Page 14 of Maneater

I grit my teeth as I drag myself out of the creek and crouch behind the boulder. Whatever the terrifying noise the Viking Bear is making, it’s not a typical bear roar. The sound that emanates from the creature is more like a piercing shriek, something unearthly.

I shiver from the cold, or maybe it’s fear. What I need to do is get the fuck out of here, and this is the time to make my move while they’re distracted by ripping each other to shreds.

As I turn to crawl away through the bushes, the cougar lands with a heavy thump right next to me. It appears a bit glassy-eyed, so I’m guessing that Viking Bear was successful at…

Oh shit.

I peer over my shoulder where I’m met with the glowing red eyes of Mr. Mega Beast. He’s advancing toward me like Godzilla and King Kong’s love child getting ready to devour a tasty morsel.

So of course I do the most logical thing possible. I scream in a pitch so high it hurts my own ears. Because screeching at the thing that’s about to annihilate you totally works. Makes them think, nah. I don’t need to kill him. He’s screaming, so I should leave him alone so he can get on with his day.

For whatever reason, he simply stares at me as if confused. This is my cue. I scramble to my feet and bolt. In my addled, terrified brain, I fantasize hearing the beast call out ‘wait!’ in a booming growly voice.

Great. I’ve lost my entire mind.

I break through the thick bushes, determined not to make the biggest horror movie faux pas of all by tripping over every pebble and stick in the forest. I’m picking up speed, weaving back and forth through trees as if the soles of my feet are on fire.

My breath is knocked from me, and my body shakes uncontrollably as I’m slammed to the ground. I can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Electric zaps and buzzing sparks dance on my skin, my consciousness fading. Once again, my brain fantasizes hearing that growling beast voice speaking to me.

But the last thing I see before everything goes black is the handsome innkeeper staring down at me, fear etched in his features.

Chapter Six

Rex

I drag my fingers through my hair as I stare down at the gorgeous creature who lies on my bed.

Human. He’s a human.

Although I’m glad I’ve brought Darien to my cave to make sure he’s all right, I might’ve opened a big can of worms that won’t be so easy to contain. Of course I’m relieved to have saved him from the rogue mountain lion—who I’ll have to deal with later. But why the hell do I feel so achingly protective of him? The urge to take care of Darien, to personally make sure he’s okay, is bizarrely overwhelming.

I can’t risk bringing him to a hospital, so I’ve contacted Edgel to check him over. Human doctors aren’t exactly familiar with the consequences of colliding with magical wards.

I guess I’ve found out what happens when a human crashes into the wards. My stomach drops at the thought that the consequences aren’t reversible.

The warning bell goes off, alerting that someone has arrived at the edge of the wards. I verify through my security camera that it’s Edgel and go out to greet him.

“What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?” he grumbles.

I don’t get into messes, but then again, Edgel gets crankier and crankier the older he gets. I imagine leaving his cave for any reason these days means someone has committed a horrible crime.

“I was saving a human from a rogue mountain lion. He was understandably scared and ran away.” I sigh. “Unfortunately, he ran into the wards at full speed.”

Edgel nods as he approaches the bed. “Got the livin’ snot zapped outta him. That’ll do it.”

He rips back the covers, revealing Darien’s prone body, and I tense. As he starts poking and prodding at him, I curl my fingers into fists. I don’t know what I thought would happen when Edgel examined Darien to make sure he wasn’t hurt. I guess I didn’t realize how hostile I’d become over someone touching him—healer or not.

“Yup. He got zapped all right.”

I press my lips together and rub my forehead. “Uh, yeah. But is he okay? Is his brain or organs damaged or something? I don’t remember ever hearing about something like this happening to a human before.”

“Gimme a minute. You’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

“Can we not talk about cats right now?”

He waves his hands at me in a shooing motion. “Back it up. I need some space to perform the ritual.”

I want to interrogate him on what ritual he plans on using and that he’d better not hurt my… I slam my hands on my hips.