Beloved Beast

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Don jerked the girl behind and unsheathed his sword, the double-edged blade glinting in the morning light as he brandished the weapon.

A number of dark, hideous creatures broke free of the foliage – he took stock of seven – enormous and bulky in size, the upper part of their bodies disproportionate to the lower half, with empty cavities for eyes that glimmered red as they fixated on their intended prey. Claws tipped with hooked talons, frothing jowls, and thick, black fur stood on end as they drew a slow circle around them.

They crouched low, their tapered tails swinging widely as they emitted deep, throaty growls.

Closer inspection revealed solid frames, thick with muscle, but a strange gossamer-like film shrouded their slanted bodies with a misty quality that he could only liken to smoke or fog, and oddly more, a faint glow seemed to emanate from their cores; a burning light shining from within.

They were nothing he'd ever seen before.

"What the hell are these things?" Don snarled, "Some of your sister's handiwork?" he tossed mockingly over his shoulder.

"Sera does have an affinity for dramatics," Veda replied dryly, pressing closer to his side as the creatures crept forward, stalking them from all sides, hissing and snapping their sharp canines. "But that could only mean ..." the witch's voice trailed off as she studied the animals more intensely, her brows furrowing quizzically.

He could feel Elle's sister trembling at his back, her hands bunched in the fabric of his cloak – surely, a subconscious gesture or lapse of judgment. If he wasn't so preoccupied with the imminent danger, he would be relatively surprised to find the girl clinging to him as if he was a knight in shining armor. When last he had encountered her, she had looked upon him with outright fear and revulsion. Since when had that changed?

A cursory sweep of the area showed no signs of anyone else emerging from the depths of the trees. Where had the girl come from? What was she doing out here in the heart of the forest? Had Elle been with her? Where is Elle?

An overwhelming sense of panic piled in with his barrage of unanswered questions. The sooner he dispatched of the beasts, the better – he thought, glancing longingly in the direction of the village.

"Wh-what are they?" the girl stammered, her throat visibly undulating with fear, her query a welcoming distraction to the storm festering within him.

Don reached up and shoved the hood away from his face, baring his imperfection to the open light.

He was more than prepared to do whatever it took to regain the woman he loved, and right now these ugly-as-sin creatures were standing in his way.

He flashed a menacing grin and uttered, "Soon to be dead."

Twirling the hilt in his palm, the blade whistled through the air as he took a purposefully step forward, muscles flexing.

"You mean to kill them all, alone?" the girl rasped incredulously, eyeing the small horde of beasts that easily outweighed and outnumbered them with undisguised horror.

He passed Elle's staff off to her, his other hand tightening around the cross hilt as he regarded each creature and their positions. "It will take a beast to kill them."

"Do you have another weapon?"

Don blinked surprisingly at the girl, taking in her tousled, flaxen hair, the tattered and frayed garments that clothed her lithe frame, and a pale, dirt-smudged face so alike Elle's in how it set with determination, that he felt a tightening in his chest. All that considered, her sky-blue eyes held his unwavering stare, hers equally direct. She neither shied away, nor cringed at seeing his scarred countenance – indeed, she appeared almost unbothered by it. Instead, her eyes burned with a deeply embedded bravado that he had not expected from one so slight. It amazed him to think this girl, no bigger than her lovely, dark-haired sister, was willing to wield a weapon and fight alongside him.