by Lisa Kumar
Excerpt
As I listened carefully, only the beating of my heart sounded in my ears. Beads of sweat wove trails down my back, and the cool air suddenly stifled me. I couldn’t remain here, yet going elsewhere didn’t seem any wiser. Indecision gnawed at my insides. Every choice felt wrong and potentially deadly. But if I stayed in one place, they’d catch my scent all that much faster. Maybe if I moved around, that would confuse them? Something, though, told me that they probably could differentiate between a fresh trail and an older one. Damn, what should I do?
I couldn’t search for Rachel or the others that were here, either. To do so might cause more harm than good. In a situation like this, we all understood that it was a race for our own survival.
Taking in a shuddering breath, I scrubbed a hand over my face. What a horrific mess. What could I—
The pounding of feet—no, paws—sliced into my consciousness. Growling and baying followed. This time, pure instinct propelled me from my hiding place. Though I kept as low as possible, my steps rang out like a blaring alarm. I didn’t know which way to look. The sounds came at me from every direction, disorienting and confusing my panicked mind. The once familiar dumping grounds turned into a foreign landscape of blurred color. My feet carried me blindly through mazes of garbage until I found myself hemmed in by a towering mountain of broken furniture.
I spun around, my heart threatening to implode as I looked for an escape route. The baying and growling had become deafening, which could only mean one thing. Suddenly, my frantic gaze alighted on a narrow corridor between the heaps. I raced toward the exit and turned sideways to squeeze through it.
“Halt, human!” a clear, accented voice rang out.
As I skidded to a stop before the corridor, something leaped onto my back and sent me crashing to the ground. Air whooshed out of my lungs, and pain ricocheted through my ribs. A growl came from above me, and two huge paws pushed into my back. Hot, wet air blasted next my ear before the snapping of teeth caused me to flinch.
Terror exploded through my veins like a searing shot of alcohol. Oh, God. Let me faint before I’m mauled. I closed my eyes, awaiting the slash of claws and teeth.
“ARCHEN, ENOUGH,” A smooth voice commanded.
Something about that voice tugged at me, but my mind was too scrambled to process it. The heavy weight on my back pressed me hard into the ground. I still feared the snap of hound teeth at any second and barely dared to breathe.
Then, suddenly, the beast above me disappeared. I didn’t move for a second, afraid this was some kind of cruel joke. When I suffered no bites and not even one growl sounded, I raised my head and blinked blearily at the ground. Though an initial wave of relief poured over me like a monsoon, it quickly died away. Now that the Sidhe had found me, who knew what my punishment would be?
I drew my gaze upward, first coming to finely crafted leather boots that hugged muscular yet slim calves displayed in tight leggings. A blue cloak billowed around the person’s legs and danced in the slight wind. My mouth went dry. This was all seeming terribly familiar now. I’d always found the way the Sidhe dressed to be funny and quaint, but I no longer found it so. Up I looked until I came to sinewy arms crossed over a well-formed chest that was spanned by a blue jerkin over a darker tunic. By the time I reached the person’s face, I was dreading whom I’d find.
With a gulp, I swallowed the orange-sized lump in my throat. Lucifer stood before me in the flesh, looking just like the fallen angel I’d read about. His impassive expression hiked my worries higher. To make matters worse, one of those sleek but huge demon hounds sat on its haunches a few feet from him. The predatory look in the black beast’s crimson eyes made me shudder because the only thing standing between me and sure death was Lucifer.
“Well, human, it looks like we meet again.” Lucifer shook his head and tsked. “And after my warning, no less.”
I licked my dry lips, not sure how to answer or if I even should, and nearly spat at the grass and other detritus I found there. A random and slightly hysterical thought floated across my consciousness. Would he kill me while I was covered in dirt and God knew what else? A fitting punishment for a thieving human.
He drummed his fingers against one arm. “Please do get up. I’m getting a crick in my neck from looking at you.”
The testiness in his voice got me moving. On numb hands and knees, I somehow managed to get to my feet. I cast a wary glance at the fae beast as it panted and stared me down.
Lucifer snorted, which drew my attention back to him. “You need not worry about him. He doesn’t much care for the taste of human meat.”
AMAZON
