Page 78 of His Darkest Desire
And behind her, foliage thrashed, and branches snapped. Tendrils of mist snaked into the edges of her view to either side. It flowed around her bare legs, raising goosebumps with its frigid touch, and spread out ahead of her.
Kinsley’s heart stuttered. She stumbled and cried out, but she somehow managed to remain upright and wrest more momentum from the near fall.
The monster chuckled. “Your fear will saturate your flesh and sink into your marrow, making you all the sweeter.”
That hot, alarming sensation shifted from her back to the right side of her body.
No. No, no, no, please no.
The monster’s dark figure entered her peripheral vision. It loped on two legs, hunched at the shoulders, its unnaturally long arms grasping tree trunks to help propel its grotesque form.
Silver eyes flashed as the beast turned its head toward Kinsley.
She veered to the left without conscious thought, driven only by the instinct to escape.
“Kinsley!” one of the wisps rasped.
Her eyes widened. The altered course had brought her to an embankment that descended sharply into what must’ve been a dried stream bed.
She didn’t even have time to think of a suitable curse before her foot went over the edge. It fell much farther than she’d anticipated, the impact jolting into her heel and up her leg, rattling her bones. Her other foot landed an instant later with just as much force, but the earth beneath it was much less forgiving, and crumbled away.
Kinsley fell. Her ass took the brunt of it, sending another jolt from her tailbone up her spine. She reflexively dropped her hands, scraping her palms as she tried to catch herself. But the decline, paired with her momentum, made it impossible to stop herself.
She slid until the uneven ground pitched her to one side. Hair flying into her face, she tumbled to the bottom, where soft moss, grass, and vegetation cushioned her.
“Kinsley, have you come to harm?” Shade whispered, their voice unsteady.
Pushing herself onto hands and knees, she flipped her hair out of her face. New aches radiated through her from head to toe, and she felt spent and sluggish, but none of that had surpassed her fear. That had to count for something, right?
She groaned and lifted her head. “I’m okay.”
The stream bed was wide and deep, creating a gap in the boughs overhead that allowed sunlight to stream through unhindered. Lush plants and wildflowers carpeted the ground, basking in the golden radiance. The rest of the forest was dark and foreboding when viewed from this spot.
“A fitting place to feast,” the monster said in Kinsley’s head. “Here upon the very ley line that spawned me.”
Kinsley’s eyes darted up to the top of the embankment.
Fog swirled along the ridge, flowing down from it in waves. The beast stood at the center, a black, towering shape, its silvery eyes boring into her.
“You must rise, Kinsley,” Shade urged, their ghostly touch running over her shoulder with muted insistence.
The unnatural fog filled the stream bed slowly, but wherever it met the sunlight directly, it dissipated or receded. And still, the monster lingered at the top, staring at her.
Vex had said goblins were uncomfortable in the sun. Was that true for this creature, as well? Would she be safe in the light?
Gritting her teeth, Kinsley climbed onto her feet. A dull ache radiated from her tailbone, but her legs were steady, despite everything.
“Flee,” Flare said.
But she knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t outrun this thing, and she’d only made it this far because it had been toying with her. Curling her hands into fists, she met the monster’s malevolent gaze.
From somewhere deep within, Kinsley found her voice. “You are not welcome here.”
The monster tilted its head and slowly bent down—folded down—to plant its clawed hands on the ground. It sniffed the air.
Please, Vex…hurry.
“Leave,” Kinsley said louder. Were her heart beating any faster, it would’ve burst right out of her chest.