6. Six

“No! No, no, no!” I tugged at my hair, scratched my face, and fell to my knees.

My cell was gone. The penitentiary was gone, and I was no longer in the Under Cloud. There were only trees—neverending trees spanning for miles and miles. The human—Atreyis—crouched to finger the dirt.I couldn”t understand what had happened. The demon had been threatening Atreyis, and the next—

“How did we end up here?” I demanded and yanked him to his feet.

There was a dullness in his gaze, one that hadn’t been there before the demon appeared. It was as if the man’s entire aura was siphoned from him. And now? Now, we were in thick woods, and dawn drew near.

Blinking rapidly, he seemed to snap out of whatever daze he’d fallen into. “I think I shit myself.”

“You are so bloody foul!” I dropped his arm and backed away.

He twisted and peered down his pants. “Phew! No chocolate sprinkles.”

“Where are we!”

“Veros. Well—close to Veros.”

“Dawn approaches. I cannot be here.” Swallowing thickly, I glanced at the sky, which had already lightened with the approaching sun.

He narrowed his eyes, placed his hands on his hips, and said, “You’re going to catch fire. Aren’t you?”

“I’m not going to burn you bloody fool. But I will be immobile and weak.” I folded my arms and started walking. In what direction, I did not know.

There was only so much I could take. This human ruined everything. He didn’t realize the gravity of his interference. It took me years to make those arrangements—years! And it was all for nothing because now I was out in the open world—Veros of all places! Human lands would be unmanageable even for someone of my caliber and restraint. I wouldn’t be able to fight my instincts for long.

“And where do you think you’re going?” he said from behind me.

“To find shelter.”

“You won’t find it that way. There’s a grotto to the west of here. You can hide in the cave like the bat you are. But make no mistake, you delicious thing,” he paused to give me that determined look, ”Mr. Darcy will receive you, one way or another.”

Growling, I balled my fists and debated draining him again. Through tight lips, I said, “Lead the way then.”

Grinning now, he slapped my rear. “Chin up, cherub. Everyone loves it.”

Doubtful. Utterly doubtful.

I may have been mistaken.

The pools in my home were pristine, cold, and rarely used. They also were inside our dwelling as a centerpiece rather than something to be considered an ideal activity.

This place was the most intimate and serene thing I’d ever seen. The cavern’s high rock walls were not far apart. Maybe twenty feet at best, and the blue water steamed ever so slightly. It was so clear that the passage beneath it was visible. If one swam through, I imagined it would take you deeper into this mountain.

Atreyis fanned out his arms and spun. “Time to get naked.”

I may have choked on my saliva when he ripped his leather jacket off and tossed it on some rocks. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t go in with clothes on. That’s blasphemous!” Then he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

The way his back flexed as he did so caught my attention, as did the branding that sat in the middle of it—a perfect circle around a skull. It was probably some morbid branding for a club he was in. That wouldn”t surprise me.

I flipped around to the entrance when he unfastened his pants and tugged.

He’s serious.

Exposed flesh didn’t typically sway me one way or another, but everything about this human made my skin crawl. I couldn’t be sure if it were solely from disgust or something else entirely.

“I know you have a cock. It isn’t like you’ve never seen one before,” he said, and I could almost hear the smirk.

A loud splash followed the sentence.

“Gods, yes. Fuck me until the night falls and the skies turn orange!”

Daring to see what he was ranting about, I stilled when he was sitting on a stone in the water, smiling as big as he possibly could. This man will be the death of me. Immature, demented, and so bloody obnoxious.

And stark naked.I refrained from gulping.

“Don’t be shy! Come on!” He splashed the water at me.

The steam emanating from the water and the crisp smell of cleanliness called to me then. Just how long had it been since I bathed? Properly? Begrudgingly, I dipped a toe into the water and averted my eyes away from his glistening chest. Even against my chilled skin—it was perfect.

Fine.

I’d sample the grotto, but under no circumstances would I remove my clothing. That was too far, and I’m sure he’d do or say something to make my innards liquify.

“Atta boy! I’m proud of you.” He clapped and then dunked under.

My bones seemed to weep as I lowered into the water. I located a stone and positioned myself over it to recline against the edge and close my eyes. Layers of filth peeled off my skin as I stroked down my arms. It was peaceful for an entire ten seconds before there was a hot breeze on my face—warm and steady. Cracking an eye open, I was instantly blasted by a mouthful of water.

Atreyis was inches from my face, spitting it at me! With a guttural growl, I gripped his neck and held him under.

Minutes passed, and he was not dead. When his fingers started walking up my thigh, I released him. He popped out of the water like a siren and laughed.

“What is wrong with you? Have you no shame? Decency? I do not want you touching me! I do not want you near me! This is your fucking fault.”

His eyes turned into saucers. “Vastian Fane… did you just curse?”

I bared my fangs at him and swam to the opposite side of the pool. He took over my spot and, like the smug dimwit that he was, started making flatulent noises with his hands.

He allowed me ten minutes. Ten whole peaceful minutes of silence, and I half expected it to continue. What a damn fool I was.

He gasped. A noise that wasn’t like the ones he’d made in the cell, where it was fake and not genuine.

Squinting my eyes open to see what he would say, to my surprise, he was still as a statue, staring into the water. This caused me to react similarly. I preferred to know my enemy. I could look it in the eye and then gauge whether or not to be afraid or intimidated. He saw something I could not, and that forced me to the edge of panic.

What was in the water?

“Don’t move,” he whispered and inched up just a fraction so more of his chest was exposed.

“What? Don’t torment me, Atreyis. What is it?” The words left my lips with speed.

“Gods… is that… no,” he squeaked and patted around until he located a rock.

My toes curled, and every hair on my neck stood erect. “I’m not moving.”

“It’s a trouser snake! Get out, get out!” he screamed and threw the rock at me.

I despised snakes and snake-like things. The slithering, worm-like creatures were a nightmare. All I could think about was the thing that swam up my pant leg, its scales wiggling around my calf and up my thigh.

Launching myself from the water, I jumped and popped around, determined to remove my pants that very moment. I’d locate the snake and smash it into nothing. The fabric pooled at my ankles, and I struggled to remove my feet from its web.

Then I heard him snort.

Flipping around to see what prompted the noise, his jaw dropped. “Forget trouser snakes. That is a trunk.”