Venomous Craving

by Mary Auclair

Another step back made the female killkon snap her jaw, the sound of her teeth making a clean, dry crackling in the air, but she still didn’t move from where she stood. Copper eyes locked on her with blazing intent. Rose’s heart beat so fast it hurt and the rush of blood drowned all other sounds as it flooded into her body, saturating her muscles with oxygen and adrenaline, readying them for the fight or flight that was to follow.

  Because she knew what that look meant. The female killkon was just like Rose; she wasn’t about to pass a chance for a kill if she had one.

  In the next heartbeat, Rose decided against running. Those six agile limbs gave the female killkon such a superior advantage that Rose wasn’t going to be able to go more than a dozen steps before she was on her. It was better to face the killkon than to have her dig her claws into Rose’s back.

  Rose lifted the blade in front of her and lowered her stance as if she was throwing a spear.

  The female killkon moved on her six legs, so smoothly it seemed like she was gliding above the ground. She took a few steps to Rose’s side, moving in the opposite direction of her mate. Rose knew what she was doing. The female killkon wanted to push Rose to her mate, closing her escape route, because even if the male killkon was busy tearing and swallowing the meerit’s flesh, he wouldn’t be able to resist the call of the hunt and would be on Rose the second she attacked.

  Rose backed away, keeping both killkons in front of her as much as possible while the female kept her slow stalk to her side. She could feel the female killkon’s intent drifting off her in waves of calculated violence. She was a cold, bloodthirsty killer, and she knew exactly what she was doing.

  I’m going to die.

  Tears came to Rose’s eyes as she finally backed to the edge of the small clearing. The female killkon wasn’t going to allow her to leave. She could feel the remaining seconds in her life slipping away. Tears broke out of her burning eyes, but Rose didn’t dare to even blink. She was sure the killkon would seize this opportunity to make her move, and that there would be no second chance to defend herself.

  Rose’s foot grazed the grass at the edge of the clearing, and the female killkon hissed. It was the only warning sign she gave before leaping to the side, her slender body twisting in mid-air, her jaw open, ready to snap at the back of Rose’s neck. Under pure instinct, Rose fell to the ground, slashing upward with the short blade, hoping she would cut the animal deeply enough to injure it. The killkon was smart enough to recognize the threat and twisted her abdomen out of the way, but not fast enough for the blade to spare her entirely. The sharp blade slid over her ribs, and the killkon screeched in pain.

  The female killkon landed on her side, crashing on the ground in a cloud of dust. Blood splattered the green and black fur with bright red, like the blossom of a vicious flower. The male killkon stopped tearing the meerit’s flesh and looked up, surprise and understanding plain in his face. He took a step towards his mate, his tongue flicking, tasting the blood. A ripple traveled down his spine in a wave of hostility that made Rose’s blood freeze in her veins.

  The female killkon stumbled to her feet, then flicked her tongue at the blood on her ribs. She slowly turned her head back to Rose and hissed again, but this time the sound was different. It wasn’t the sound of the first hiss, full of challenge and bravado. No, this sound had anger and blood sewn into each breath of air slipping through that mouthful of fangs.

  She wasn’t playing anymore. She was out for blood.

  That was all it took to turn Rose’s intention of fighting off the monsters into a primitive need for flight. She turned around, still gripping the hunting knife, and ran.

  CHAPTER 25

  ROSE

  T he tips of the grass flicked against Rose’s jaw but she barely registered the burn of the tiny cuts.

  All her energy was focused on the shining dome of the house, impossibly far away in the distance. Tears ran freely down the sides of her face and her legs pumped hard, beating the grass down, leaving a trail of broken stalks behind her. Her confused mind wondered how she was still alive, how the killkons hadn’t dug their claws into her back already.

  Then Rose was closer and closer, the door to the walls shining in front of her, taunting her with safety.

  She was going to make it. The killkons had decided she wasn’t worth the chase.

  “Open the door!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  The door was getting closer by the second. Elation made Rose double her efforts. Hope was a powerful drug, and only the smallest taste of it made her crave more until all of her was consumed by it. She had hope of survival, where only a few minutes before, she was sure death was coming for her.

  A movement in the grass on her left made her look to the side, peeling her eyes off the house’s roof for the first time since she began to run. There, the grass moved in time with her, keeping up pace behind her heels. Another rustling noise came from Rose’s right, and she snapped her head around to see a similar pattern in the grass.

  They hadn’t abandoned the chase. They were hunting her in their highly efficient, vise grip fashion.

  Hard dirt slammed underneath her feet. She was in the clearing around the house’s walls. Rose’s hands hammered on the door. She screamed and slammed her open palms against the wood, calling frantically. It stayed closed.

  “Oh, God.” She turned around, her back flat against the door, its scorching heat searing her flesh through her clothes. Reaching up reflexively, she realized Arlia’s necklace was missing. She must have lost it during the chase.

  The grass moved and a large snout emerged from between the stalks, gleaming copper eyes settling on Rose. The male killkon’s eyes shone with resentment, and he dug at the ground around his paws with his long, wicked claws. He was furious Rose had injured his mate. This was personal, a one on one standoff with the beast. Rose had no doubt who was going to win it.

  A few moments later, the grass parted and the female killkon appeared. She was visibly exhausted and panting heavily. When she took another step, placing her paws just outside the grass perimeter, Rose saw she was limping badly, the chase probably having exacerbated her injury. Her cold eyes shone with a blood curdling rage.

  Silently, Rose raised the knife in front of her body, its tip trembling. The blade was streaked red with fresh blood and the sun danced on the metal, sending a rainbow of sunlight across the grass.

  The male killkon stepped forward, his tongue flicking the air in Rose’s direction once. Then he hissed, his impressive jaws open and the sound of his wrath rippling across her face, making it numb with terror. He hunched his front paws slightly, then sprang into the air, his paws extended and claws at the ready.

  A screeching sound invaded the hot, dry air.

  The door at Rose’s back vanished and she fell onto the ground, the impact making her jaws snap shut. A sharp pain invaded her mouth, soon followed by the coppery taste of blood. Right in front of her, where she had stood a few seconds ago, a cloud of dust hid three looming shapes, and as she blinked the sand out of her eyes, she recognized a tall blue figure facing two low, green forms.

  The green forms of the killkons moved in perfect harmony, circling the tall blue figure.

  That slim waist, broad shoulders and strong, elegant movement: Rose knew who it was.

  Karian.

  She tried to call to him, but her throat constricted and she could barely let out a whisper. Her legs weighed a ton and her body refused to obey as she watched Karian battle the two deadly predators. He moved with the efficiency of a feline and the strength of a bear, slashing with his talons and twisting to meet both attackers at once. He was as deadly as he was savage, and her guts twisted in both worry and awe.

  Time seemed to stop and the three figures stilled, giving the cloud of dust a chance to settle. Karian had his back to Rose but she could see both killkons, the male and female on each side of him, slightly closer to the grass. They had him in a vise grip.

  The female killkon was the firs
t to make a move. She lurched, targeting Karian’s shins. Immediately afterward, the male killkon jumped, aiming his larger body at Karian’s neck. It was a deadly attack, performed in perfect synchronicity.

  Karian ducked just in time to miss the male killkon’s attack on his neck. The male killkon went rolling in the dust two feet away, while his mate’s jaws snapped the air an inch from Karian’s leg. Karian twisted around and grabbed the female killkon’s slim neck in his powerful grip. The female killkon screeched and writhed, her tail whipping the ground and her paws scratching the air.

  A sickening snapping sound tore through the air and the female killkon’s body went limp. Karian opened his hands, allowing the body to fall into the dust. Looking down at the dead animal, Karian stepped back a few steps, then grabbed the door, ready to close it on the predators.

  Karian paused and his head turned towards the male killkon, which was still where he had landed two feet away. The animal was very still, his gaze locked on the unmoving body of his mate. Finally, taking slow, careful steps, he walked toward the downed female. As he reached her, his tongue flicked out, caressing her face and snout.

  A high-pitched wail rose as the male killkon understood the fate of his mate. The sound dragged on the air, depriving it of oxygen as the pain it carried scorched everything in its wake. He turned his head to meet Karian’s gaze, still howling his staggering grief. The sound pierced through, bringing tears to Rose’s eyes, and as Karian’s shoulders slumped, she understood he was touched by the animal’s agony, too.

  The male killkon didn’t attack Karian. He had lost all desire to fight. Instead, he rubbed his head against her soft fur in a heart-wrenching caress, the gesture so tender it revealed feelings that were true beyond species and beyond time. It was the display of a love felt with a primal depth, all through the bones of those animals who joined their lives together. When the killkon had finished rubbing his head along the limp body of his female, he crawled over her and wrapped his limbs over her in a tender embrace, then cradled his head on her shoulders. It was as if the couple were preparing to sleep.

  Karian shook his head, then closed the door on the animals.

  Through the wall, the killkon’s wretched, sorrowful wail still grew and grew in a variety of notes, in a staggering and terrible display of grief.

  “What were you doing outside?”

  Karian still had his back to Rose, but she knew how he was feeling. His shoulders were shaking and he pressed his hands onto the metal of the door hard enough that the knuckles were almost white. She didn’t need to see his face to know he was filled to the brim with fury.

  She didn’t answer him. She was too stunned by the way events had turned out. Mainly, she was surprised to be alive. Her eyes caught a furtive movement near the house, and she turned her head to see a flutter of mother of pearl skin, black hair, and a long purple gown disappearing into the house.

  “Rose.” Karian’s voice was falsely calm, and nearer than before. “What were you doing outside?”

  Rose’s head refused to snap back into place, no matter how much she wanted to look at Karian. A hurricane of emotions stormed inside her mind, laying waste to her sanity, making her blood boil and curdle in her veins.

  “Rose, look at me.” Hands closed around her shoulders. His voice had lost its edge, and it was filled with worry. “Are you hurt?”

  A slow, deep shiver started at the base of her spine and traveled up to the top of her head. Her blood wasn’t boiling anymore, the heat of the fury replaced by a frigid grasp. It was a cold kind of anger, an anger that could only be brought on by a premeditated kind of hurt. It was an arctic rage.

  Outside, the male killkon’s wails kept sounding, unabated.

  Figures emerged from the house. First, the tall shapes of Enlon and Arlen, then the two slightly smaller ones of Arlia and Maral.

  As Rose saw Arlia, unhurt, a slow, deadly certainty began to furrow inside her. Arlia had never been outside the walls. She had never lost her necklace in the grass.

  Someone wanted me to get outside. It was all a set up.

  They walked toward Rose in hurried steps, their faces drawn with worry. They stopped a few paces behind Karian, clearly waiting for him to speak to her before opening their mouths. Rose’s eyes caught Maral’s for a fleeting moment, and Maral’s pupils constricted to almost nothing before dilating again. She quickly looked down at the ground, avoiding Rose’s stare.

  It was her. She wanted me to get mauled to death.

  Rose wanted nothing more than to shred those treacherous eyes with her nails. With a supreme effort, she stayed still, and tore her gaze away from Maral.

  She turned her head to stare into Karian’s shocked, wide eyes. His features were drawn tight across his bones, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He was scared, scared for her.

  “Maral.” Rose blinked, and reality started to settle in. “It was all her doing. She wanted me to die.”

  A small, choked sound came from the general direction of Maral. Karian frowned and shook his head. Confusion and denial were plain on his face, and it made Rose want to scream.

  “What are you talking about?” His hands on Rose’s shoulders moved in a rubbing motion, like the soothing gesture would put some sense into her. Like she didn’t know exactly what Maral had tried to do. “Maral holo-called all of us the instant she realized you had walked out of the enclosure. She was hysterical, saying you went after Maak.”

  “It’s a lie.” Rose’s voice shook. “She lured Maak outside. She left Arlia’s necklace for me to find.”

  Karian frowned. He didn’t say it, but Rose knew he didn’t believe her. She stepped away from him, shaking her head. Behind him, Enlon and Arlia exchanged a glance but remained silent.

  Arlia pulled her necklace out of her dress, showing it to Rose.

  “Rose, dear.” Arlia took a step closer. She looked both scared and a little sad. “You knew I was going into town today, to have the fabric you chose made into a gown. You forgot.”

  “No.” Rose shook her head in negation. “I found your necklace outside. I recognized it.” But doubt insinuated itself inside her mind. She wished the necklace hadn’t been lost in her escape, but there was nothing to be done about it. It was lost now, somewhere in the vast expanse of the Eokian grass. “I woke up and you were gone. I was harvesting the mushberries when I noticed the door was open.”

  They all looked at each other with quiet disbelief. Maral closed her hand around Arlen’s arm, the long fingers like spider’s legs on the deep blue of his skin.

  “I was in the cleansing room.” Maral spoke, her voice small and strained, her eyes wide and shining. “I saw you outside by the trees but didn’t think anything of it. Then, when I looked again, you were gone, and the door was open. I closed it, afraid killkons would get in, then I went looking for you. When I couldn’t find you, I called everyone. I knew you’d gotten out, but I couldn’t go out there with you.”

  “Of course not,” Arlen intervened, wrapping his arm around his mate’s shoulder.

  Arlia bit her lower lip, and Rose had the sickening feeling that she had lost control of the situation. She trailed her gaze over the rest of them, only to find careful, closed up expressions. They didn’t believe her, either.

  “We know you’re under a lot of stress,” Arlia said patiently. “But this was only an accident.”

  A few moments went by, and Rose closed her eyes. Yes, she remembered.

  “Maral was there when I called.” Rose shook her head, fighting the tears of frustration that came to her eyes, knowing full well they would make her seem weak and unreliable. “The door closed and locked behind me as soon as I stepped out.”

  “I shut the door but I didn’t lock it.” Maral’s crystal voice rose, as sweet as sugar spiked with crushed glass. “Maybe you just didn’t know how to open it from outside. The mechanism isn’t easily visible, and nobody showed you how to use it yet.”

  Doubt settled over Rose and she fought it off
. She hadn’t panicked or been unable to use the lock. She had been locked outside.

  “No, that’s not what happened.” But Rose could see in Karian’s face, in the way he looked at her, that it was no use. He believed Maral. “I screamed and banged on the door. You knew I was there, and you didn’t help me.” She was shouting now, not caring if it only made things worse. Let them think what they wanted.

  “No.” Maral took a step back, hiding partially behind Arlen. “I was already inside, calling Karian, Arlen, Enlon, everyone I could think of.”

  “You’re lying!” Rose yelled, taking a step toward Maral.

  “Rose, you need to step back.” Arlen talked with a calm voice but he pushed Maral behind him, using his impressive frame as a shield.

  Before Rose could tell Arlen exactly where he could stick his retreat, a low growl vibrated at her back. A broad back blocked her vision as Karian put himself between Rose and Arlen, his skin rippling with aggressive tension. Arlia gasped and put both hands over her mouth, her golden eyes shining with fear and hurt.

  “Do not threaten my mate, brother,” Karian said.

  “She’s the one threatening my mate.” Arlen sneered at his older brother, exposing his fangs. “You need to back off.”

  A vicious snarl ripped through the air. Karian stared at Arlen, his eyes shining with anger and his fangs exposed, ready for a fight.

  “Both of you should be ashamed.” Enlon’s voice cut off the altercation, and both Karian and Arlen locked their gazes on their father. “Look at your mother, for Midnight God’s sake.”

  Arlia’s face was streaked with tears and her hands convulsively squeezed at the collar of her dress. Shame spread instantly over both sons as they took the measure of the turmoil inflicted on their mother, and they both took a step back.

  Rose stared at the two males, too shocked to say anything. Karian and Arlen had been a hair’s breadth away from tearing each other apart over their mates. Over her and Maral. Rose was appalled at the idea of Karian being at odds with his family, especially Arlen, who had spent the last ten years searching relentlessly for him, putting his own life on hold.