Page 149 of Mated to Monsters
A howler beast leaps onto my back, a bark of pain escaping my throat as I stumble forward under its crushing weight. Pain quickly turns to fury as I use my magic to launch the beast off of me, a resounding crack echoing through the cave as the beast hits a stalagmite, the stalagmite shattering under the howler’s weight.
I whirl on the next howler, lowering my center of gravity as I summon a weapon, a gleaming sword appearing in my hand out of deep blue tendrils just as the howler leaps for me. I sink onto my haunches, leaping to meet the beast mid-air, letting my magic propel me forward faster than should be possible, even for a demon.
I fly directly under the beast, lifting my sword and splitting the creature from jaw to ass, stinking black muck raining down on me as I land, rolling to absorb the impact of my fall. The beast is dead before it hits the ground.
I take a mental tally of the bodies around me. Four, including the howler whose remains are nothing more than a slimy black coating on the walls and floor of the cave. I widen my stance into a defensive position, angling my back toward the wall as I look for the remaining two.
They’re nowhere to be seen, and I allow myself a fleeting glance at Natalie, who is far too still beneath the crackling orb. My magic is beginning to ebb from the strain of maintaining the protective shield and the lights littering the space, but I refuse to let them go out, entirely unable to leave Natalie exposed until I’ve neutralized the looming threat.
A howler leaps from behind a stalagmite, smart enough to try and catch me unawares, but not smart enough to know better than to attack me. I parry the taloned claw swinging for my throat, swiping my blade up toward the beast’s face.
It dodges narrowly, a snarl erupting from it as it swipes at me again. This time, I aim my blade further back, slicing through bone and tendon, lopping the beast’s paw off at the joint. The howler screeches as it stumbles, slipping in the spurts of its own blood.
I take advantage of the injury, sliding to its now useless left flank, narrowly avoiding its spiny tail whipping through the air fervently. I rear back, bringing my blade down on the creature’s neck with a sickening, squelching sound, cutting off its awful wails.
Satisfied that the fifth howler beast is dead, I circle in place, listening for any sign of the final predator in the shadows. After a few seconds of silence, I hear the scraping of talons against rock toward the cave entrance, and my head snaps toward the source of the sound just in time to see a bony, pale tale disappearing around the curved passageway.
At least one of them had foresight, I think darkly to myself as I let my sword evaporate back into deep blue. I rush over to Natalie, waving the gently humming orb away with a hand as I fall to my knees beside her, cradling her.
“Natalie?” I ask, not bothering to hide the fear in my voice.
I lift her head gently, her blood warm and sticky against my hand, her hair matted into clumps. I send a gentle pulse of magic through her, sagging under the weight of my relief as I find that her heart is still beating.
My hand drifts to her stomach as I call her name again, sending another soft wave of magic through her belly. It’s silent for a second, blind grief threatening to suck me under, before a weak, terrified tendril of magic answers my own.
I send soothing waves through her womb toward our child, trying to quell the panic rising there as I scoop Natalie into my arms. Her already tiny, fragile form is limp against me, feeling more fragile than it ever has before. I move as quickly as I can, rushing us down the passage of the cave and back out into the open field. She needs healing right now, and I don’t know how to help a human.
Helplessness crashes over me, only stoking the flames of my barely receding fury. I have half a mind to wipe every howler beast from the island for this transgression, but my wrath fades as Natalie stirs in my arms, her eyes fluttering.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” I murmur to her. Trudging back up the cliffs will take far too long, and will only be more painful for Natalie. Using the last dregs of my magic, I gather a midnight blue flurry of magic beneath my feet, flying us up, up, up above the crags of the surrounding hillsides and cliffs.
Natalie moans, cringing at the motion and the sound of her own voice as wind whips past us. I slow my flight pattern a little, not wanting to make her or the child uncomfortable but unwilling to risk either of their conditions worsening while I take my time.
Her eyes crack open, hazy and unfocused as she gazes into the swirling sky. Natalie’s mouth moves as if to form words, but no sound comes from her lips.
“Don’t worry, we’re going home,” I reassure her, trying to keep my tone soothing and calm despite the dread coiling every muscle in my body as tight as a spring. My magic flickers beneath us, nearly drained completely, but I push forward, picking up speed again as the manor walls come into focus.
“Kha’zeth?” Natalie whimpers quietly, raising a trembling hand to my cheek as if to touch me. Her arm wavers, and she can’t finish the motion.
“I’m here,” I tell her quietly, my voice breaking at the sight of her so weak.
Natalie’s hand drops from my face, her body going limp completely.
88
NATALIE
My body wakes before my mind as I jerk upright, a strangled gasp tearing up my parched throat as my mind is ripped from the inky blackness that I’ve been swimming. The first thing I register is the pounding in my head, and it’s so harsh that nausea roils in my stomach.
Every joint through my body is stiff, and though I desperately need some water, I need the room to stop spinning before I attempt to rise. Slowly, I recline back, my eyes barely taking anything more than the walls at the end of my bed. It’s enough to tell me that I am back in my bed at Kha’zeth’s house.
My heart thunders at the thought, but I don’t have enough strength to run again. We still have a lot to sort through, but for now, I just need to rest.
“Here,” a familiar voice says to me, and excitement thunders through me as I look to my right and see Cora smiling at me. “I brought you some water.”
She helps me sit up enough to down half the glass, reminding me to pace myself when I just want to drown in it. As I finish, she adjusts the pillows behind me. “That’s it. Just lie back. You need to take it easy.”
“But what are you–”