“My turn.”
Reed hurls ice-cold water at her using his powers. It soaks her, and she startles awake with a shriek. She slips and falls out of the tree.
I leap and catch her. She fights and struggles until I’m forced to let her go. I turn on Reed, and with a lightning-quick transformation, I send him flying into a tree at the opposite end of the clearing.
There’s satisfaction in the crack.
Less when the tree slowly breaks apart and falls on the tent.
The curse rebounds on me, but I grit my teeth and wait it out. Ignoring the pain.
“Oh, that’s terrible,” I say and have to fight a grin at the rage sparking out of their eyes as they crawl out of the mangled material.
Ever since these five entered my oceans, I have done nothing but fight with them. Individually, they are no match for me, but once they start working together, they have the potential to overpower me, or so they think.
Not that they ever have. I wear the chain because it suits me.
I just want to be near her.
These idiots thought they were fighting an enemy, and they tried to feed me my mate. Ridiculous. I’ve been hunting for her for a hundred years.
I’m never going to let her out of my sight again-
Where’s she gone?
I whirl in a circle.
“Where’s my Mei?” I snarl.
Brio sneers as he brushes his long red hair. “Who cares?”
“I care.”
“You know, it is actually somewhat of a smart idea not to anger the creature that outweighs you by, like, a million tonnes.”
“I knew I liked this human who smells of demon jizz.”
Hartley freezes, glaring at me. “I do not smell of…this is just…shut up!”
I smile as he whirls away, calling for Diablos.
“If he wants to fight, we’ll fight,” Canto says as he walks past.
I turn to watch him because there is something so dangerous about him. He’s got a baby face and looks almost pretty, but under all that is talent honed by years of training in a world of pure violence. He oozes it out of his pores, and fighting with him is one of my most favourite ways to pass the time.
He never holds back.
“Are we fighting, Leaf?” He says my name in pure challenge, and it’s so damn hard to resist him.
I pick up a piece of bread and walk over to him, holding it out.
“Peace offering?” I rasp out. I live in hope. One day, he will take the food I offer.
He sneers and slaps it away. I give him a lopsided smile as he disappears into the trees. There’s always next time.
Now, where is my mate?
I listen to the forest, trying to get in tune with this strange place. She’s hidden, but she’s close.
