But then, he noticed the details. The young woman had freckled cheeks, and her hair was a shade lighter than Lily’s. He inhaled, sampling the air coming in through the minute cracks in the carriage. Female, yes. Pleasant. But not Lily.
This must be the younger sister, then.
The page returned after a short conversation with her.
“My lord, she says her sister is in hiding. She is with child. She didn’t want her kin to suffer the disgrace of having an unmarried pregnant woman in their family...”
Before the page finished speaking, Tharsos bellowed in rage. His mighty roar shook the carriage and echoed in the village, making glass windows tremble.
“I will see her. Now.”
The page ran to fetch Lily’s sister. She got in the carriage clumsily, her whole body trembling in fear. Tharsos bared his fangs, an instinctive predator’s reaction. She flinched, and her face grew green.
“I won’t eat you,” he snarled, and she clenched her fists so hard her nails drew blood. Its smell hung in the stuffy air.
“Why is your sister gone?”
“M-my lord,” she stuttered. “She wanted to spare our family, my lord. Our custom… A pregnant woman who is unwed is exiled. And her family, too. We didn’t want to let her go… She slipped out of the house one night. It was a week ago. We are looking for her…” She looked at her hands with embarrassment. “But Lily is… When she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.”
Tharsos regarded the trembling woman with disbelief.
“I told her I would come for her,” he said. An unpleasant thought struck him. “Is she hiding from me?”
The young woman flinched. “No! She said… She once said that you had an excellent sense of smell. That if no one else could find her, you would.”
Tharsos bowed his head for just a second. It was his fault. He hadn’t paid attention to the humans enough. As long as they obeyed his laws and paid their tribute, he let them hold on to their customs and traditions. He gave them autonomy, and it turned out that when humans were left to their own devices, they were more beastly than the beasts.
“I will find her,” he told the woman. “She will be my queen. And together we will change your barbaric laws. Children are precious. A mother carrying a child should be revered, not cast out.”
With that, he got out of the carriage and smelled the air. A woman passing by fainted at his sight. He didn’t care. There was no trace of Lily’s smell, but that was all right. He would find her.
Chapter VII
Lily had just returned from a short trip to gather kindling. She stepped into the old hunting lodge she had made her home and threw the basket filled with dry sticks on the floor. She sat heavily on a sturdy bench, the only piece of furniture in the lodge, and waited until her breathing evened out.
When she had rested, she knelt in front of the simple fireplace with a grate for cooking and built a fire. She had a small supply of herbs and a dwindling pack of food, and only a few matches left. She had tried foraging in the woods, but pickings were slim.
No matter. He would come soon. And if he didn’t… No, she wouldn’t think about it.
She coaxed the fire to grow brighter, blowing at it gently. It bathed the austere room in a mellow glow, and Lily sighed softly, comforted by the light. She stroked her belly, smiling at a flutter of movement inside.
“Don’t mind the hardships, sweet baby,” she whispered. “Daddy will come soon, and he’ll take us to his castle.”
She could wait a bit longer. It was warm here, and considerably safe, so…
ROARRRRRR!
Lily flinched, fear cresting in her chest like a wave. What kind of a feral predator could make such a noise? It sounded primal, a bellow of rage, and all her senses screamed for her to run away. But her legs were locked in place, paralyzed with fear.
Trees rustled outside, and another roar split the air. Lily covered her ears with her hands. The door burst in a shower of splinters.
He stood in the doorway, stooping because the doorframe was too small for him. One step, and he was inside, his horns scraping the ceiling, his eyes full of fire. His naked torso, with every muscle bulging from exertion, was wet with sweat, and the smell of him hung musky in the air.
He wore only trousers, but the fabric was torn in places. His feet were bare and covered with soil.
Lily inhaled sharply and looked at his eyes, fearing she would see only beastly rage. And yes, his eyes were a hot inferno of emotion. But that emotion was triumph.
“Mine,” he growled, the word mangled by his monstrous mouth.
