Page 7 of Stolen By The Beast
In an instant, I was upon the males. Unhinging my jaw, I snapped it around the smallest of them, snapping his body in half.
Blood sprayed everywhere, splashing into the gaping mouths of the male’s companions. The light of the fire danced along their faces, highlighting their macabre expressions.
Before they could blink, I raked my claws across their midsections. Two dropped to their knees, trying to stuff their organs back in place while the other ones keeled over.
Those who barely clung to life stared at me in horror, and I reached for the one who had pushed the female down and pulled him to me.
I pushed away his hand while he choked on a gurgle, his eyes large and unblinking. Yanking the length of his intestines, I watched them unravel before placing one tip in my mouth.
With a giant slurp, I sucked the entirety of it past my lips, enjoying the rush of nutrients almost as much as the other male’s screams.
Although I despised them for hurting the female, I made short work of the bodies, too hungry to enjoy my revenge.
When I was finished, I turned my attention to the tiny, pale creature. Her eyes remained closed, but her chest moved up and down.
Lifting her gently in my arms, I cradled her to my chest. The blood from my hands quickly painted her skin a vibrant red.
The arresting sight drew my eye over her slender form. It was plumper in some places than others, and curved in a way that beckoned my hand to trace the hills and valleys of her body.
I resisted, spitting on the fire to put it out instead. Humans would eventually discover the clearing, but aside from the blood, there was nothing for them to find.
With the tiny female bundled against me, I dashed back into the heart of the woods, all the while deciding what to do about the thing in my arms.
It didn’t belong out here or with me—and I didn’t want to keep it—but I felt obligated to protect her after the trauma she had suffered.
Once she was awake and better, I would take her back to the safety of her kind… if such a thing existed. The thought worried me since she couldn’t stay with me, but nor did I want her to be harmed.
If she awakened, I would ask her and decide from there what to do. If she didn’t awaken, perhaps I would bury her as her kind did.
I had no urge to eat her, not after feasting upon the males. Besides, for whatever reason, she didn’t appeal to me in that manner.
Even the darkness inside of me dimmed a bit when in her presence. The deathly intent receded, highlighting my loneliness.
A growl rumbled in my chest, and I kicked a tree trunk with my cloven foot as I passed. If not for humans, I might still have my brothers.
Or even a mate.
Instead, I had nothing but my black thoughts that grew bleaker with every passing day. I was nothing but the personification of death, and no one wanted to befriend their demise.
Glancing down at the female, I noted how she burrowed into the fur covering my chest, no doubt trying to get warm.
Her human flesh was a mystery to me. So much of it when it seemed to do so very little. It clearly didn’t keep her warm.
Why have any at all if it only wrinkles and puckers?
By the time I arrived at the hollow tree trunk I called home, the female was shivering, her body dotted with raised bumps.
Despite drawing heat from me, it wasn’t enough. I nudged at her with my bone-white maw, but aside from murmuring something incomprehensible, she didn’t stir.
Using my claws to dig a trench into the earth within my tree trunk abode, I hollowed out a section for me to lie in while curling my body around hers.
Her trembling form relaxed with every passing minute, her flesh smoothing out once more. I stared down at the female, willing her awake.
As if answering my silent summons, her eyelids fluttered open. The green of her eyes nearly matched the cloth of her torn and dirty human covering.
She blinked a few times, no doubt orienting herself in the dark space, before her gaze focused on mine. The glow of my eyes would be enough to tell her I wasn’t human, but she didn’t scream like I’d expected.
Instead, her lips curved upward, her entire expression brightening. The scent of her fear was absent, and I cocked my head to the side while I pondered the small being.
