I roll my eyes again, ignoring the way it makes the corner of his mouth twitch up. Evidentially he just likes to irritate me. “Favourite movie?”
“I don’t watch movies. There isn’t exactly electricity or televisions in Hell.”
“Oh. Yeah. Wow, no TV, no internet? I think I’m changing my mind about all of this.”
“What? You can’t. You signed the?—”
“Korithax,” I cut him off, grinning. “I’m kidding. We can always visit Earth, right? Maybe we can watch movies together there. No horrors, though, please.”
He looks at me for a moment, his brows furrowing. “You may come and go as you please. I’ll remain in Hell.”
Right. Because why would he want to come to Earth and watch movies with me? I nod, quieting again, deciding it was best for me to just shut up. He doesn’t try and continue the game either; he just occasionally frowns as if he’s lost in thought. I debate asking him what he’s thinking about, but he’d probably just say it was none of my business and huff at me again.
An hour of silence later,he suddenly throws out his arm, stopping me dead in my tracks as I collide with the thick muscle of his bicep. “Wha?—”
“Shh,” he whispers, putting a finger to his lips. He points to a thick line of trees to the side of us with his other hand.
“I can’t see anything,” I whisper, looking to where he’s pointing.
“Fucking mortals and your shit eyesight.” He mutters.
I scowl at him just as a sharp crack—a breaking of a twig or a branch—sounds from the trees. “Is it one of those horse thingies?” I mumble.
He shakes his head, emphasising the finger on his lips to remind me to shut the hell up. He slowly raises his arm, reaching behind his head. A quiet noise sounds as he draws an onyx sword from beneath his cloak, the metal gleaming dully in the twilight.
“When I tell you to run, you run. Do you understand me?”
“What?” I breathe, panic instantly coursing through my veins.
“Daisy, listen to me. Run when I say so, straight down the mountain.” The seriousness of his tone has me stiffening. “I’ll catch up to you. Stay still until I tell you to move.”
At that, the creature steps into view. A hulking wolf-like beast, its body made entirely of smoke and shadow, with eyes glowing an unnatural amber colour. Its paws are the size of my head, the claws on the end alarmingly long and glinting. They look like sharp blades poking out from the mists of its toes. Its snarl is guttural, saliva dripping down its maw from jagged fangs. My heart thunders in my chest as I watch the beast slowly prowl towards us.
“What the shit is that?” I ask between panicked pants.
“A Nyxmaw,” he whispers.
Its nostrils flare as it begins to sniff, amber eyes landing directly on me. My entire body freezes as our eyes clash, terror taking over as it throws its head back and howls—a sound so piercing my ears ring.
“NOW, DAISY!” Korithax barks.
Fight or flight takes over, and I burst into a fast sprint, my eyes just catching a glimpse of Korithax’s sword blazing to life with a bright blue flame. I don’t look back, focusing on each step as my lungs burn. I keep running, hearing more creatures howl in the distance.
He’ll be okay, he’s the Prince of Hell. He can handle himself. My feet don’t falter as I run faster than I ever have before, straight down the pathway. My breaths come in heavy and fast as my cloak billows behind me.
Suddenly, something slams into the side of me, knocking me onto my back with a whoosh of air forcing out of my lungs at the impact. A scream rips out of me as I’m pinned to the floor, the male-looking creature above me both beautiful and terrifying. Its skin a pale, grey tone stretched across a beautiful face with eyes like glinting steel. Sharp canines protrude from its mouth, curled into an insidious smile. He tilts his head, stroking fingers that end in deadly sharp claws down my face in a caress.
“Well, well,” he hisses into my ear as he leans down, inhaling the scent of my hair. “What do we have here? ”The creature leans back, tilting his head side to side like a serpent ready to strike as terror claws down my spine. He inhales slowly, eyes glinting in the starlight as they widen at my smell. “The king will pay handsomely for you,” he says in a guttural voice that makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
He laughs, cold and cruel, before grabbing me in his tight grip with one hand, his claws digging into my side so tightly that it causes me to scream in agony. The creature launches into the air, dark tattered leather wings beating furiously as I struggle to try to get out of his grip, the wind ripping at my hair. I try to scream for Korithax, but the sound doesn’t come as a hand clamps over my mouth, cold and sharp as he digs his fingers into my cheek. Tears blur my vision as I feel warm blood beginningto trickle down my frozen face. This definitely wasn’t a dream anymore; it was a nightmare.
After what feels like an eternity of being pulled through the sky by piercing claws, I’m suddenly dropped from mid-air. A scream tears from me as I fall, painfully hitting the ground hard on my knees, agony jolting up my legs. I whimper, trying to scramble to my feet. I look around desperately, praying there’s no more creatures surrounding me as I push my hair from my face. A shadowed figure stands nearby, voice crackling like a low-burning fire.
“Well, what do we have here?”
Chapter 28
Korithax
