The storm loomed before us now, massive and churning, purple lightning striking out in violent bursts. Any sane person would seek shelter and wait for it to pass. But Buttercup charged forward, his hooves pounding against the dirt and carrying us directly toward our demise.
“Whoa!” I pulled back on his neck, trying to get him to stop.
He continued to run for another minute and then stopped abruptly, a sound of pure terror ripping from his throat as he reared up on his hind legs. My fingers tangled in his mane, but my grip was slick from fear and blood from the climb down the castle wall.
I fell backward off him as lightning struck right in front of us.
Pain shot up my spine as I hit the ground. I lay flat on my back, staring up at the black leaves of the trees, the moon barely visible where we were.
Buttercup took off into the trees and left me lying on the ground. I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. Everything hurt, a dull ache that radiated from every point of impact. As soon as the shock of being thrown off ebbed, I brought myself onto my forearms.
The sky above me split open with purple light.
Time slowed, and I watched in horror as the tendril of lightning snaked down toward me. It seemed like it was taking its sweet time, and I should have moved out of the way. But my body was frozen.
The bolt hit me square in the chest.
A silent scream escaped my lips as heat ripped through me. My mind flashed with light, and then I knew nothing at all.
CHAPTER ONE
SAMARA
“Tell me again what they look like.” I turned to my best friend, Nico, and raised my eyebrows.
We had been out foraging for thirty minutes, and he hadn’t found a single nut to show me as an example. I wasn’t a squirrel; I didn’t knowwhatwe were looking for.
“It’s about half an inch, black, with specks of gray.” He moved some leaves with his boot and sniffed the air. What exactly did he think he was going to smell while in his demon form?
I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you shift, and I’ll stand watch. If there’s any danger, I’ll stab them.”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “Too many predators are in this forest. They’ve probably already sniffed me out and are ready to eat me the second I shift.”
I loved Nico to death, but sometimes his nut obsession was a little much, especially when we could be at camp enjoying the fire, alcohol, and dancing.
I understood, though. It was something he enjoyed and was excited about. It was something to keep his mind off all he’d lost.
“I found one!” His voice held so much excitement that the annoyance I had felt vanished. “It’s spectacular! Look.”
Nico hadn’t exactly been the luckiest of demons. He was a rare squirrel shifter, and when everything in Inferna was larger than you, it was difficult to stay alive. In general, it was hard on a good day.
He had beaten the odds, and instead of running from what threatened him the most, he worked his ass off to build muscle and become strong.
He walked over to me and held out his hand. I plucked the small nut from it and examined it. It was smaller than I thought it would be, and it was a miracle he’d spotted it among the leaves.
“This is what we’re looking for?” I handed it back to him, and he put it in a small pouch at his hip. “Seems a little monotonous for such a tiny thing.”
He brought his tattooed hand up to his jaw and rubbed at his beard. “If you didn’t want to come, you should’ve told me.”
“I did want to come. I didn’t know I would be looking for a nut that was so small I needed a magnifying glass to find it. Kind of like your dick.” I tried to hide my grin, but it was impossible when looking for nuts.
“Peanut, you and I both know there’s nothing small about my dick.” He smirked and winked at me.
My face flushed with heat, and I turned back to looking for the ultra-rare nut he was after. He was right—there was nothing small about what he was packing.
Nico and his cock had continuously been on my mind lately. Anytime I caught sight of him changing or closed my eyes at night, there it was. My imagination seemed determined to fixate on that part of his anatomy, to the point where I’d steal glances when he emerged from the lake after bathing, water droplets sliding down his tattooed torso.
The memory would resurface during quiet moments around camp, and I’d have to busy myself. Even now, standing in the forest surrounded by perfectly innocent foliage, my mind had wandered down that inappropriate trail once again.
