Page 8 of Fate & Monsters
Mortal bodies were born to die and that wasthe curse Aradia placed upon my fate. Until this body withered, until the dirt claimed my bones, I would continue surviving as I had since the dawn of time.
“You’re vile!” I waved my hands to shoo him away. “Begone foul demon. You’ll get nothing from me! What kind of pitiful prey do you take me for!” Fur smacked against my hand as I got a strike in.
His growl shuddered through the room. I felt it in my skin, speeding along with my racing heart. A warm, panting breath brushed my cheeks and lifted strands of hair framing my face. Pain on my cheeks and chin stunned me, and an iron grip held me in place.
Eyes like fire. It flickered and flared in his iris, barely subdued by the black of his sclera. Burning coals on a pyre. So hot and volatile it would burn me alive.
“Be still you difficult creature!” the beast roared. He released me and I stumbled back from his grip. Leather met the back of my legs as a chair stopped me from tumbling to the ground.
“Are you going to eat me then?” I screamed. “Are you going to chase me like the other beasties in this horrid place? Or will you simply tear me apart and devour me?”
“I could. Easily and rather eagerly, I think.” Fire-eyes narrowed. His whipping tail slowed to a leisurely swish over the floor. Harrowing seconds ticked by as his eyes roamed over my body, and the tension in his wide shoulders lessened. “But Ithink not.”
“What do you want from me then?”
The question halted him. Likely because I sounded so pitiful. So tired.
He swiped a clawed hand over his face, masking his incredulity. He turned toward a desk littered with papers and books. Leaning forward, he braced his knuckles on the edge of the surface and huffed.
I released a shaky exhale.
A black wrought iron candelabra on the desk rattled, and before my eyes, it transformed into a fluffy black cat. Lit candles flickered atop its head, mirroring its eyes like tiny flames. It smiled with a sinister cunning as it padded across the desk, tail flicking.
“Stealing from the master,” the cat tsked, “a punishable offense.”
“Hm, indeed it is.” The beast stroked his chin.
The cat continued, “Put her in the dungeon, my lord.”
“A dungeon?” I gasped, surging to my feet. “I’d rather you eat me!”
The beast rounded on me, towering over me in an attempt to intimidate. Undeterred, I stood firm, my chest heaving, refusing to cower before him. I knew the dance of predator and prey well enough.
“You were stealing from my garden. I can see it on your mouth.” He swiped a thumb across my lip and my breath stuttered. His thumb lingered at the corner of my lips, claw barely resting on the tender flesh. “That’s cause for punishmentenough. Though I can’t help but wonder, what has a pretty little woman stealing from my garden?” he asked, his breath warm against my face.
“What does it matter, master? She has committed a grave offense—” the cat began.
“Silence, Domovoy,” the beast snarled, cutting off the shadow cat. He blinked and removed his clawed hand from my face. “The first human in Infernus in a hundred years. A little thief with no name. How odd. What am I to do?”
“Who are you to do decide my fate, demon? If you knew anything you would let me go,” I blurted, desperation tinging my voice.
He arched a brow, a reluctant amusement altering his expression. “I am Mavros Karsian, the prince and master of this castle.”
I kept my face neutral, unimpressed by his titles. It provoked a disbelieving chuckle from the beast prince. He shook his head, glancing at the shadowy cat pacing across his desk.
“I think you’re in trouble,” he grumbled, low voice slithering under my skin and hooking around my bones.
I hesitated, the truth threatening to spill forth. But what if he knew of the Crimson Mage? I couldn’t risk it. I offered a half-truth, hoping it would suffice.
“I was attacked in the woods. I have nothing and nowhere to go. The fruit... I only took some because I haven’t eaten in days.” Another shiver wracked my body, and I wrapped my arms aroundmyself in a futile attempt to ward off the chill.
“See, she admits to her thievery!” the cat hissed, claws digging into the wood of the desk.
“Silence!” Mavros growled, venting a sigh before unclasping his cloak. I tensed as he approached, but he dropped the heavy fabric over my shoulders. His lingering heat enveloped me, and the soft material was a balm to my frozen bones. Urged by the earthy, musky scent in the cloak, I buried my nose in it and inhaled.
A low growl vibrated through Mavros, but he stifled it with a deep breath. He adjusted his shirt and cuffs, his tail swishing with an agitation I couldn’t quite understand.
I blinked owlishly at him. In this world, I was alone and tired, balancing on the brink of death. This beast could kill me as easily as save me.
