3. Mia
THREE
MIA
I balanced the warm pot of food on top of the medium-sized bucket containing towels soaking in warm water. I’d brought leftover boiled chicken on a bed of rice in hopes that it would help garner its favor. Heat seeped through the plastic, warming my torso and making the bite of cold night air not so harsh.
The chickens from the coop chirped at me accusingly as I passed. Pam had Jason and me build it this far away because she hated all the noise in the morning.
It didn’t take me terribly long to get to my destination. My path was practically embedded into the forest floor from how often I walked it.
I slowed as I approached the shack door. My stomach churned. Would it kill me as soon as it could? Would it allow me a moment to plead my case? I’d never felt more like throwing up. I sucked in a deep breath as I climbed up the steps. The hollow thuds echoed too loudly. Crows cawed above my head. I wet my lips and entered.
The monster lay in the same position as when I left, breathing so harshly its shoulders jerked and the intimidating buck-like antlers gouged the wooden floor. I’d rushed out earlier and hadn’t even blown out the candle.
Gently setting down the materials I’d brought, I slowly approached. I debated grabbing the discarded shovel that had landed somewhere under the table, but it’d be stupid. The creature could rip my heart out before I could get to it and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to kill it.
With a calm mind, I inspected the wounds. The gashes looked awful. My stomach ached and I forced my gaze to the rest of the beast. Its muzzle and nose were coated in slicing cuts, and the same injuries were littered throughout the massive body, gnarly wide ones that had split his blood-orange tissue.
Shredded flesh scattered throughout its fur leaked inky liquid. I grimaced. What had done this? My stomach dropped to my feet. My breaths puffed from my mouth exaggeratedly. Everything was okay. It would be fine and was fine. I let out a long breath through puckered lips.
I padded over to where I’d left my things, set the food aside and collected the warm bucket to bring it closer. The container thumped a little harder on the floor than I meant it to and I froze, sucking in a breath. The monster didn’t move. I popped the top and a waft of steam seeped out, the drenched hand towels floated in the shallow water.
Grabbing one, I crouched in front of the wolf-monster and began swiping at the blood trickling into its eyes. My hand trembled with each motion, but I couldn’t stave it off. I wasn’t stupid, my life hung in the balance, but I had to try.
It breathed in harshly, its entire body shuddering . . . its eyes popped opened, the glow of them almost blinding me. In a sudden burst, the beast had me flat on the ground again, my back thumping down hard. A scream wrenched free, but I thinned my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my head to the side to expose my throat.
“I was trying to help you,” I breathed, my voice verging on a whimper. “Please. I just want to make a deal. Please.”
Only silence. Its nose no longer grazed along my exposed throat, but its claws continued to dig into my chest.
“A deal.” I could taste his derision. The voice was gravely and deep, unmistakably male. “I do not make deals with humans. You are unworthy of even our presence.” I peeked up at him and the inhuman eyes stared at me unsympathetically. I didn’t know how to explain it, but it felt like evil stared back at me.
“I brought food for you?—”
“You try to poison me?” He hissed.
“No.” I pushed the word through my tight esophagus. I shook my head hard. “Please. I will help you. I can bring you anything you need and cook for you. You need to heal, right? Because of how weak you are?—”
He snarled.
He did not like that.
“I swear to do whatever you say, you won’t get any opposition from me.”
I was blabbing at this point, but I kept spitting things out until something stuck with him, until he agreed to what I wanted.
“I just want one thing?—”
Canines glinted with his sneer. I swallowed my scream.
“Leave my family alone. That’s it. You can even eat me if you want.” My voice warbled. To the one thing I feared saying, he finally looked intrigued. His orange eyes flared with light, causing my stomach to sour. The building tears spilled from the corner of my eyes in rivulets. “I won’t try to escape you.”
The beast’s head tilted to the side without expression. I didn’t think he could have an expression. Teeth bared at me, the extra, extra large incisors at the top and bottom of his muzzle slicing fear through my heart.
The light from the glowing strands of fur and eyes blazed bright and glinted off those sharp canine fangs. They came down at me . . . and a tongue flicked out to drag across my eyes.
I went rigid.
The wet, long, and velvety tongue collected the droplets, but they continued spilling through my scrunched eyes.
It felt . . . soothing? I curled my fingers, trying to keep my hands to myself when all I wanted to do was shove him back. This felt too odd, not natural but I forced myself to stay still, to prove to him that I would keep my word and let him do what he wanted to me. Even if it meant my death.