It comes closer, and it's huge.
By the time I see it, it's too late. A giant claw flashes toward me, swiping at my head. I duck just in time, and swing my sword blindly, hoping to hit something critical.
I think I just hit a tree.
Cursing, I scramble up and put my back against the largest trunk near me. It's the best cover I can find. Raising my sword, I wait for the next attack.
The beast is fast, pushing itself through bramble and bush without concern. Its girth shakes the ground beneath my feet. It throws itself toward me, a beast made of teeth and fur and muscle and claws. A black bear of the Outlands.
My sword nips at the bear’s shoulder, but doesn't slow it down.
Then something else growls in the night.
And the beast I'm fighting shrieks in pain as something attacks it.
I scurry away and keep my eye on the bear as I walk backward toward safety.
A white tiger with black stripes fights the bear.
The tiger is big, but nothing compared to its foe. But it's fast. And deadly.
They fight viciously, and I know I should run, but I'm frozen in place, unsure of what to do. This tiger is familiar. I remember dreaming about it when I was unconscious. But it was only a dream, wasn’t it?
I scramble to find any supplies that might have fallen off of the horse, but find nothing. At least I kept my sword on me. I continue backing away from the two beasts, sword still up, when the tiger swings wide, exposing its chest while trying to get the kill.
The bear doesn't hold back, and bites into the tiger's shoulder. The white beast groans in agony, but doesn’t falter. It claws through the bear’s throat.
They both crash to the ground, and suddenly the forest is silent. The bear remains still, but the tiger makes a pained noise and tries to stand. It falls again, and then scoots itself away from the bear and toward me, until it can no longer move.
It is so still.
I wait, holding my breath, to see if it will get up.
It doesn't.
Instead, the tiger slowly turns into a naked man.
It turns into Tavian Gray.
Chapter 5
SLY DEVIL
"Things aren't always black and white. Not in your world, and certainly not in mine."
—Asher
"What the ever-loving Hades?" Sly says with exasperation as I run to Fen.
I feel his pulse, which is still strong. There's a wound in his side that doesn't look fresh, but reopened and is bleeding heavily. "He was tortured before coming here. He should have had a healer."
Sly shrugs. "That man has to be unconscious for my healers to get at him."
I raise an eyebrow. "So now would be the perfect time to summon one, don't you think?"
Dean nudges open my door, wearing nothing but a very skimpy pair of underwear that leaves little to the imagination. "What's all the noise?"
He notices Fen unconscious and the pile of man-goo on my floor and shakes his head. "I miss all the fun. I assume he's still alive?" He asks, looking at Fen.
"Yes, help me get him to bed."
Dean grins like the fool he is. "I thought you'd never ask. I wasn't kidding about that threesome."
"My no wasn't a joke either," I say pointedly.
Sly glances at each of us, then sighs. "I'm back to my slumber, kittens. Healers will be here shortly. Let's meet in my office at some later point to be determined by my level of awakeness."
The demon turns with a swish of his black gown and saunters out of the room as if he had no care in the world. I stare at the man-goo splattered across the floor, bile rising in my throat. Dean sighs dramatically but then lifts Fen in his arms as if the Prince of War is weightless.
Baron whines and stays at Dean's heals, nipping at him from time to time.
"Back off dog, or I might drop your master," Dean says.
Baron growls and I nudge Dean. "Don't rile him. His teeth are sharper than yours."
Dean winks at me. "You've never felt the bite of my teeth, Princess. But we can change all that. I promise I'm not a savage like Levi. You would enjoy it."
Levi wasn't the first to try to forcibly feed on me, and the idea does not elicit happy thoughts. I glare at Dean as I open the door to Fen's room, but the Prince of Lust ignores me. He’s laying Fen on the bed when a very short woman with tiny horns on her head hobbles in. She must be three feet at most, and mostly human-like, other than the horns and blue skin.
"I'm Cavery, the Black Lotus healer." Her voice is surprisingly high pitched and airy… not what I was expecting based on her looks. "Move over, let me tend to my patient."
Dean and I both step back as Cavery holds her hands over Fen and closes her eyes. Her hands begin to glow blue, and waves of light flow over him. She hums and creates intonations from her vocal chords not possible for humans.
Her song seems to mold the light, transforming it into different colors and shapes until it settles into Fen's body. His skin heals quickly, closing up the wound and even whisking away the blood. But still he sleeps.
"Why isn't he waking?" I ask, when she drops her hands to her side.
"The magic is still healing his innards. He needs rest, and the only way someone like him will rest is if he's unconscious," Cavery says.
"So you're keeping him asleep deliberately?" I ask.
She nods. "For now. Someone stay with him. He should wake naturally when he's healed enough, but even then, try to keep him from pushing himself too hard."