Page 7 of Fate & Monsters
“You dare take from his lordship!” a voice like stone grating on stone rasped into my ear. Putrid hot air brushed my skin. “You will beg him for mercy.”
The absurdity of the situation nearly knocked a laugh from me, but my rising fear choked it down. I thrashed and kicked, wishing to fly away, but my form no longer contained wind and power. The much larger monster held me aloft and carried me through the garden toward the castle’s enshrouded entrance. Futile, trapped, prey. For the first time in my life, I screamed.
“Unhand me you wretched creature!”
The castle inhaled me, breathing me into its lungs like a living entity. The stone flesh and wooden bones of a great monster sucking me into its depths. A shiver of fear snaked through me, yet I continued struggling until my exhaustion caught up to me. I was limp and panting by the time the creature hauled me through a maze of corridors and towers, finally coming to a stop at an ornately carved, weathered door.
Two sharp knocks.
“Who dares to disturb me!” A growl resonated through the stone, through the door, rumblingover my skin. “It must be urgent for you fools to provoke me now!”
“Apologies, my lord.” The creature holding me recoiled. “There is something you must see… a thing was stealing from the garden. A thing I don’t know.”
“A thing?” I yowled, my flailing fist landed a swift smack on the demon’s head. “You area thing!”
The demon hissed, wobbling precariously as it struggled to contain me.
“Enter!” The deep voice silenced my squabble.
A pause followed, and my heart skipped.
A rough push and wobbly legs sent me tripping into the spacious room. My knees hit a threadbare rug, and pain shot through my joints. My palms scraped where frayed edges of a rug met stone, and a curtain of pale, sky-blue hair fell over my shoulders, shielding my face from view.
A sharp inhale cracked through the room.
“Get out. Now,” the occupant of the room snarled.
“But sire—” the demon protested.
“OUT!” he roared, baritone timber reverberating through the room with the force of thunder. The door slammed shut behind me, and a cool brush of air accompanied the avaricious presence bearing down on me.
I held my breath, overwhelmed by the oppressive aura of the creature before me. I sensed a predator, and feared I was precariously close tobecoming his prey. My heart raced, a panicked rhythm in my chest.
Wooden legs scraped against stone. My head remained down, eyes following the grooves in the floor, stomach swooping as prowling steps rounded the obstacle separating us. A shadow crossed my vision, and my heart juddered against my ribs.
“Well,” he drawled, “what do we have here?” A furred hand with sharp claws lifted my chin, guiding my gaze to meet fiery orange eyes. A gasp passed my lips. I’d never seen eyes like that before. Rings of fire surrounded by a field of pitch-black.
He was no mortal man.
Of all the demons that magical creatures on Earth told tale of, this one was unlike anything else. I knelt before a beast—grey-black fur like charcoal, dark horns, black hair gleaming like raven’s feathers spilled past his shoulders, and sharp, narrow tusks protruded from the corners of his mouth. A tail swished behind him, betraying agitation beneath his composed exterior. So large, his existence seemed to occupy all the space in the room. Despite his unsettling appearance, his human-like clothing intrigued me.
A kernel of curiosity dampened my churning fear. My breathing slowed and my shoulders sagged.
A charged silence wavered between us. His hand was warm on my chin, and the cold penetrating my bones almost begged me tolean into him. I tilted my head, studying him with the same intensity he directed at me. His eyes widened and an unreadable flicker cut across his features as he realized I was assessing him with the same level of curious scrutiny.
“A mortal woman. Interesting,” he mused. “You’ve chosen an interesting place to travel to.”
“I don’t even know where I am,” I admitted, surprised by the honesty in my voice. “This must be part of the magic. None of this is real. I’m simply going insane before death claims me.”
He frowned, a low growl of frustration rumbling in his chest. “Who are you? I demand to know your name.” He rose to his full height, and I scrambled to my feet. His gaze swept over me, taking in my bare state.
His pupils dilated and his breath hitched.
“My name?” I echoed, bewildered. “I’ve never had one.” I had only ever been an elemental spirit—names were for mortals, not for beings like me. “Who are you to demand anything of me?”
All the air whooshed from my lungs when the wide, imposing demon-beast surged over me. A heated presence provoking a chill down my spine and a churning in my stomach.
“I am a fathomless appetite with no limit. You are fair and available flesh. My hunger knows no bounds and I find myself ravenous.” He revealed sharp teeth behind a malicious grin. A threat and a promise.
