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He wasn’t competing in The Games, but perhaps she’d run because she’d assumed he had been. Maybe a competing male had harmed her, which was expressly against the rules, although not unheard of. There were bad beings on every planet.
As far as Ezul knew, the competition only took place in these woods, which extended for hundreds of miles and were close enough to the city of Ragtar, where the final portion of The Games commenced. Knowing that, it would make sense that the human woman was here for the competition.
Spotting her sheet of damp black hair in the gloom, Ezul breathed a sigh of relief.
“Stop! Allow me to assist you!” he bellowed.
She ignored him yet again, veering straight into the mouth of a cave.
His stomach tightened in dread as she disappeared through the entrance, and the mist he’d barely begun to pull back into himself flared out once more, reacting to the fear that now clawed at his throat.
She’d gone straight into a leiling den!
Ezul put on a burst of speed as urgency assailed him, careening into the cave opening.
She stood just inside the entrance, wheezing, her hand braced against the far wall as she hunched over.
“You must leave this den,” he spat, glancing about the cave for trouble. He barely noticed her jump in surprise at his voice, squinting her eyes against the darkness as she tried to see him. “You’ve led us into a nest, human! The leilings within can paralyze their prey with a single bite!”
“Stop yelling at me!” she cried, facing him. The position left her back completely exposed to the depths of the cave as she trembled. “I don’t know what you’re saying!”
Ezul’s eyes bulged. She didn’t have a translator? He’d assumed anyone competing in The Games would have one. It allowed them to understand one another perfectly, several thousands of languages downloaded into the small chips now attached to his eardrums.
Ezul sputtered, grappling with how to pronounce anything in a human language. He was well versed in hundreds of dialects throughout the galaxy, but he’d grown lazy due to the translating device that had been implanted in his ears years ago.
He barely recalled any human languages from his studies, having never ventured to Earth to acquaint himself with the species.
“Paralyze with a bite,” he repeated in several languages, talking as quickly as possible as he stepped closer to her.
She backed away and he paused, not wanting her to venture further into the cave. He was close enough that he could grab her, but the thought of scaring her had his stomach twisting in distress.
He was unaccustomed to the sensation, and he didn’t enjoy it in the slightest. Nor did he enjoy the overwhelming need he felt to keep this human safe, as if it was ingrained in his very being.
Ezul had never felt so protective of anyone before, and he didn’t even know this woman.
Her eyes widened at one particular language, and she shouted at him in outrage, “Paralyze? You’re going toparalyzeme with a bite?”
“Leilings,” he bit out in answer, frustrated that there was no other term to describe the beasts.
It was then that he saw it; a monstrous, eight-legged leiling began to emerge from behind her. It was easily twice his height with thick, hairy legs; a hairy, bulbous torso, and its face…
Leilings were disturbing creatures with smooth, creamy faces, dozens of eyes dotted along their foreheads, and pincers for mouths that clicked as they walked. Their facial features strongly resembled those of people, though, which only added to their horrifying appearance.
“Behind me,” Ezul snarled, snagging the human in the blink of an eye and forcing her to his back just as the leiling leapt.
The human screamed, no doubt seeing the creature he’d saved her from. Two more leilings appeared, attempting to surround them.
“Stay with me,” Ezul murmured over his shoulder, mist billowing out around him until it formed a protective barrier around his frame, like a shield. His mist was useful for several areas of combat.
At this very moment, it layered over him, adding height and definition to his body until he was nearly as imposing as the leilings prowling toward them. It also added an extra layer of protection like a coat of armor.
He continued to swell in size right as he heard the human behind him exclaim, “Good luck!”
“What?” Ezul snarled, turning toward her in time to watch her sprint from the cave.
She’d lured him here and then left! Ezul let out a howl of rage right as the first leiling attacked.
Chapter 1
