Kai
“She is a combination of sensitive and savage.”
“What is that thing?” I whisper under my breath, eyes locked on the twisted figure emerging from the water.
“A Grindylow,” Ash replies, her voice steady as she stares down the creature.
The Grindylow’s eyes flicker between us, and it licks its lips, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. It’s exactly the kind of nightmare I’d expect to find lurking in a place like this.
“I’ve killed one monster today already. Don’t make me add you to the list,” Ash snaps, her voice cold and cutting.
The creature’s body freezes at her words. “Who?” it hisses, in a low, guttural growl.
Ash stayssilent for a long moment, the tension building around us. Her shadows slowly slink from her, sinking into the water at our feet.
“Abchanchu met his death not an hour ago,” Ash finally says, her tone matter-of-fact, as if discussing the weather. Then she takes a step back, easing further from the water’s edge with me.
The Grindylow’s eyes widen. “Wait,” it hisses, inching closer, slow and deliberate.
Ash halts, and I follow suit, every instinct screaming at me to grab her and bolt. “Ash,” I warn, my body tensing.
Ash’s beautiful onyx eyes dart toward me, a grin spreading across her lips. “It won’t hurt me,” she says confidently, as if she’s talking about a harmless animal rather than a water demon.
“Have you gone mad?” I snap, running my fingers through my hair in frustration, my anxiety growing by the second.
“Probably, though the voices assure me I haven’t,” Ash replies with a casual shrug, her nonchalance only fueling my irritation.
“Voices?”
“You killed the vampire?” the Grindylow asks, its gaze narrowing as it studies Ash with an unnerving intensity, trying to determine if she’s telling the truth.
Ash nods, her posture tall and commanding.
The Grindylow tilts its head, contemplating for a long moment. Then, its lips curl into a grotesque smile, revealing those nightmarish teeth again. It slithers closer to the water’s edge, and a low growl rumbles from my chest, my entire body rippling with the need to shift. The creature’s attention shifts to me, and it hisses in return, a challenge in its eyes.
Ash steps between us, her daggers glistening in the setting sun that peeks through the dense trees. It’s a silent reminder that she won’t hesitate to kill the creature.
“What do you want?” Ash demands.
“You’ve done my sisters and me a great favor by getting rid of him,” the Grindylow says, its voice almost purring. “We will return this favor with one of our own.”
“What could you possibly do for us?” I huff out, my patience wearing thin.
“You’re not healing,” the Grindylow states, its eerie, unblinking eyes locking onto mine.
“You can heal him?” Ash asks, taking a step closer to the water, her voice suddenly urgent.
Fuck this.
Without thinking, I step forward and wrap my arm around Ash’s middle, lifting her from the ground and carrying her a good few meters from the water’s edge. She yelps in surprise as I set her down, my heart racing.
“You’re stressing me the fuck out, beautiful,” I mutter, a low growl escaping as I glare at the Grindylow, daring it to make a move.
Ash places her hand on my chest, over my heart. “I’m sorry. Just let me see what she was going to say.”
I let out a heavy breath, running a hand over my wet hair. “Don’t move any closer,” I warn.
Ash smiles, a calm confidence radiating from her as she turns back to face the Grindylow, who is now wading in the shallows, her dark form barely distinguishable from the murky water. She doesn’t speak, just waits, her eyes fixed on the creature with unwavering focus.
