I snapped out of the bad memories of our past, and we walked in silence for a while. Maybe he was reliving the same moments, but probably not. I knew he and Madison had broken up in a public screaming match on social media, but within a week, he had a new profile picture up of him and another girl at another one of the trashy clubs he loved.
We kept walking until the trees seemed taller. The leaves were thicker, and the air was heavy and damp. I placed my hand on the bark before quickly removing it when an insect-like-creature raced past my hand. Fear ran through me. We were still so lost and deep within their natural habitat.
“Zane, have you been paying attention to where you’ve been leading me?” I asked.
He stopped. “Leading? I thought you were leading!”
My limbs shook. Fear. The beasts fed off it, but they would not come to our aid. Not here. They had set a path for me, and I was supposed to follow. Those that ventured to where they weren’t called to suffered terrible fates. We couldn’t go any farther, but when I turned back, a mystical fog had rolled through the area. The trail was impossible to see.
“Think, Adeline,” I whispered.
“Are...” Zane gulped loudly. “Are we lost?”
“No,” I snapped, faster than I expected. I cleared my throat. “No, but we made a wrong turn.”
“So we’re lost,” he corrected me.
I breathed quickly, unable to get myself back to baseline. This place was an impossibility, a maze full of hallucinatory deceptions. I was supposed to be focusing on every step I took, but Zane’s presence made that difficult. I hoped to the beings of this realm I hadn’t already failed. Dying was one thing, but could I handle my soul being frozen in time like Dr. Jacobi? Doubtful.
I spun and searched for anything that might help me find the next steps to take. It was difficult, but to my southwest, there was a thin and flickering light, similar to a lighthouse. I didn’t know if it was the correct trail to take, but, as a leader, I had to make a choice.
“That way.” I nodded vehemently.
“You’re sure?” Zane asked.
I walked ahead of him, in defiance of all he had said and done to me. “I’ve always been sure.”
But the truth was, I hadn’t a fucking clue. In a place like this, my intuition was sure to lead me astray. In so many ways, I was still the dumb girl he thought I was. But at least I had a spine.
5
Magnus
I stalked them like a predator, analyzing every move they made. Already, they were turned around. Lost and confused. The way I liked the game to be played. I let out a quiet laugh as I watched Mr. Fuck-face fall near the perfectly preserved doctor’s body. He was a fun kill, but Zane’s death would end up topping my all-time-favorites list.
Cadmar was dead fucking wrong. As much as that man was a threat to us, he was as much of a threat to himself. He had no idea what he was doing, who he was dealing with, and Adeline was actively trying to break away from him. I had no fucking doubts about her curiosity.
Cadmar fought and lived by the heart, not his fists or beast prowess. Same with Donovan. His job was to find medicine and gather resources. My job was to kill. It’s how I was designed to be. All I really wanted was to leave.
But Cadmar found her. The one horny slut who would complete our broken souls.
I watched them for hours as they tirelessly walked in the wrong direction, toward the light, like two moths to a fire. If the dense fog made it difficult for them before, it was worse now, spread across the valley. I shifted my eyes until my pupils fixed to see through the darkness. A web of iridescent blue opened up in front of me, and all their analytics registered.
Female. Age: 28.
Male. Age: 31.
They would not see me here, for I was made in the forest. I dug deeper, slowly inhaling the air behind their steps. More data flooded in. Their habits. The movements of any being helped my mind paint an elaborate picture.
Slowly pulling my blade from its leather sheath, I examined more until I got a clear view of the two parties. She held herself with an air of grace and true beauty. An innocent, of course. If she weren’t, she’d be dead by now. That rat was certainly using her.
“Zane. Don’t.” They were already bickering. Not a good sign. Her voice was tight with worry, but Zane could not sense it, too busy in his own head, guarding clandestine plans. So, maybe Cadmar wasn’t wrong, after all. I couldn’t be sure what he knew, but his intent held some level of malice. I just hoped he hadn’t convinced her he still had some good left in him.
Did he know of our weaknesses? How long had he been following her, and what was he trying to gain? Humans were despicable creatures, for the most part.
I pressed forward, blade out in front of me. Eyesight turning a tint of red, I was gaining ground on him, my rage nearly consuming me. I wanted to slice him open with my blade. I yearned to tear his flesh and preserve his pulsating organs.
But then, I gazed at her beautiful thick lips, the result of incredible breeding over generations. My balls grew tight. My cock inched into the air, blood coursing through the hard shaft. I imagined spreading her open, drilling my thickness through her damp and leaking hole. I felt it throb between my legs, an unbearable longing. I had waited so long to pierce her ripe cunt...