Page 19 of Stolen By The Beast
I’d escaped one predator, only to have another stalking toward me.
But this time, I wasn’t scared…
A delicious shiver slid down my spine.
Nevermind. Maybe I was a little bit scared.
Chapter Six
Karvik
Furysimmeredbeneathmypelt like molten lava as I gazed at Juniper, her shoulder oozing crimson.
“What were you thinking?!” I roared, unable to contain my rage any longer.
Juniper winced at my words, her eyes welling with tears. “I… I had to help you. I couldn’t just leave you there!”
My claws dug into the earth where I hunched over, leaving deep furrows in the dirt. “You should have followed my orders! You could have been killed!”
The scent of her fear permeated the air around us, and I knew the anger in my voice frightened her, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak more gently.
The terror I’d felt when I’d seen her in the bear’s clutches had awakened something primal inside me—a ferocity I couldn’t ignore.
Juniper’s rosy lips trembled as she tried to speak. “I’m sorry! I just thought—”
“I don’t care what you thought!” My growl echoed through the stillness of the trees, startling some birds nearby. “You’re not supposed to be here. This world is not for the likes of you!”
Tears spilled from her eyes as she looked up at me, her voice barely a whisper, speaking her mind despite my cruel words. “I thought you cared about me.”
The accusation in her statement pierced through me like a dagger. I turned away from her, unable to meet her gaze. “Caring about you is a weakness neither of us can afford.”
Juniper continued to sob, her pain mingling with my own turmoil. “You don’t have to push me away.”
I rounded on her, my ire flaring back to life with even more force. “You don’t understand! This place is bad for you—I’m bad for you. I’m what your kind calls a monster, and if you stay here, you’re going to end up dead. The very thing I swore would never happen will likely occur by my own hands!”
Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something in them that shook me to my core—a fierce determination that would never listen to reason.
“I don’t believe you. You’re not a monster, and you would never hurt me! Please, I promise I won’t be a burden to you.”
The fire in her gaze burned brighter than my own glowing eyes, and I knew it was the very same fire that had driven her to defy me—only to come back to save me.
It both infuriated and fascinated me how strong this vulnerable little being truly was. Didn’t she know her own fragility?
“You’re as stubborn as I am ancient,” I grumbled.
“Um… thank you?”
“It wasn’t a compliment!”
Juniper managed a weak smile through her tears. “Are you sure? It kinda sounded like one to me. How old are you, anyway?”
“Older than your mind can comprehend, human.”
She made a face like she always did when I called her this, and it lightened the tension coiled inside of me.
As my anger began to ebb, I realized it wasn’t just her recklessness that had set me off. It was the fear I’d felt at the thought of losing her.
Juniper sniffed again, and despite the storm of emotions battling inside of me, I wouldn’t let my words or actions push her away any longer. I stood there, my chest heaving as I stared down at the tiny female.
