12
Larz
That pale, scrawny barista awakened something within me. Primal, ancient, and deep. I was sick of running into her.
A sense of danger stirred to life in my bones as flashbacks crept through the cracks of the carefully curated box I stuffed them in at the back of my mind.
Sharp aches pressed against my skin, my body was urging me to shift.
My teeth clenched and all my muscles tightened as I tried to fight it off. Who the fuck was she?
Ilona’s touch brought me back to myself. I had to get us out of there. As calmly and coolly as I could, I paid, grabbed our orders, and rushed out the door. Relief washed over me as soon as the cafe’s door closed behind us.
I left the whole encounter behind. Today was about Ilona and me.
I was going to take her into the forest and show her it was nothing to fear.
Despite what some of the townspeople thought, the forest was safe.
If Ilona was going to accept my claim, she’d have to get used to it and eventually grow to love it.
~
Our hike started amazingly. Ilona looked right at home between the trees.
At times, I found myself stopping and letting her walk ahead, just so I could admire the way she explored.
The way she appreciated our home. But it was when we reached the tiny, bubbling creek that she really became one with the nature around her.
She wasted no time settling on a boulder along the bank, removing her shoes and dipping her feet into the icy water. She leaned back on her elbows and let her head fall back. I’d never seen anyone more at peace.
“I’ve heard…stories about these woods.”
“Stories?” I tried to hide the concern in my voice as my stomach twisted, “What kind of stories?”
I settled behind her, stretching my legs out so she was settled between them. She leaned back onto my chest as she spoke and a comfortable warmth spread over me.
“That they used to be crawling with terrifying creatures. Half-human, half-monster with poison-filled tails that terrorized the town hundreds of years ago.” She looked back at me, “Some think they still exist. I was warned to stay away.”
I let my fingers trace random shapes aimlessly on her thighs, locking my gaze on the rippling water. “Does that scare you? The thought of some creature watching you, stalking you from the shadows?”
She sighed gently, relaxing back onto me and lacing her fingers with mine. “I think we established that the unknown doesn’t scare me, didn’t we?” She didn’t need to say it, but I knew she was referring to the tiny bit I’d shown her of my true self the night before.
“We did.” I kissed the top of her head. “Those stories are bullshit anyway.”
“How so?”
“The creatures were peaceful; they always were. Humans, as we’ve established, just don’t condone things that they don’t understand. They slaughtered the creatures before they even gave them a chance.”
Ilona lifted my hand, kissing it gently. “You sound like you know a lot about this.”
“Yeah, I-”
I was cut off by a rustle in the leaves just behind us. It was too subtle for Ilona to notice, but it was unmistakable. The light, calculated steps were too careful to be just someone walking by. We were being watched.
I pressed my finger to her lips, “Shh. I need you to stand up slowly and go hide behind those boulders. No questions, just do it. Do you understand?”
She nodded, the subtle rise and drop of her chest had stopped, but I could feel her heart thumping against my ribs. I guided her through a calming breath before helping her to her feet.
Once she was up and moving towards the boulder, the rustling started again. I turned around to find the barista from Roasterz, fire in her eyes and a hunting rifle pointed right at me.
Could she be one of the fucking hunters? I couldn’t help but smirk. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
“Why don’t you put that down before somebody gets hurt?” I held my hands up in mock surrender. The only person who would get hurt today was her.
“I thought I told you to stay away from her.”
“She’s a big girl, barista, she can make decisions for herself. Including who she does and doesn’t want to spend time around. Jealousy is no reason to go around waving guns at people.”
She released the safety with a gentle click, readjusting her grip so the barrel was level with my chest. Apparently, she was in no mood to talk.
“Ilona, stay there, okay. Don’t come out.” With a roll of my shoulders, I shifted into my true form. Not fully scorpion, not fully human, but fully me.
My long, onyx tail stretched from the small of my back, curling out about seven feet.
I could feel the venom pulsing within the bulbous stinger.
My eyes went a full, glassy black as two full-sized claws sprouted from under my arms. I flicked my tongue out, the bright pink fading to pitch black as the length grew, still forked at the end.
My limbs stretched, pushing me up to a foot taller than my human height.
“Ilona!” Her pathetic voice strained as her fingers trembled over the trigger, “I told you she was a fucking freak, come see for yourself!”
Her bulging eyes flickered over to the boulder where Ilona hid for just a moment, and I took the opportunity to lung forward. Right as I grabbed the barrel of the rifle, a bang rang through the trees.
A sharp sting radiated through my ribs, but I didn’t stop. This bitch was crazy and I needed to protect Ilona. I pulled the rifle effortlessly from her scrawny hands, and she did the stupidest thing she could possibly do: she charged at me.
I swung my tail forward, hitting her in the stomach and lifting her up off her feet and throwing her across the creek. Her body slammed against a large tree trunk with a sickening crack. When she thudded to the ground, she went limp.
I dropped the rifle, turning to find Ilona, praying she hadn’t seen anything.
“Stellan! No!” Ilona’s shriek rumbled through the trees.
I twisted around to find the barista pointing a small handgun right at me and Ilona emerging from behind the tree with a large rock. Before I could stop her, the gun went off at the same time Ilona cracked the rock against Stellan’s skull.
The last thing I remembered was blood splattering all over Ilona’s gorgeous, rage-filled face and my arm reaching out for her, black fading the edges of my vision. And then nothing.