His eyes flashed with fury. “Herding us like cattle.”
The floor dropped out from under me, and if Lothar hadn’t been quick and fisted the back of my jacket, I would have tumbled down a sharply angled set of stairs.
There was a wall in front of us now—and one behind. “He’s not giving us any choice but to go down.”
Lothar lifted me before I could take another step and put himself in front of me. I didn’t argue, there was no point, his protective instincts had kicked in. Nothing else mattered, definitely not the fact that I was more than capable of taking point in wherever Drake was leading us.
Lothar’s eyes glowed in the darkness as we headed down the steep stairs. Actually, it was probably a good thing Lothar had taken the lead because it was almost complete darkness down here, and Lothar had far better night vision than me. “Can you see anything?”
“Yes,” he said gravely. “Grab on to the back of my shirt, baby, and don’t veer off the path.”
Baby. He’d said it before, but when we were giving each other pleasure. I quickly put it aside. This was not the time to start overthinking things. “There’s a path?” My boots squelched with each step. “More mud?” Though it didn’t smell like mud, it had a tinny scent, a scent I realized I knew all too well. Blood—gore. Then something revolting hit me, and I gagged. “What am I stepping in?”
“Corpses.”
“If the path is rotting corpses, then what the hell is on either side?”
“Let’s just worry about getting to wherever this fucker is sending us,” he said, instead of answering.
Something seriously bad, then?
Every step we took released another waft of rotting flesh. My foot slipped on what I could only assume were limbs, but thankfully I managed to stay upright. The path seemed to be never ending, at least it felt that way when I could barely see a foot in front of me.
“Where do you think all these corpses came from?” Lothar asked.
“I don’t know, we could be anywhere, and if this is some random realm we’re in—or worse, one he’s sent us to—almost anything could be possible.”
Lothar stopped suddenly, one of his arms flying behind him to wrap around my waist.
He held me tight to his back. “What is it?” I whispered.
“Do you hear that?”
“No, what did you—” Something warm and smelling even more like death than the sea of corpses beneath our feet wafted over the side of my face.
“Roxy?” Lothar said.
A weird sound came from behind me, a repetitive, thumping rattle.
“I think I’ve got a problem back here.”
Lothar’s leather vest creaked as he slowly turned. “Don’t move,” he rushed out under his breath.
I jammed my mouth closed as something warm and slimy hit my arm, then slowly slid down it. Drool, I was sure of it. Drool from something vicious—and I was only guessing here, but the evidence pointed to me being correct—after some fresh meat to add to his rotting collection.
“He’s focused on you, Rox, but I don’t think it can hear. I think the only thing it can sense is movement or it would have attacked already.”
Oh fuck. It’d been stalking us, and as soon as we’d stopped, it’d lost sight of us.
I could tell it was big, and going by the amount of drool sliding over my shoulder and soaking my shirt—and now burning into my flesh—it had a big mouth and a mean set of teeth.
“I can see light ahead. It’s faint, but I think we can make it if we run like hell.”
My burning skin grew worse, and I was sure I could smell my own singed flesh. If we didn’t move soon, I’d quickly be joining one of the decomposing corpses on the path below my feet.
Lothar’s hand tightened on my waist, and I knew instantly what he planned. Oh no, you don?—
One moment I was behind him, the next I was flying through the air. I hit the path a couple yards in front of him, landing on one knee, my hand deep in warm, wet gore. I heard Lothar’s boots slapping as he barreled down on me. Jumping to my feet, I pumped my arms and sprinted toward the light up ahead.
