CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Calista
The rough material of the pants irritated my thighs as I followed Jessandra. I pulled at them to keep from chaffing, but it didn’t help. I had no idea where she was taking me and for what purpose when she strolled into the dining hall after lunch and forced me to change my clothes. My face still stung from her launching them at my head and telling me to get dressed.
Goblins pranced around the castle grounds with ecstatic smiles, cloaks billowing around them. It was a huge change from their humdrum behavior. The whispered excitement worried me. I tugged at my own cloak, wondering why we were wearing them. It wasn’t cold in this particular part of the labyrinth, and I really didn’t want to go back to the section that was. We found nothing there but frigid, ice-covered terrain.
Jessandra turned down a path behind the castle I hadn’t had a chance to explore. Lined with tall, near-black, prickly bushes, I stayed to the center, afraid they’d try to eat me, too. After a few twists and turns, we exited in front of a wooden building that resembled a barn. Soft snorts and growls filtered out to us from within the open doors.
I squinted to see inside. “What are we doing here?”
Jessandra plopped down on a barrel and pulled a knife from her boot. “Tonight, we hunt.”
My brows shot up. “Come again.”
She glanced at me as she checked all her other weapons. “Hunt. As in chase and kill.”
“I know what hunt means,” I sputtered. “Why am I going? I’ve never hunted anything in my life.” Nor did I want to.
“You are going because you are the guest of honor,” Astaroth’s voice came from inside the barn. A deep chuffle startled me, and I stumbled back as he rode a massive furry beast through the doors. “And because I desire your company.”
Dreadlocks hung from the animal’s head nearly blocking its view. Its eye teeth jutted up from the corners of its mouth, looking odd in its flat face. Astaroth sat directly behind its head, leaning against the hump protruding from the middle of its back. He reminded me of the people who rode elephants at the circus.
The beast sniffed the air in front of me. Trunk-like legs with clawed feet pawed at the dirt. I remained still as it scented me. It raised its upper lip, and I flinched waiting for a snarl. What I didn’t expect was the purr that rumbled my chest.
Astaroth laughed. “She likes you.”
“At least someone does,” I mumbled, and he frowned.
Astaroth never followed me through the portal, nor did he return to our room that evening. I faintly came to in the middle of the night to him stroking my hair and whispering wordsin a language I didn’t understand, but he wasn’t there when I awoke. Days passed without his presence, even at the dinners he so eloquently demanded I attend. I remained alone and disconnected from him, wondering if my resistance had changed his mind about me. That, of course, made me spiral into worse-case scenarios.
“What will I ride?” I asked when smaller beasts roamed out of the barn. I recognized several of their riders as workers in the castle. They exchanged excited grins as they came to a stop behind Astaroth.
“You will ride with me.” The beast lowered itself to the ground and Astaroth extended his hand. “We must go if we are to reach our destination by dark.”
I stared at his gloved palm. Hesitantly, I took his outstretched hand, and he guided me in front of him. There wasn’t much room with Astaroth behind me, leaving me to sit on his lap.
My fingers sunk into the coarse hairs on the beast’s neck as I adjusted myself.
Astaroth tightened his hold and lifted me slightly. “You continue that, and I’ll bend you over right here.”
I stopped squirming and allowed him to seat me. “I figured you changed your mind about us.”
I could feel his eyes staring holes in the top of my head, but his only response was to kick his heels into the beast to guide her forward. I gripped the fur under my hands and squeezed my legs to keep from falling off.
“Relax.” Astaroth slid his hands to my hips and taught me how to sway with her steps. “Move with her.”
By the time we reached the side gate, I felt more at ease. However, he seemed to be enjoying it a little too much if the hardness beneath me was any indication.
Astaroth signaled to the guards, and the gates swung open. Goblins on miniature beasts filled the street. They cheered as we left the castle grounds, punching their weapons into the air.
“They are awfully excited about killing something,” I mumbled.
“On the contrary,” Astaroth said. “They are excited about the celebration.”
“What celebration?”
“Our union. You ascending the throne.”
