His head tipped forward; his eyelids closing until only a sliver of light peeked through a slit. Nothing in his expression hinted at his thoughts.
This was where I should have been running, but instead, I’d perused his cock. I clenched my numb fingers into a fist. My head was on the verge of exploding.
The monster’s head tipped to the side as he observed me. A cobalt-blue forked tongue lashed across the blood dripping from his glinting sharp teeth.
“Please don’t kill me,” I croaked. The demon’s head tilted to the other side. “I swear I’ll get away from here ASAP. I mean, you just had dinner, right.” I waved my hand. “I’ve got no good meat—”
His face neared mine, and I instinctively smacked his cheek like he was some wild animal.
He froze as a sting prickled my palm. What had I done?
“Sorry!” I flattened my palm to his cheek, rubbing the spot with my thumb. His eyes flared, and something tickled my ankle. A blue tail wrapped around my ankle.
I screamed and jerked my hand back, pressing my arms into the front of my chest.
His head tilted further.
“I-I’m sorry,” I squeaked, cringing into myself. The only sound was my heart thundering in my ears, and my pulse rose with each second.
He lifted to his imposing stature. Oh, thank God, he didn’t slice my throat open—
His tail tightened on my ankle, and he dragged me behind him.
I yelped as I flattened to my back, my arms flailing as I scrambled to get onto my belly. Digging my fingers into the dirt was useless because he pulled me effortlessly.
My long skirt worked its way over my ass, and dirt covered my thighs. I didn’t have time to freak out, because I was trying to get to my feet. It felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, watching myself struggle. Here I was, past the Rift, with a monster dragging me through their world.
It was not fair. Why had it ended up this way? I’d done everything right, followed every damn rule, and all it took was one fucking crazy bitch attacking me to make me lose the safety of the village.
I gritted my teeth, but the fury was too intense to ignore. Using my abdominal muscles, I pulled myself into a crunch position and gripped the tail wrapped around my ankle. Digging my heels into the ground, I used his momentum to drag me up to my feet.
I stumbled forward, and my forehead smacked into his back. The stiff surface rippled as his wide shoulders twitched, and I sucked in a deep breath. In a quick whirl, he hissed, and blood from his sharp teeth smacked my face.
“No!” I shouted, pressing my palms to his cheeks, same as earlier since it had seemed to work. The creature stilled, and I glared through my slitted eyelids. I yanked my hands away and stumbled, but his tail wrapped around my waist, stopping my fall.
He leaned over me and inhaled. His tongue flicked out and lapped against my cheek. A clicking rumbled in his chest, almost like a purr.
I sucked in a breath.
THREE
TENEBROUS
Her scent permeated the air... fear. Saliva filled my mouth, but I contained my shiver.
Lucky for the human, I was full and in my right mind. If my instincts were activated, the fleshy female would be meeting a different ending. I had experience with human flesh—thin and easy to rip into.
The only visible difference between my past meal and the feeble human stumbling behind me was the build, but there were no other observations I could make since I had devoured the trespasser too quickly. I’d never encountered a female of this species. It looked too soft andodd.
Her teeth weren’t sharp and they were surrounded by pillowy flesh. Disgusting—unlike how her insides would taste. The soft pop of bones snapping between my teeth would be the most satisfying. Her fortune lay in the dragons crossing my path, otherwise, she would not have lasted a beat of her heart.
She stared up at me, her eyes round, and I widened my sneer.
I retracted my tail from around her slim form.What would this human do?
After a slight hesitation, she followed me.
I had never had a creature offer itself so well. Usually, they ran in the other direction, but it worked in my favor—a convenient little snack for later.
