Hello, little human. How far you are from safety.
Chapter 18
Unfriendly Foes
One look at the demon’s size and stature told her that she could never beat it in a feat of strength, and Elizabeth edged away, trying to calm her racing heart. Every time she edged backwards, it closed the distance. Its bottomless eyes gleamed like a predator toying with prey before the kill.
Ignoring the headache settling behind her temples, she raised her chin. “Caspian knows where I am. He’ll be here soon.”
He will not arrive until I am finished with you, and my hunger has been sated.
She heard the words in her mind, which would have interested her far more had she not been staring death in the face. The creature sniffed and bared sharp teeth, drool dripping from its maw.
Her headache intensified, the pain splitting her skull.
Her eyes watered, and she forced herself to keep its gaze.
It tilted its head, tracing a talon along her braid, and surveyed her with interest.
So, you are his new human pet.
She ducked and bolted, sprinting towards the castle.
The monster caught up to her with ease, running alongside her at a leisurely pace on all fours. A throaty laugh sounded in the air. It snatched at her skirt and darted away again, laughing.
It was toying with her.
I am going to drink you dry and leave you crumpled in the forest for dear Betsael to find.
She had no idea who Betsael was and didn’t want to stay and find out. Her lungs burned as she ran, pushing her limbs as hard as she could to beat the thing to the castle.
Pain shot up her arm. She cried out.
The creature’s razor-sharp talons gripped her forearm, warm blood trickling over her skin. Using her own nails, she raked her hand at its hand, its face, trying to find purchase with her other hand. She smacked at the demon’s face without skill. Her feeble attempts to hurt it only seemed to amuse it. The demon released her and drove its fist into her stomach like a hammer, forcing the air from herlungs in a strangled wheeze. Her eyes bulged, and she doubled over, gasping for air.
The creature’s putrid breath washed over her as it leered, savoring her terror.
Elizabeth swung wildly—her fist bouncing off his chest felt like hitting stone. When she aimed for its face, iron fingers crushed her hand, and she winced. A dark laugh filled the air. Her attempts to harm it seemed to only amuse it.
Desperate, she drove her knee upward. The demon doubled over with a grunt of pain, and she didn’t waste time marvelling that it had the same vulnerabilities as a regular man—she was already running.
Her boots slapped against the earth as she ran, but the castle was still too far away.
Claws snatched at her skirt—fabric ripped, sending her sprawling into the mud. The demon’s clawed foot pinned her gown, trapping her like a mouse with its tail caught. She tried to calm the pounding in her head, trying to listen to Caspian’s warning of demons’ love of a mortal’s terror. But panic raced through her body. She was terrified.
Elizabeth clawed at the torn skirt, but it held fast. Her boots slid on the muddy grass beneath her feet.
Terror gripped her. She darted a glance over her shoulder to see the demon lick its lips with a forked black tongue.
Agony exploded across her scalp as the demon hauled her up by her hair. This close, she could see her terrified reflection in its bottomless eyes and smell the putrid stench of its breath.
Elizabeth twisted with all her might until strands tore free. The demon gripped a chunk of her hair, shorn off by his claws.
She hit the ground hard, dirt smearing her dress. She scrambled up and ran toward the castle’s distant lights.
There was heavy breathing behind her, and she wanted to close her eyes and cry.
The pain in her temples worsened, and she cursed. The gods had a really sick sense of humour, making her prone to headaches in a life-or-death situation.
