2
Ronan
This is my favorite hunting spot. Close enough to the breach to catch the creatures before they encounter human civilization, wild enough that I can do what needs to be done without having to worry about cameras and smart phones and people filming.
In some ways the woods remind me of faery, green and wild. But in the human world, the trees are tiny.
Some day’s it’s easy to forget that humans also use the forest. It’s unfortunate for her that she was here as the ceffylant got away from me—I’d underestimated its speed—but lucky for me as it made killing it easier.
Hopefully its friend isn’t eating the dogs she was walking.
She stares up at me with wide, terrified eyes and I realize that I’m holding a sword and splattered with fae blood—it takes a little longer to turn to dust in daylight.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. I killed the…” I glance at the ink-like puddle where the ceffylant had been about to eat her—she had made excellent bait. If not for her I’d still be chasing it. I should be thanking her, but that’s not the only idea that comes to mind. “There was a…”
There’s no sign of the creature, and I’m not supposed to tell humans about anything fae. She didn’t even see the ceffylant which means she has no fae blood. Humans can’t see the monsters that slip through from the outer realms of faery. She glances up at me and there’s no golden glint as the light catches her eyes. Definitely not fae.
“Please don’t hurt me.” Staying low, from when I told her to duck—which she left until the last moment and almost lost her head—she waddles backward. She makes it a few steps before falling on her ass.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” She is covered in inky blood splatter. It’s in her hair and on her face, but she’s still the most eye-catching woman I’ve seen in several decades.
She scoots back on her butt likeI’mthe monster who’s been hiding in the woods and stalking her all morning. She has no idea how lucky she is that I’m here. If I hadn’t been, the ceffylants would’ve eaten her, and the dogs, and she’d be just another missing person.
There’s another ceffylant out there. I don’t know how close, but I know that it won’t let its friend, probably mate, go unavenged. Ceffylants always travel in pairs, but this is the first time I’ve faced off with one in the human world. While they might be fast, they are easy to kill.
I wipe my sword on my jeans and sheath it and show her my two empty hands. They’re inky, but it’s turning to powder now, so I rub them together and dust them off and they come away clean. The puddle on the ground it wet, but it won’t be long until there’s no sign of the ceffylant at all.
“Let me go,” she pleads. “I won’t tell anyone what I saw.” Her gaze flicks between me and the puddle that shouldn’t exist.
I lift an eyebrow, my curiosity spiked. “And what did you see?”
“I don’t know. I was looking after my dogs.” She glances around with wide eyes. “I need to find the dogs.”
The odds weren’t good for the dogs. They will most likely be eaten by the other ceffylant but telling her that will not reassure her and I don’t want her taking off and telling wild tales of a man with a sword running around the woods—that will make my job much harder as I don’t want humans traipsing round searching for me thinking I’m the danger.
I take a step toward her, hand extended to help her up. Plus, if I let her wander off, she’ll be eaten. The ceffylant will smell the remains of its friend on her and on me.
Maybe her dogs will make it out of here fine.
The hairs on the back of my neck lift, knowing that I’m being hunted. I don’t like being prey.
She screams. I clamp my hand over her mouth. But she fights, struggling against my hold. Her teeth rake my palm, and she claws at my arms, the remaining ceffylant blood on my skin drifting away in inky currents on the breeze.
In the woods, I hear it moving. Branches crack as it creeps closer. It’s watching us. Stalking us. And we are sitting here like an easy snack. For half a heartbeat I’m tempted to let her go so she can draw the ceffylant out, but I’m pretty sure getting chased by invisible—to her—monsters is the kind of thing that breaks human minds.
“We need to get out of here,” I say close to her ear.
That sets off a fresh round of wriggles and scratches. I hold on to her, knowing that if she flees the ceffylant will give chase and she’ll be the one leaving puddles of blood on the path. I’d spent half the night chasing the ceffylants, and avoiding getting killed myself, but they’re too fast for one hunter.
“Can you please stop fighting me, then I can let you go.” I’m not going to, but I need to give her a reason to quit trying to get us both killed. “If you promise not to scream, I’ll take my hand off your mouth. Do we have a deal?”
I take my deals seriously. I hope she does too, even though she’s human.
She nods.
I take my hand off her mouth, half expecting her to suck in air and scream for all she’s worth. She doesn’t. I like that. A human who can keep their word is so rare.
“I didn’t see anything, please let me go.” She looks up at me with tear-filled eyes.
