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It took him this long to make one fatal mistake, leading me straight to him. He stopped at the creek to drink early this morning, and I caught his lion-shaped track in the mud. From there I was able to pick up a scent trail, and now he’s so close I can feel the magic seeping from his pores.
A twig snaps in the distance as I creep forward. My ears twitch as I zero in on the exact direction of the sound.
I suspect he knows I’m hunting him, and that’s why I’ve had such a hard time tracking him. Sphynxes are notoriously smart, making them nearly impossible to find if they want to remain hidden.
My foot catches on a vine as I step over a log, forcing me to stumble forward. I wince, holding my breath as my foot lands with a loud thud against the damp forest floor.
A dark, sickening laugh rings out somewhere ahead of me, making the hair on the back of my neck rise. It echoes off the trees around me, and I find myself searching in every direction as his laugh gets louder.
Eagle wings come into sight first, maybe a hundred feet ahead of me, and then I see his human head. His tanned skin and black eyes are a dark contrast to the light shade of fur covering his lion-shaped body. A sharp, pearly white smile crosses his face as he stalks toward me, boldly crossing paw over paw.
His voice sends shivers down my spine as it roars through the dimly lit forest. “You found me quicker than I anticipated. I was beginning to enjoy our reversed cat and mouse game.”
Sphynxes are sneaky and unpredictable, so I watch him with caution, waiting for him to make a move. “And what makes you think I’m the mouse?” I calmly question as a sly smile exposes my teeth.
Amusement flickers in his eyes as I challenge his judgment. “I have roamed this world for ten thousand years and I have faced far more than a foolishly brave fae.”
Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t know who I am, and he is clueless to the extent of the power I hold. He can sense that I am fae, and he can very likely feel my power, but he isn’t prepared for my dark storm.
“A stupid mouse, you say?” I raise my brow, folding my hands behind my back, silently lighting fire across each fingertip. My magic inches closer to the surface of my skin as I call it, balling it up as I begin poking at his mind with my words. “What will the people say when they find out the ancient sphynx was killed by a mere mouse?”
The amusement dims in his eyes, and he’s quickly angered by my insult. “You’re more foolish than I have given you credit for.”
“Perhaps,” I laugh as I take a step toward him. “But I’m not going to die today.”
Fire lights in his eyes as he lunges for me, using his lion speed to propel his body toward me at lightning speed. “YOU FOOL,” he roars, sending a blast of energy toward the trees around us. Several crack, booming a thunderous roar as they fall to the ground.
I remove my hands from my back, exposing what I’ve built during our brief conversation. Planting my legs against the ground, I steady my stance as I wind my arm back, then throw a ball of fire energy at him.
He’s too fast, and he swerves around my ball of fire as he barrels toward me. The distance between us closes too quickly, and he’s knocking me off my feet before I can even think. My back hits the ground with enough force to kill a human, and I wince in pain. He’s on top of me, pawing at my neck as he pins me down. A sharp pain slices through my chest as he swats at me, forcing me to yell out in both pain and anger.
His paws shapeshift, turning into oversized human hands as he wraps them around my neck, cutting off my air supply. In the ancient language, “sphynx” translates to “strangler,” and he’s staying true to his roots.
A wicked laugh sprays cold spit over my face as he gets off to strangling me. The weight of his lion body pressing down on me hurts more than I’d like to admit. I feel like I’m suffocating more from the pressure of his body than the hands wrapped around my neck.
“Get. Off. Me,” I grunt as I grip his forearms, pushing against him.
A thick purple vein in his forehead pops out as he tightens his grip around my neck, pressing into me with all his strength.
I need to think fast. This mutant cat bastard will not get the best of me today, he just doesn’t know it yet. I call my power to my hands again as I struggle, charging up for an electric shock that’ll send this cat bastard flying into the air.
There’s a crazed look in his black eyes, and I know this is the last thing each one of his victims has seen as they’ve died. It sickens me to know he gets this much enjoyment out of killing. He should have never been sent to the Wychwood Forest. He should have been killed long before being exiled.
Digging my nails into his wrists, I release the energy I’ve been building.
His body goes stiff as I deliver my shot, sending him flying like a scaredy cat as he screeches in pain. The fur on his body sticks straight up as my energy flows through him and the smell of burnt hair hits my nose.
I inhale, filling my lungs with air as he recovers from my shock. Sitting up, I rub my neck where his hands had previously been. “That wasn’t very nice,” I say coolly as I rise to my feet, brushing myself off. Warm liquid flows down my cheek, and I know I’m bleeding badly.
His face is feral and dark as he watches me from a short distance. “You’re going to regret that.”
My lips twitch, turning up on one side as I allow my true self to show. Fire lights along my fingertips one finger at a time. The stars branded across my skin begin to shine through the fabric concealing them. “That’s no way to talk to the high lord of Fire Court.”
There’s a moment of silence between us as his face shifts. The wild animalistic side of him fades, and fear overwhelms him as he watches me. He takes a step back, and I match his step as I walk forward with a smile on my face.
“I’ll leave,” he begs. “I’ll go back to the Wychwood Forest and I won’t return. “You have my word.”
“Tsk,” I shake my head. “Sphynxes are notorious for lying.”
