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It isn’t worth the risk. With my luck, I could read the second passage and somehow promise to be his sex slave for all eternity or something.
No, thanks.
I’m still leafing through the book when the door swings open again. Striding purposely back into the room where he left me.
He’s still the shadow man who joined me in my bed. Even so, it’s getting easier for me to pick out his features in the darkness. His fangs peeking past his bottom lips helped, a gleaming white almost as striking against his black form as his strange eyes.
He hold out his arm. There’s something dangling from his grip. It’s made up of the same shadows as my monster, though it’s much smaller. As he strides closer to me, the light helps me see exactly what it is.
It’s not what I was expecting.
The shadows are fluffier than the monster’s. Giving the impression of a fuzzy fur, he’s holding a creature that has a cat’s pointed face and triangle-shaped ears, a pair of rodent teeth, white eyes like the monster’s, and a tail the same length and curve as a squirrel’s.
It’s hanging from the monster’s dark hand, chittering softly.
He holds it out, expecting me to take it from him.
I back up.
He shoves it at me again. “Ungez.” With his other hand, he reaches up to his mouth, gesturing at his fangs as he pretends to bite the air. “Cachin.”
I get it now. My stomach grumbled, and he went out to… what? Hunt me some meat. Only he brought back something that isn’t only alive, it reminds me of a cross between a cat and a squirrel.
The creature chatters, twisting its body like a coil, looking at the beast, then me, then at the beast.
And then it starts topurr.
How can he expect me to eat something that adorable?
Maybe the monsters do. Big shadow demon beast, tiny little shadow animal, it’s the way of the food chain, I guess.
Not me, especially when he places the critter—theungez, I’m thinking—near my feet, nudging it closer to me with one of his. Immediately, the squirrel-cat hops up, shadowy claws hooking on my skirt before it scurries up my chest, launching onto my shoulder, wrapping its tail around the back of my neck.
It purrs even louder, and I decide then and there that I’d rather starve than eat this little guy.
I lift my fingers, only a little nervous it might be vicious after all. When all it does it nuzzle closer to me, I run my fingers through its shadows. Whether it’s a trick of my senses or it really is that soft, I sense fur.
The monster’s frowning when I glance over at him. He doesn’t look offended that I’m petting my meal instead of chowing down. And when he reaches for it and I throw up a hand, preventing him from taking it from me, his eyes dim, like he’s thinking it over.
Then, for the second time, he gestures for me to stay where I am.
So long as I can keep the shadow critter, sure.
At least until I can figure out a way to go back home.
CHAPTER7
UN UNGEZ
KENNEDY
He’s gone longer this time. While he’s missing, I plop down on the bed because it was either that or the floor. The squirrel-cat traveled down my arm once I did, nestling in my lap.
As if I hadn’t already decided to keep it for now.
Stroking its fur, comforting by its gentle purr, I force myself to come to grips with my situation. I have to. Something tells me that I’m going to be sticking around for a bit. The book was no help, and until I can get the monster to understand that he has to bring me back, I don’t think he’s just going to offer.
Not until he gets what he wants. And if he does? I’ll never get to leave.
