Page 42 of Underworld
“Water,” I whispered. “I need to find water.” No matter its intelligence, the creature should act on instinct and that would be a logical conclusion no matter what realm it was from.
I wasn’t a shifter, but Logan kept reminding me how closely we were bonded. “Okay, lover-mine. Let’s see if you’re right.”
Closing my eyes, I tipped my head back and breathed in slowly, trying to separate the scents.
My heartbeat raced and I willed it to slow and kept on breathing.
Trees, new life and decay, forming the scents that made up the forest. The earth. The metallic bite of my blood.
Moonlight and darkness.
I pushed harder.
Sweat. Skin.
Water.
My eyes flew open, because that thought wasn’t mine.
Logan…
Not giving myself time to think, I took off and I followed the faint scent. It grew stronger and a grin spread across my lips when I heard the rhythmic gurgle of a creek. Breaking through the trees, I looked around.
I didn’t see anything, but considering I’d made about as much noise as elephant,hadthe bunny-thing been close by, I would have terrified it, and any other creature, into hiding or attack.
A large tumble of rocks by the edge of the creek caught my attention and I went there to wait and watch.
Howls, yips, and feline snarls of frustration rose in the air but they were distant. The little bunny-thing had been running them ragged, probably backtracking and circling around to confuse them.
But it would come here. I was certain of it.
The seconds ticked by, then minutes.
Finally, a small white head poked out, the pink nose and silver whiskers wiggling, a spiral horn catching the ambient light from the moon as it looked around.
Hello, you adorable little thing.
I held still as it crept out of the forest and closer to the creek.
The air was still, working in my favor, but that wriggling little nose was lifting, sniffing the air for any sort of threat and stopping every few feet. I straightened slowly, watching for any sign it noticed me, but so far, so good. I’d chosen my waiting spot wisely, a faint breeze taking my scent the other way.
Then a new scent hit my nose.
Sulfur.
A flare of red lit up the ground behind the bunny-thing and I froze, dread grabbing my insides and turning them to ice as I saw the bloody circle forming. Instinct pushed me into action and I looked at the little, helpless creature on the ground. “Run little bunny!”
It stared at me, eyes widening.
“Run!” I said again just as a black claw pushed up through the ground.
I rushed forward, no idea what I was going to do, but I couldn’t stand by while a Demonspawn hurt a cute bunny-thing, could I?
I spread my hand and called a fireball just as a head shoved through the bloody portal. A Demonspawn peered up at me, a grotesque smile on its face. “Lilith…” it seethed.
Fuck. How did these things find me?
I flung the fireball at it and it deflected a little too easily for my taste. It pulled itself out of the red portal and stretched into the cool forest night.
