the distance, like a froth-filled, gargling roar. It was familiar... and close. It may have been sniffing around where Mayumi and Faunus had originally attacked the deer.

She’d shot the deer, which had left a small amount of blood behind.

The moment the Demon broke into the clearing, Faunus leapt for it from where he’d stepped back to hide from sight. The Demon didn’t even stand a chance. He just tore it to shreds with his claws the moment he got his hands on it.

Thankfully he didn’t start eating it, but she didn’t understand why he left it there once it was dead. Or why he pulled it aparteven further once it’d ceased breathing. Honestly... it was a little morbid and grotesque.

He turned his skull in the direction of the roof, his orbs already a dangerous colour of red.

“You better prepare yourself.” His voice was almost like a growl in itself. “You want to kill Demons?” He pointed to the one on the ground. “That is bait. That will bring more. I will try to go for as long as I can before I eat everything.”

The expression that lifted into her features was most likely malicious as well as prideful as she stared at him.

Demons were cannibals. They ate their own kind, and she couldn’t believe she’d never thought about pulling one apart to make the scents in the air stronger after she’d hung up her bait and killed one.

Faunus retreated to hide once more, unable to see her grin hidden behind her mask.

Happy hunting.

Not long after, she heard another Demon approaching. She pulled back her string and aimed it in the direction she knew it was coming from.

It’d been far away, and she’d needed to wait for a long time. The moment it came out of the tree line, Mayumi released her arrow – uncaring if it truly hit its mark since Faunus would protect her if it changed directions and targeted her. She’d hit right between the Demon’s eyes, and it slid against the ground to halt right between Faunus’ hands since he’d been running for it.

It was a clean kill, and she met Faunus’ gaze when he turned to her. He was on all fours now, at some point shifting to his more monstrous form to be faster.

His spikes, which were usually streamlined down his body, were currently sticking straight up from his spine, forearms, and calves. He looked threatening, savage, wild, and oh-so-freaking-sexy that it had her biting her lip.

I need to fuck him while he’s like that.

Sheknewthat if things went well tonight, and she was able to mostly watch him be his beastly, predatory self, she was going to be picturing it all night.

Looks like I’ll be breaking multiple Demonslayer rules on the field tonight.

She almost laughed as she recounted them while nocking another arrow to her bow string.

Rule one: don’t be afraid until your last breath.An easy rule to follow. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever been afraid in her life.

Rule two: be prepared to die.Another easy one. She was always prepared for the worst possible outcome.

With Faunus by her side, she doubted death would be coming for her tonight.

Rule three: never be distracted. She’d already broken this rule, instead picturing Faunus’ on all fours with her beneath him. Pinning her down, dominating her as she screamed with abandon.

Her heart stammered at just the mere thought.

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