by Sam Ryder
Floot had done well too. She’d stumbled at one point and I’d almost jumped in to protect her, but then she’d recovered and bashed its head in with her spiked club.
Guz was more capable than he looked, too. He’d leapt away from the snake’s attack, grabbed its tail and slung it back into the pit. He hadn’t killed it, technically, but he also hadn’t died, which was always the point of any fight.
Belle, well, let’s just say she was the weakest of the four. I had promised her she could go home if that’s what she wanted. After taking one look at the Slithers, I thought she would make exactly that request. She didn’t, just released a whimper and backed away, refusing to participate. Under the old regime, she’d already be dead, killed in the Circle. Then again, all three of the others might’ve met the same demise, so I considered it progress, statistics be damned.
Now, the Black was fast approaching. Millania prepared each of the three—Floot, Guz and Belle—for what was coming. Even though they were being left behind, they needed to be prepared for the utter darkness of night. The last thing we needed was for one of them—most likely, Belle—to freak out and run off into the Black, accidentally stumbling through the ward shield.
Thankfully, the trio sat by the fire to eat leafrat and sip water while the rest of us prepared for whatever was to come. Strangely, Jak seemed almost excited, which made me wonder what his life had been like back on Lri Ayem. Not good, I presumed.
Eve didn’t show up, which didn’t surprise me. After her ordeal, she needed to rest. I was hoping our new system would prevent her from needing to fight in another Black so she could focus on Finding us new recruits.
As the light began to wane in earnest, we set off toward the mountains. Beat had the honor of messing with Jak, pulling him through the ward shield when he wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t offended and seemed to find it quite funny, and I was glad we had the traditional rite of passage to cut through the tension.
A curtain of darkness fell, but we’d already lit demontorches. Something shrieked in the night—the familiar hunting cry of a gargat having left the darkness of whatever hole it had crawled inside to sleep away the day.
“Whoa,” Jak said.
While we waited for something to come and try to eat us, Lace told the newb about the various types of monsters and what sorts of techniques were best for killing them. It was something we probably should’ve done before the Black, but we were all new at this and we’d run out of time.
Another gargat shrieked, nearer now, and it was swiftly answered by another.
We’d been spotted.
~~~
Just as the first rays of bronze light crept over the horizon, we headed for home. We were exhausted but happy. Who knew happiness could be defined by the simple fact that no one had died? If nothing else, this place gave one perspective, just as Eve had said.
Jak had performed exceptionally well in his first Black, taking down a gargat all on his own and assisting with another. All said, we’d killed seventeen of them—not an easy feat when outnumbered more than three to one. Beat had slaughtered six herself.
The only injury was a minor one to my shoulder—the winged demon’s claws having slashed across my skin as I strangled it. A flesh wound that would be healed by a small ooze patch. Overall, it was the best possible result.
This could work, I thought.
All my optimism was washed away, however, when I heard the shouts back at camp.
We ran, and I soon fell behind with Jak, who was strong but slow. Beat was well ahead, while Lace and Millania raced through the deserted camp and up the slope where I could just make out three profiles, shadows against the bronze backdrop.
Halfway up the slope, my chest heaving, I realized what was happening.
Not good.
Belle was a distance away from the others on the edge of the cliff, looking down. Facing away. Even from behind, I could tell she was sobbing.
Floot and Guz were looking uncomfortable, unsure of what to do or say. Lace looked ready to sprint toward the girl and drag her back from the cliff, but Millania had placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. It was a good move—Belle was so close to the edge that even a sudden movement might be enough to dislodge her.
Beat turned back to look at me, and I could see the concern written all over her face. She could be snarky and tough as nails at time, but she still had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’d ever met. She didn’t want to see this sad, broken girl die. Neither did I.
It was when I finally realized something I’d been too stupid to figure out earlier.
Belle didn’t want to go back to Earth. But she also didn’t want to stay here. She was an Outcast—Eve hadn’t been wrong about that. Unfortunately, she also didn’t want to live at all. Not here. Not there. The horrors of her old life had simply been replaced with the horrors of this one. Despite all Millania’s efforts, this newb was beyond whispering.
Still, Millania was determined to try. She started forward slowly, speaking in soft tones. “Belle. Let’s talk about this,” she said. Like she’d faced this situation a hundred times before.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Belle drawled, her voice monotone. Her shoulders were no longer shaking, which wasn’t good. She’d resigned herself to her fate.
“There is. You have people here who care about you. I’m sorry we haven’t convinced you of that yet.”
Belle laughed, the sound full of scorn. “I’ve heard that before. But there was never enough makeup and apologies to cover the bruises.”
Fuck. Righteous anger burned through me. If I could find the person or persons who’d hurt this woman, I would feed them to a many-mouthed Vostra or ten and not feel one shred of remorse. No wonder she was so broken, her confidence stripped away. She deserved so much more than what life had given her.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Millania said.
“No?” Belle finally turned back to look in our direction, and I could see the tear tracks already drying on her pale cheeks. She still looked beautiful, but in a sad-doll-on-a-shelf way. “Yet you want me to march into that freakish darkness to fight monsters? Yeah, thanks for looking out for me.”
Each word had been getting louder, more certain, and before she’d spoken the last one I was already moving, some sixth sense driving my legs forward while everyone else stood still, afraid to breathe.
I shoved past Millania, knocking her aside as I took the most direct angle toward Belle, who’d turned away, her calf muscles tightening in preparation for her final act. Her fists clenched too, her arms bending at the elbows.
And then she jumped.
I took two big steps and launched myself from the cliff, extending one arm toward her while the other dropped to search for something, anything, to grab onto.
My forward arm curled around Belle’s lithe, firm form, pulling her against my chest and abdomen and roping my legs around her torso. My left hand brushed against something rough—a vine!—but I couldn’t get my fingers around it, slipping past, ripping several leaves away as we fell.
Belle screamed, and it was a sound that said something different to what she’d expressed atop the cliff. It said, I don’t want to die.
I roared in response, jerking my body as hard as I could back the other way, against the momentum that had carried me away from the cliffside, my left arm stretching for a cluster of glowing vines that protruded more than the others.
My hand closed around them.
My massive twice-leveled-up weight fought against my grip, the vines ripping the flesh from my palm, biting into the undersides of my knuckles, threatening to tear me loose.
I roared again, refusing to let go, even as we slid down the vine, still moving too fast but slower than when we’d been in a freefall. The pain in my hand was immense, radiating up my arm as the gnarled vine’s friction bit into my palm, shredding my skin.
My feet hit first and I was aware enough to bend my knees to prevent my legs from shattering o
n impact. I toppled partly to the side and partly backwards, an attempt to shield Belle from a collision with the hard ground that might break her spine into two pieces.
I skidded several feet, the rocky terrain cutting up my back.
I came to rest with Belle on top of me, her eyes wide with wonder, no longer wet. “You saved my life,” she said.
My response slipped from my mouth without thought. “It was worth saving.”
Movement caught my attention as Beat slid down the vines far more gracefully than I had. She landed with a thump, her eyes meeting mine. “Holy shit,” she said. “You’re the newb whisperer now.”
SIX
STALKER 101
Belle, who was, remarkably, unscathed, insisted on helping with my treatment, dipping the patches into the ooze before applying them to the torn skin on my back and hands. She was gentle and efficient, which made me wonder how many times she’d patched herself up after her violent husband or boyfriend had beaten her up after a drunken night.
Neither the goddesses nor Eve were around, resting somewhere further into the gully. In a way, I was glad. This was Warrior business, and it didn’t concern them. My only regret was not being able to ask them about my stolen boomerang.
I’d sent the other Warriors away, because I had a feeling Belle needed to do this on her own.
“Thank you,” I said when she’d finished. I flexed my hands and they burned.
“Thank me?” the redhead said, blinking. “What you did was…”
“Stupid?” I offered.
“I was going to say courageous, but even that isn’t a strong enough word.” Everything about her tone and demeanor had changed from before, like she was a different woman. That’s when she kissed me.
Oh crap.
Not that it was a bad kiss. In fact, quite the opposite. Her lips were full and as soft as pillows. For a second, I returned the kiss, relishing the feeling of desire that came along with it, but—
Oh crap.
I pulled away, feeling awful. I’d gone too far already and going any further would be the very definition of taking advantage of her. It felt like Minertha after Dravon’s death all over again, only worse. At least Minertha had been trying to forget her pain when she’d propositioned me. Belle felt like she owed me this, her judgement warped from years of mental and physical abuse.
She owed me nothing.
“Let me,” she said, her soft hands roaming along the hard skin of my chest, dropping lower.
I caught her hand. “Belle,” I said. “Thank you, but…”
“But what?” Her eyes were full of questions she thought only I could answer. I wished I could, but there were some things in life one needed to answer on their own. For this woman to rebuild herself, she would need to start answering her own questions.
“We’ve been through an ordeal. We need to rest and think.”
“There’s nothing to think about. You saved my life. Now let me thank you the way I want to.”
With that, she used the hand I wasn’t gripping to untie the upper part of her bikini loincloth, the leather fabric falling away. Her breasts spilled out and I released her hand. Now both hands moved toward her bottoms. Jesus, she was hot.
But that didn’t mean this could happen, no more than the night before with Eve could happen. I’d had the best sex of my life on this planet, multiple times, but that didn’t mean I could view it as some commodity to be snatched whenever I wanted it. To think that way would demean everything that mattered.
“Belle, you are beautiful. You were beautiful before, and you’re beautiful now. But we really should rest. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I…I don’t know what got into me. Of course. You’re injured and I’m—” She seemed to realize her nakedness and covered her breasts with one arm, crouching to collect her top, tying it back on with deft fingers. “I’ll let you rest. She turned away, craning her head in my direction one final time to say, “Thank you again, Protector Ryder. I will never forget what you did for me.”
Looking tentative at first, she began to climb the vines, eventually reaching the top and disappearing.
It was only then that I breathed again, wondering what I’d gotten myself into.
Oh crap.
~~~
The next several Blacks were surprisingly mild. It almost felt like the monsters were going through the motions, only attacking because they felt it was their role to play in this hellish world. Now that Jak had popped his monster cherry, Floot was the next in line to face the Black. Jak had wanted to come again, but I asked him to watch over Belle. Though she seemed better now—upbeat and positive in camp—I wasn’t going to take any chances.
Floot had performed well, showing her mettle as she assisted Lace in killing a decent-sized hellhound. Guz had been next and had actually killed two Maluk’ori—the smallish but nasty demon horde who had an affinity for the gnashing of teeth.
I knew Belle was still far from being ready to face the Black outside the ward shields, so I gave her a pass, then another, cycling through the other three. No one died. Just as I’d hoped when I came up with the idea, we were beating the odds.
I hadn’t seen Eve in days, and I was getting worried, so I went looking for her.
The lighting in the gully was dim, as usual. There were still hours of daylight left, but the high cliffs surrounding the area blocked out all but a few clever rays of silver sun that managed to reflect their way to the base.
The gully was deserted. No goddesses. No Eve. The surface of the crystalline pond was so still it might’ve been frozen.
No sound. “Eve?” I said, my voice sounding as loud as the blast of a cannon to my own ears. Nothing. Technically, it was past the time she was supposed to go out Finding again, but for some reason I’d expected her to wait a bit longer. Perhaps because the last time she’d gone to recruit she’d almost died.
I rolled my eyes at my own foolishness. This was Eve I was talking about, not some newb. She was afraid of nothing. Hell, she’d probably gone back to Primo first. Which scared me quite a lot. I bit my lip and waited, half-expecting her to appear from nowhere, wounded and bleeding.
The gully remained still and silent until—
“You love her, don’t you?”
I just about jumped out of my own skin, which was difficult considering how tightly it was stretched across my hulking muscles.
I turned to find, of all people, Belle. She stood a few feet away, her head downcast. She looked defeated. Jesus, this woman moves with all the stealth of a hunter, I thought, wondering how she’d managed to clamber down the vines without me hearing so much as a rustle.
“Belle, what are you doing here?” I asked, still trying to make sense of her question.
“I followed you. I wanted to see for myself. You’ve brought me hope in a dark time.”
“I’m glad, but I don’t understand.” I really didn’t, though in hindsight it was pretty obvious.
“You’re in love with Eve.” A statement not a question. A statement that couldn’t be further from the truth. I was attracted to her, of course. But that was about a million miles from love. I didn’t know if I could ever love a woman who was willing to sacrifice so many lives to save just three.
“Belle, you haven’t been here very long, but I can assure you I’m not in love with Eve.” Shoot, I realized too late. I’m not helping the situation.
Her entire body, which had been pulled into a tight line, relaxed at my words. “You’re not?”
I shook my head. “I work with Eve,” I said. “As the Protector, I must work closely with the Finder to ensure the Three are safe.”
She stepped closer, her smile as wide as the Sahara. “I just thought…never mind. I was being stupid.”
“But look, Belle, we’ve only just met, and I don’t think—”
“Lace and Jak just met too,” she said, taking another step, a hairsbreadth from invading my personal space.
“That’s different,” I said. “Jak is a
Lri Ay. He requires rejuvenation through…intimacy.”
“So do I,” she purred, emboldened once more as she moved closer still. I knew this woman was a cracked vase that might shatter if I said or did the wrong thing. But I also could not lead her on. If she wanted a casual thing, I was happy to oblige—she was drop-dead gorgeous after all—but I could tell from the stars in her emerald eyes that she wanted much more.
“I’m sorry,” I said, holding my ground. If I stepped away she might shatter. Instead, I reached out and held her hands like I might hold the hands of a family member, mostly to prevent them from touching me. “I’m not in the right place for a real relationship,” I said. That was the truth. I was trying to hold things together, to move us forward. “Plus, I’m the Protector and you’re one of my Warriors…” I was hoping she’d get the gist that any sort of relationship would be inappropriate, like that of a supervisor with a staff member.
Oh, she got it. She got it a little too well.
“You misunderstand my intentions, Protector Ryder.” Her accent was tantalizing, even more so because she lifted onto her tiptoes to whisper into my ear. “I want you however I can get you.” Somehow, by twisting her arms and bringing them together, she managed to break my loose hold on her hands.
She stepped all the way forward, until her pelvis was touching me, where Little Sam had grown into Big Sam. She moved her hips hypnotically, grinding her body against me. “Don’t you want me too?”
Maybe I’d totally misread her. I’d saved her life in a rush of adrenaline, some of which still needed to be spent. That was all. We both needed it. Clearly.
The release.