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It’s clear Kaito is not the reason they are here. It is me.
“Kaito?” I wrap my arms around myself, scared beyond belief. I want to die, but not like this. I don’t want to be ripped apart by monsters. I want to go on my terms.
Hurrying to me, he cups my face, making my eyes widen. “Stay here. Stay out of sight. I will deal with this,” he orders, his voice deeper than I have ever heard it. He almost vibrates with power. “I promise you, Kai, I will protect you. Tell me you believe me.”
“I believe you,” I whisper, and I do. His determination to protect me is in his eyes and every line of his face. This monster, this man who saved me, nursed me back to health, and showed me nothing but kindness would go out there and kill anyone who dared to even think of hurting me. Something about it gives me strength I didn’t know I had anymore.
“I need a weapon,” I murmur. “Just in case.”
Frowning, he searches my face, but the growls are getting louder. Dropping his hands, he hurries to the corner of the room, and in a wooden chest I did not see prior, he digs about before revealing a crudely carved wooden club.
“I use it to get rid of snortwegllers, but it will do. Hopefully, you won’t need it. Stay down.” He hands it to me, searching my gaze once more before opening the cabin door and charging out with a snarl.
I hesitate, wanting to do as he asked, but I can hear the snarls, and something inside me pangs with worry for him. I need to see if he is okay so I hurry to the door, but I am unable to step over the threshold, my fear holding me back.
Monsters blot out any view of the Dead Lands I might have had before. They surge toward the cabin and Kaito with a singular purpose. They are small, about knee height, but most of their faces are taken up by huge mouths with razor-sharp teeth, almost like piranhas. They have four eyes, six arms, and move faster than I’ve ever seen anything move. They almost create a wave of monsters that envelop him completely. Covering my mouth in horror, I search for Kaito in the throng and find him holding his own despite the massive wave. He kicks and shovesthem away, ripping them apart. Tentacles suddenly shoot from his sides and sweep out to throw hundreds of the creatures back. I blink. I cannot look away from him. Somehow, he grows impossibly bigger, his furious roar rumbling the ground. He’s magnificent and terrifying at the same time. My sweet nurturer is gone, and in his place is a monster.
Gripping the club harder, I swallow as another noise reaches me. Something smashes through the underbrush before the cabin. Whatever coming, it’s huge, and I turn to see what it is. Before I can, a monster sneaks up on me, appearing out of nowhere, drawing all of my attention. I smash the club into it, almost screaming when it bites down on the wood with huge teeth before I fling it away. It takes surprisingly little effort to throw it. More turn toward me, and I have to focus on swinging and smashing to keep them back. I become so lost in the fight that I don’t notice the wolf man until he’s leaping into the masses before me.
My eyes widen, and I barely breathe, barely move, as its eyes lock on mine. I have no doubt it’s ready to rip me apart and eat my organs, just as I’ve always been told all monsters do. Kaito either doesn’t notice or is too busy to. I want to run away and scream, but I’m locked in his gaze, held hostage by the bright gold of his eyes.
Terror almost makes my heart leap out of my chest. My club won’t do much against such a monster.
“I will not hurt you,” he snarls, or at least that’s what it sounds like he snarls, though it’s hard to hear over the hammering of my heart. “I will never hurt you,bacca. Stay inside.”
Unsure what to do or say, I watch as the huge wolf man turns and roars at the monsters before diving into their masses and ripping them apart one by one. I want to slam the door closed and hide, but I cannot leave Kaito. He has my loyalty. Icannot leave him when he needs me, so I stay here, locked in fear, fighting back any creatures that grow too close. Even that small rebellion costs me, my bones shaking so badly, exhaustion starts to close in at the edges of my vision. There’s been so much adrenaline that my brain now fights to stay coherent.
The tide slowly turns as the wolf and Kaito work through the attacking monsters, their bodies littering the area until they realize they cannot win. With synchronized roars, the small monsters retreat into the woods. Panting, I check over Kaito, who only has a few small wounds on his body. I’m relieved that he’s okay. I drop the club to the ground, the weapon suddenly too heavy to hold up, and then Kaito glances at me.
So does the wolf.
Two sets of eyes and two sets of expectations.
Two monsters.
Fear finally wins. I slam the door and lock it despite this being Kaito’s home. I hurry over to the bed and wrap the fur around me like a child as I collapse in exhaustion and terror. Old memories fill my head, ones of similar eyes watching me and taking what they wanted.
It’s too much.
I hide beneath the blankets like the weak creature I am.
Days pass like this.I huddle alone inside the cabin, my terror once more taking over. I am nothing more than a whimpering creature. Kaito is outside. I hear him, his gentle voice carrying through the door. I can almost see him imploring me to let him in, to let him take care of me, but it’s the other one who is too much. The wolf stays with him, watching me with bright-red, hungry eyes and sharp teeth.
They bring me food and water and leave it on the doorstep, which I barely reach out and grab. I’m too ashamed to look into their eyes. My own self-deprecation fills my heart with hate for what I have become, for what I used to be, and for the man who did this to me. I tend to the fire and eat and drink, though I taste nothing. I mostly sleep when the nightmares will allow it. I peer through the window every now and again to see them clearing away the bodies and tending to their wounds before I duck out of sight.
I am weak.
I am useless.
I am broken.
It repeats in my head like a mantra.
You’re nothing, the king’s voice says, following me into my dreams. Even there, I cannot escape the monsters coming for me.
My eyes close as I huddle into the nest I have made near the rear of the cabin, away from the door and window. My club is held loosely in one hand as I fall into the darkness.
Hands slide under my dress. Mortification and shame color my face, which heats as the crowd looks on and laughs. I should be used to his demonstrations and games. I want to close my eyes and retreat into my head, but the scars on my back remind me of what a foolish rebellion that would be. He would see it and punish me. No, I have no choice but to endure. My teeth clench together so hard, I feel them cracking, and my heart speeds up until I almost hyperventilate.
