Page 21 of Demon: Monsterverse
I straightened. He’d crawled up the wall, and there were divots from the rocks embedded within it. I could try to climb up.
I had no concept of space, but Tene disappeared at this exact spot. Tipping my chin back, I stared into darkness as I put my hands out to feel for the surface. Touching the rock, there was no burn from the cold like before. Another change to my body. I felt around until I found an indent to grip onto.
What I had seen wasn’t crazy high, and trying to get out of here was better than waiting around.
Taking a deep breath, I hoisted myself up, balancing on the stone while simultaneously seeking the next step to push up on.
It didn’t take me long to find the next divot to hoist myself onto. Don’t fall. Don’t fall. I pulled myself up a few more times. This was much higher than I’d anticipated, and although I couldn’t see anything below me—Ifeltthe height. My toes prickled.
I gritted my teeth. My fingertips hurt like hell.
My shoe slid out of place and left me scrambling for purchase as I heaved, squeezing my eyes shut. Rocks crumbled, bouncing off my arm.
Shit.
The rock I held onto for dear life crumbled as if in slow motion. I scrambled to regain my grip, but the tips of my fingers grazed the rough surface. The next second, my arm windmilled as I free fell through the darkness. A scream tore from my throat as I clinched my eyelids together, and the ball in my stomach grew.
Oh, I was done for if I fell incorrectly—My body slammed into a hard familiar chest, and I grunted on impact ... My gaze widened on Tenebrous.
His chest heaved as he stared down at me with those impassive-seeming eyes. I really couldn’t read expression within those glowing eye sockets.
His teeth clicked in my face, and then he dipped low and clawed out of this section of the cave with one arm balancing my body. I screamed and flung my arms around his neck, scrambling to get wrapped around him as my stomach fell to the depths of hell. He jostled me as his free arm slammed into the surface and his feet clawed at the rocks to pull us up.
I held onto his him for dear life.Don’t drop me.My thighs trembled around his waist. After a few more jostling moments, he had us out of the drop and settled into a steady pace as he strode through the cave channels. I relaxed my grip and wiggled into a more comfortable position with my thighs still tight around him, then leaned back.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t leave without a word,” I muttered, scowling up at him.
He sneered, hissing. My lips clamped shut. He didn’t seem much in a mood to listen to me, so I stewed in irritation as he strutted through the tunnels.
The light spiked through the darkness ahead, and he still didn’t stop at the rounded entrance to his home. Instead, he continued walking for a long time across the dry and gloomy landscape.
“Where are we going?” He said nothing. I huffed and reached to wrap my finger around his long hair and tugged it. “Where—”
“Hunting,” he snapped.
I pressed my lips together. Hecouldsoundirritable. I clicked my tongue and settled into his arms, frowning while studying the area. He went the opposite direction of the inclined mountain. If only I could read his mind, because all this guessing drove me nuts. A tickle at my arm dropped my attention. His tail had wound up and was caressing me with soothing sweeps. I blinked down at the rounded tip of his tail which was adorned with a single ring a few inches from the top. Lifting my gaze, I focused on his deadpan expression.
Okay, then.
Tall trees spanned in the distance, the dead limbs stretching high with flaking branches. Ominous. At closer inspection, the trees did look like the ones from my world if they’d had the life sucked out of them. They were creepy as hell. He stopped behind a large collection of arching branches and dropped me to my feet.
“Ssstay here,” he ordered, tail flicking behind him.
I jerkily nodded, huddling as his glow disappeared. He dropped to his hands and crawled low to the ground, his feet kicking up dirt. His glow tampered down as he wove through the dead and foggy forest until eventuallythe trees became thicker and his light was swallowed.
I stared after he was long gone. The crawl was out of a horror film, but the lithe feline movements were oddly sexy.
The prettiest, brightest things tended to be the most lethal. He kind of reminded me of the blue poison dart frog. The striking colors were a lure to others but get close enough and you were asking for death. I puffed my cheeks out and leaned back, resting against a curved branch as I waited.
Hopefully he wouldn’t take too long to find whatever he needed because it was creepy standing out here alone. I rubbed my arms, hugging myself. It felt so weird, like someone watched me.
The trees rustled, and I whipped my head up. There didn’t seem to be a breeze. It was eerie as hell.
A clicking reached my ears, and the branch I leaned against creaked. In a sudden motion, it unraveled. I fell to my ass, scrambling back. Was something inside of it?
No. Itwasthe monster.
I screamed and scuttled back as long rough fingers wrapped around my ankle. I lunged to get away, kicking as hard as I could, but it was no use against the ironclad grip. My knees slammed into the dirt, and I dug my fingers into the ground, attempting to drag myself forward. I just needed a little room to slip away.
