What had this human done to anger the townsfolk?
I was certain I’d received a blessing and they’d forgotten about my existence.
It seemed that was not the case.
I sighed and rubbed the cracked tip of one of my horns.
Humans had terrible eyesight. I should probably go and retrieve it before it wanders off a cliff.
Rising to my feet, I let out a deep groan as I stretched out my body. Here in my main quarters, I could comfortably stand upright, but in the tunnels, I resorted to crouching to fit.
Although I wasn’t eager to experience that sort of discomfort, I trekked off into the tunnel with my tail swaying back and forth behind me.
My nostrils flared as I sucked in deep breaths, the scent of the human filling my nose. It was definitely female, but there was a male undertone–that of sweat and sex.
I rubbed my temples with the clawed tips of my fingers and tsked in disgust.Another mistress. Why couldn’t they leave those poor women alone? Or at least make the men utilizing their services suffer alongside them?
If that were the case, all the wealthy men in Grafberg would find themselves down in my cave.
As I padded through the tunnel, I heard a low scuffling sound, followed by rocks skittering about the cavern floor with each of the human’s steps. I couldn’t help the amused smile that curved up the corners of my lips. It was obvious she was trying to be quiet, but with my superior hearing, it was no use.
I paused as the sound drew nearer, contemplating how I was going to approach this situation without frightening the woman.
I was kidding myself.
Of course she was going to be frightened. My legend proceeded me and I had this struggle each time a new ‘sacrifice’ ended up in my cave.
I convinced myself to call out to her first, to offer her whatever reassurance I could.
“Do not be afraid, human. I mean you no harm.”
I winced at the sound of myself. It had been so long since I’d last spoken, and my voice was harsh and gravelly from disuse. The resounding echo from the cavern walls made it all the more ominous.
How was I supposed to earn her trust when I sounded like the devil himself?
I heard her suck in a breath, followed by the pounding of her feet against the tunnel floor as she ran the opposite way.
My tail twitched behind me in annoyance. It was dangerous for a human to run blindly in these caves. The floor was littered with rocks and the tunnels often led to dead ends. I had no choice but to chase after her.
“Wait,” I called out as I pursued her. “I said I mean you no harm.”
Her screams bounced off of the cave walls and pierced my sensitive ears, but there was no way I was going to leave her to die down here, lost and alone.
With each of my broad steps, I closed the distance between us. When I was only a few feet behind her, she tripped and fell to the ground with a loud thump.
I crept closer until her body rested in front of me. Reaching out with my boot, I gently nudged her bare toes, but she didn’t move. The soles of her feet were bloody and small stones dug into her skin. The poor thing had been running from me in her bare feet. Each step she took must have been pure agony–all in an attempt to get away from me.
Before I knew what I was doing, I scooped her limp body into my arms and carried her back through the tunnel to my living quarters.
I laid her down on my bed to check her over for any other injuries. Thick waves of brown hair hung over her face, and I pushed back the strands with the tip of my finger. A jagged cut ran along her hairline and blood trickled down her temple.
Shit.
She must have hit her head on a rock when she fell, but thankfully, it wasn’t a fatal wound. I should have known better than to chase after her. After all the rumors she likely grew up hearing about the demon that lived in this cave, I couldn’t blame her for fearing me.
I grabbed a rag and dipped it in the water basin before returning to where she was sprawled out on the bed.
Her dress was damp and dirty, and hung loose on her gaunt body. It was likely she lived a life of poverty, like most of the unfortunate souls who found their way into these depths.
