by Kasi Blake
The snarling beast prepared to charge. A clawed foot pawed at the dirt, stirring up a cloud of dust. Black eyes partially hidden beneath a mass of unruly brown fur stared at her. Its enormous square head tilted to the side. The thing looked like a cross between a wooly mammoth and an alien from a scary movie.
Nick jumped to his feet while shouting a warning at her. Glued to the ground, she couldn’t move. Cold fear held her in a tight grip. He caught her arm, hauled her to her feet, and dragged her with him. The heavy tromp of footsteps thundered behind them. The border monster was coming. It would overtake them at any second.
Bay-Lee cringed, expecting to be impaled on sharp horns.
They ran through the forest, dodging trees in a mad dash. Nick’s hand slipped on her arm and he almost let go. His grip tightened around her wrist. She forced her legs to move faster, desperate to keep up with him. The hairy beast leaped over their heads and slammed down in front of them even though she would have bet the thing was too enormous to jump that high. The ground shook as if they were caught in an earthquake. A cloud of dust enveloped them like a post nuclear mushroom cloud.
Nick’s dagger was gone, lost in the hole, so he picked up a broken branch to use as a weapon. It was thick and long with a sharp pointy end. His eyes shone with manic excitement. He shouted at Bay-Lee. “Stay out of the way!”
The border monster charged them, but Nick darted to the right. He moved so fast Bay-Lee didn’t have time to think. Avoiding the shadows, Nick kept to the light so it could see him. The monster changed course. Head bent, it tried to flatten Nick. He leaped into the air at the last second. The monster’s head scooped him up. Nick landed on its back. One of his hands tangled in the long matted hair, using it to hang on, while his other hand brandished the branch like a sword. He looked like a man riding a rampaging elephant.
He shouted a warning to her, telling her to hug a tree. It was the only safe place. She wanted to help him slay the thing, but she didn’t know anything about border monsters. They hadn’t gotten to them yet in Maxx’s class.
Bay-Lee wrapped her arms around the nearest tree and held on tight. If she didn’t move, the thing wouldn’t be able to see her. She wished she hadn’t left her cell phone in her room. Nick was going to die, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. Now she wished she’d gone for help instead of following him into the woods.
Nick drove the sharp tip of the branch into the monster’s back. Howling in pain and anger, the thing stood on two legs, freaking her out. Apparently this was another thing she didn’t know about border monsters. They could stand on four legs or two. It reached around, grabbed Nick by his ankle, and ripped him free. The thing lifted him high in the air. It was going to slap the ground with him, breaking bones and causing massive internal injuries.
Without giving it a thought Bay-Lee ran at the giant monster. Desperation drove her to action. She hit it with a flying kick. Surprised, the monster dropped Nick. He executed a summersault and rolled away from the fight. The border monster turned in her direction. She retreated fast, blending in with the trees. As long as she wasn’t moving and wasn’t in the light, it couldn’t see her.
The border monster bent forward and sniffed, trying to catch her scent. When it exhaled, the heavy whoosh of air blew hair around her face, momentarily obstructing her vision. Her nose itched. She clenched her fists and fought the urge to scratch. She remained frozen, refusing to even blink. The monster was not going to trick her into moving, no matter what it did. Her fingers dug into the tattered bark of the tree. A silent scream lodged in her throat, searching for an exit. If the monster didn’t get out of her face soon, she might lose control and release the scream.
Nick laughed. The sound seemed to infuriate the monster. It whipped around, ready to finish crunching Nick to dust. The monster charged at him. Nick brought the branch around in an arcing sweep and plunged it into the monster’s gut. The thing staggered backwards before crashing forward. It was going to fall on top of Nick. He lurched to the side, trying to get out of the way, but he wasn’t fast enough. The monster fell.
Silence deafened her.
Bay-Lee rushed forward to find Nick. Only the top half of his body was visible, part of his face covered in blood. His eyes were closed. Fearing he was dead, she shook him and shouted his name. His eyelashes fluttered. She repeated his name, hoping. One eye popped open, and he grimaced. “Get this stupid thing off me?”
She shoved a thick branch beneath the monster and used it as leverage to lift the beast a few inches. Relieved of some of the weight, Nick dragged himself free. Once he was out of harm’s way, she let the monster fall. Her hands smoothed down Nick’s body, checking for injuries, but he pushed her away.
“You’re hurt.” Her gaze settled on his blood soaked shirt. Disturbing tremors shook her hands. She pulled on Nick as he struggled to his feet. “I’ll help you walk to the infirmary.”
“Not going to the infirmary,” he muttered. With his arm slung over her shoulders, they began to walk. He staggered along the path. “Been hurt worse than this.”
She glared at him. It was difficult to talk beneath the heavy weight of his body. “You’ve got two choices. We either get someone from medical to bandage you up or I do it. Take your pick.”
He groaned low and deep in his throat. Silence became their companion on the walk to the castle. Nick didn’t say another word. Since he stopped protesting she didn’t say anything either. She stumbled under his weight. His arms caught and held her upright. For a moment they switched jobs and he became the caregiver.
Her eyes floated in tears as the reality of what had happened chased away the numbing fog surrounding her heart and brain. When he looked her way, she turned her face, not wanting him to see. Nick had almost died in front of her. Nearly losing him filled her with a cold fear more shocking than plunging naked into Arctic waters.
She realized Nick was staring at her.
Blinking rapidly, she worked hard to erase the tears. Embarrassed, she tried to avoid Nick’s gaze. He stopped walking so she was forced to look straight at him. They stood still for a moment, and she clenched her teeth to keep from blurting out three little words that would change her life forever. I love you.
“Why are you crying?” he asked in a toneless voice.
“I’m not.” She swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. “I don’t cry.”
Getting the wrong impression, he said, “It’s okay to be scared. Border monsters have that effect on people. I’ve seen hunters bigger and stronger than you turn to pudding at the sight of one.”
“But I need to be the best.”
“Says who?” he demanded. “Van? Is he pressuring you to outdo everyone else because you’re his daughter?”
How was she supposed to answer the question without lying through her teeth? Part of her wanted to confess Van was not her father, but she couldn’t. She’d promised Van she’d keep her mouth shut until he decided to tell the world about Avery. Her gaze dropped to Nick’s bloody shirt, and she remembered where they’d been heading. She wrapped her arms around him again and started walking.