Around me, people shifted back and forth uneasily, but I still wasn’t scared of him. He was the largest, strangest man I’d ever encountered, yet the only reason my pulse picked up around him was because I found myself wanting to get closer.
I’d never seen eyes as black as his before, and though they were so black that movement was impossible to notice, I felt his gaze the instant it landed on me. His eyes burned into me like hot coal.
Judging by the small lines around his mouth and eyes, he looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but it was difficult to tell for sure. I didn’t know if I’d consider him gorgeous, but there was something so striking, feral, and captivating about him, that it made me itch to run my fingers over those carved muscles in a way I’d never longed to touch a man before.
His full lips thinned as he watched me, and his square jaw, which tapered into a pointed chin, clenched. His eyes narrowed over his aquiline nose as we stayed locked in a stare. I didn’t know what he was looking for from me, but I didn’t think he was going to find it.
Mac said something that drew his attention away from me. Now that I could look away from his stare, my gaze was drawn to the intricate tattoo on his left arm. Black flames started at the tips of his fingers on the back of his hand. They wrapped around his wrist before rising up his arm to encircle two snarling wolves on his bicep. The wolves were so realistic looking they appeared ready to leap from his bronzed skin at any second.
Continuing onward from the wolves, the flames disappeared briefly beneath the strap of his tank top. When they reappeared, the tips of the flames licked against the base of his neck but didn’t rise any higher. Hints of black beneath the tank made it seem as if there was more on his chest, but the only way to know was to see him with his shirt off—a prospect that was both scary and mouthwatering.
Unable to see any more of the tattoo, my gaze traveled to the tattoo on his right arm. Like his left arm, this one also started at his fingertips and encompassed his entire arm. It didn’t involve wolves but was made up entirely of black flames all the way to the base of his neck, just like his left side. I thought I saw something more within the flames, some strange symbols or something, but I was too far away to make out what they were.
Sensing his eyes upon me again, I lifted my gaze to his and jutted my chin out. His face remained impassive as he stared at me, but I felt his intense scrutiny. I had no idea where this man had come from, but he was unlike anyone I’d ever seen before. Even his name was odd.
My attention shifted to Mac when he cleared his throat and began speaking. “I know you’re all wondering why you’re here, and before we begin your training, you will be filled in on some of the details.” My heart thundered at the possibility offinallygetting some answers. “As you all know, a war was started in this country thirteen years ago, but what you don’t know is that the war still rages on to this day.
Now he had my complete attention.
“We still fight it every day.Youwill be amongst those working with us to take back our once great nation from the ongoing and ever-increasing threat against it.”
People shuffled around me; I could feel their distress ratcheting up at the knowledge the war had never ended.
“The war we fight has never been waged against another country, but against an enemy none had ever imagined thirteen years ago.”
What doesthatmean? Were King Kong or a T. rex running around somewhere out there after all?
“There are creatures out there you never knew existed, that none of us ever knew existed,” Mac continued. Beside him, Kobal shifted. “There are beings out there seeking to destroy us and growing stronger every day. The entire world is facing this growing menace.Youwill be trained to face this enemy head-on and to protect those who must remain innocent to what resides on this side of the wall.”
Around me, the crowd murmured with each other. My skin crawled at his words, and despite the warmth of the May day, my bones felt chilled. I’d resolved not to look at Kobal again, but my gaze flicked to him. I wasn’t surprised to find his eyes still on me.
“Protected from what?” someone near the front blurted.
The disapproving stare Mac gave the young man caused him to blush and look away. Turning his attention back to the crowd, Mac focused on us once more. “From demons that walk the earth, demons from Hell itself.”
I heard a few scoffs from those around me, some murmured “He’s insane,” and a couple gasped. Nervous laughter moved through the group, some of them having decided Mac must have been kidding. I continued to watch Kobal, standing there with his hands clasped behind his back. Why did he keep staring at me? I could feel him sizing me up, but why? What was he expecting from me?
I didn’t know what to make of what Mac had revealed. He looked as if he actually meant what he’d said, but it simply could not be possible. Places like Heaven and Hell didn’t exist, and if they did, neither spawned creatures that would attack Earth and blow things up. Did they?
Mac didn’t try to calm the crowd again; instead, he turned and gestured toward someone, or something I couldn’t see. Then, the soldiers gathered behind him parted to allow others to move forward.
Andotherswas the best way I could think to describe them. I somehow managed to keep my mouth shut as people, or not quite people, spread out to stand before us. I remained leaning against the wall, but inwardly my heart plummeted. My mind screamed denials at me, and my feet were ready to run away, but I remained where I was as my eyes scanned over the fifteen or so new arrivals standing beside Kobal.
They were all so different in appearance from us and from each other. Some of them were truly disturbing looking with their tails, razor-sharp teeth, and horns the size of baseball bats. Others were extremely handsome or, in the case of the woman with the bright red hair and reddish skin, stunning.
Then, my eyes slid back to Kobal. And in his case, I realized, he was fascinating.
***
Kobal
I watched River carefully as she took in Mac’s words. Her forehead furrowed, but she still showed no signs of apprehension as Corson, Bale, and the others stepped forward to reveal themselves. Some of the new volunteers gasped loudly, all of them took a step or two back. Soldiers hemmed them in on all sides, making sure none of them ran off as they had in the past. A few screams went through the crowd, and more than a dozen of them began to cry.
After the years I’d spent working around humans, I’d become accustomed to reactions such as these. I didn’t usually come to the new arrival greetings anymore, as I’d seen enough of them over the years. Corson was right about the crying and screaming being annoying, but the humans would adapt; they had no choice. By the end of the month, they would be far more comfortable with everything they would learn and see today.
I’d come today to see her. It washerreaction intriguing me most. Her gaze flickered over everyone, lingering upon Bale before sliding back to me. I saw the realization in her eyes as they ran over me before meeting and holding my gaze. She was the strangest human I’d ever encountered, and I couldn’t stop watching her and trying to gauge her thoughts.
“Silence!” Mac commanded in a loud, clear voice. The crowd quieted, but sniffles still sounded as some of them stifled their sobs. “I know this is difficult for all of you to understand and accept. It’s a lot to take in, but you volunteered to be here for this. The demons you see before you will help train you and will teach you some of the dangers you can expect to find out here in the wilds.”
