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“I feel it.” He pointed behind us. “That’s the way to the barrier, to the points between this world and the living world, and in the other direction, at the center, is Lucifer’s Court.”
“I thought you weren’t controlled by him.”
“I’m not. It isn’t his power that draws me, but the fact that it’s the center of hell, the draw point of the power in this place. It’s where hell connects to the other realms of the afterworld. Lucifer built his palace therebecauseit was the center. It isn’t the center because he’s there, no matter what he’d like to think.”
A screaming echoed in the distance, died off to a whimper, then to nothing. I twisted to peer in that direction, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to see it, and I probably didn’t want to.
Spindly trees rose around us in each direction, looking like dead things in the middle of winter, but they grew so densely they still obstructed the view.
“Relax,” Hunter said.
“How am I supposed to relax when things sound like they’re being eaten?”
“Well, they probably are being eaten.” He grinned when I offered him a shocked look. “However, the point is that they’re getting eaten because I’m not there to protect them. This is myhome, Ava, and believe it or not, there isn’t much here I’m worried about. At least, not anything outside of the Court.”
“Forgive me, but you don’t look nearly as imposing as those things I’ve seen before, as whatever iseatingthat poor creature. You’re just a man and some smoke. I mean, a good-looking one, but I don’t think monsters are going to be like ‘he is sure handsome. Guess we won’t kill them.’”
“I still look like this because you won’t like me as much in my other form. Plus, no usable penis like that, and I’d really love to use mine on you, so I choose to keep looking like this.”
The casual way he said such things silenced me and made me think about how much I agreed.
Not about not liking him in another form, but about how I wouldn’t mind a repeat of our time together in the tent.
Or in my bed.
Really, so long as we were both naked, I wasn’t picky about the locale.
Another howl came through and woke me up.
We were in hell. That wasnotthe best time for quickies.
He lifted his head and inhaled, slowly, tension filling him.
When Hunter looked nervous was about the time to panic…
I inched closer to him, unable to help it. I would much prefer to be nearer to him for reasons that had nothing to do with orgasms right then.
Well, other than I’d like to live long enough to have more of them.
“Fuck,” he muttered softly.
“What?”
Something in the distance came into view, but just barely. It wasn’t a shadow, not like the thing that plagued me, that we chased, but more like mist. It reminded me of my dreams, of the things I saw in them.
It sped over the landscape as if it weren’t fully there, the hazy appearance of a spirit.
Hunter pressed closer to me, though he didn’t wrap an arm around me, as though he wanted both hands free to face whatever approached us.
The thing slowed when it neared us, and this time I could make out a shape. It was a dark figure, though not wholly corporeal or solid, covered in dark, floating cloth, including a hood that obscured its face. It had sleeves so long, hands couldn’t be seen. Nothing but the mist-like robes were visible, floating despite there being no breeze.
It paused before us, and I couldfeelit looking at me. The sensation crawled over me like ice, something frozen and sinister.
A growl left Hunter, but the thing took no notice of him. It came closer, shifted as if to see me better. After another moment, it rushed away with the same speed it had arrived with, and Hunter let out a heavy breath.
Kase came over, Grant behind him. “Please tell me that wasn’t what I think it was.”
“Wish I could.”
