3. Sera
The bliss and relief that melted over my body after my physical encounter with Kel crackles and fizzles away. The hairs on my neck rise as a shifting swarm of some kind of nightmare creatures approaches. But it’s not the shrieking sounds they make or the colors of their glowing, slitted eyes that kick up my pulse. It’s Kel’s stance. He’s worried, stiff, and has adopted a defensive position. If he is nervous...
The mass stops and fixes their many gazes on us.
“Why did they stop?”
I whisper. “Are they attracted to the fire?”
“Are they looking at the fire?”
Kel moves in front of me. “Once again, you’re proving to be quite the little monster bait.”
Oh shit. I’m the reason they’re drawn to this spot? Fear spikes through my chest as darkness settles in around us. The eerie cloud of mist separates, allowing each pair of eyes to settle atop a body. The creatures range in size from tiny gremlins just over a foot tall, to towering, robed entities whose heads extend far above the treetops. Some have no limbs, hovering in place like gaseous ghosts. Others appear more like mutated insects, wriggling their many spindly limbs and chittering their teeth. Each one is terrifying in its own way.
I grip Kel’s arm, clutching it like a frightened child clinging to a parent. “Don’t you have some sort of powers?”
“They’re not endless. I shifted before and am still recovering my strength. If we were in the Mid Hallows I could replenish faster.”
His fingers flex and fist by his side.
Shifted? The creatures cackle and howl as they move closer. My limbs shake uncontrollably. “What are you going to do?”
Kel slowly leans down, snagging a log from the fire and handing me the end that isn’t burning. “Hold this.”
My knuckles blanch as I grip the fiery weapon and take several steps back. Kel cranes his neck toward his shoulder, resulting in a rapid-fire popping. His next move is not one I could have anticipated. He strips, dropping every bit of his clothing to the ground. He’s going to fight them naked?
The popping from his neck is mimicked along his body as his limbs and back twist and bend. A thunderous crack tears through the air as a massive shard of bone bursts through the skin of his shoulder. The whiteish piece juts up and out nearly two feet. A matching protrusion rips through his other shoulder. The cracking sounds continue as bones of all sizes rip though his skin, bending and twisting around his outer form. I expect him to be all bones by the end, but when the transformation stops, Kel looks more like a human who’s been fitted in some archaic bone armor. When he peers over his shoulder at me, his eyes have been swallowed up by black.
Sometimes it takes a monster to hunt a monster.
Kel’s words ring in my ears with a new truth. The thing staring back at me is far more monster than man. Is this what it means for him to be shifted? Just a second ago he made it seem like it was too soon. Unless this is something else entirely.
His mouth parts. The voice that rumbles out is deep, raspy, and dangerous. “Stay back.”
He throws his arms out to the side, palms up. The centers of his hands ripple. Thick, spiny shafts of bone burst through, growing until they’re nearly four feet in length. The bones snap off at the base. Kel tightens his grip, swinging the pieces from left to right.
Weapons . He created weapons.
They finish forming not a moment too soon. The cursed spirits descend in a flurry of talons, fangs, and wings. The sounds they make are almost too horrible to endure. The desire to cover my ears and cower is so strong. My teeth ache as I grit my jaw, holding my ground and keeping the torch held in front of me.
The air around me blurs as Kel lunges forward. His entire body pulsates with a swirling silvery-black light. He moves so quickly I can barely track the movements. Black and purple ichor sprays up from the earth and rains down from the sky as Kel systematically slaughters any creature foolish enough to attack him head on.
A feeling of awe cuts through my trepidation. He’s magnificent. A monster among monsters and yet, there’s something lethally beautiful about his twisted skeletal form. Or am I only finding beauty in monsters now that I’m some hand-sewn creature of the night myself?
That train of thought evaporates when a large three-legged demon darts toward me from the right side of the trees. Its grotesque body is lumpy and yellow. A long, tubular snout unfurls from the end of an eyeless face. Liquid spills forward in a stream of deepest blue. I don’t need to know what it is to know that I don’t want it anywhere near me.
Mossy earth shifts beneath my bare feet as I stumble backward. The ground sizzles everywhere the viscous blue fluid lands. Anything within reach curls inward, instantly dying and turning brown. It must be some sort of acid. The creature hobbles closer.
“Back, back!”
I swing my torch from side to side in an attempt to ward it off. “I’m warning you! I’ll—”
My feet leave the ground so fast that it feels like I’ve left my organs on the floor. The torch tumbles from my grasp. Six grey arms encircle my waist as I’m taken higher and higher in the air. Each hand ends in a set of thin, three-clawed fingers. Am I being taken by some kind of giant bird?
“Kel!”
I yell out as the world grows distant beneath me. Through the blur of action, I can just make out the panic-stricken, skeletal-painted face of Kel. He breaks off from the crowd he’s fighting and races my way. Long, powerful legs allow him to cover ground much more quickly than a human could. But we’re covering too much distance too fast.
Kel winds one of his arms back. When he hurls it forward, one of the bone swords comes flying at us. It soars through the treetops, sailing just over my head. I shut my eyes before impact.
The squawking screech from above me signals the weapon has hit its mark. He did it! My celebrations end abruptly as the many arms release me. I plummet toward the ground, falling and flailing, helpless to slow my descent. When my back hits the ground, it’s without mercy. Several sutures burst from the impact. Pop, pop . I can feel the loose threads near my elbow, shoulder, and both hips. Have I lost a leg ? A buzzing warmth pools behind my head and shimmers across my vision.
“Sera!”
Kel’s voice comes out in two elongated, slow-motion syllables.
My eyes are heavy. The treetops dance with shadow as my lids droop then finally close.
Pieces of my life burst through my thoughts like fireworks in the night sky. Quick, fleeting, gone before I can fully grasp them. I see myself smiling, line dancing, toasting with friends. We raise our glasses, oblivious to any of the horrors that lurk in the near future. I wonder how long we’ve known each other. Were we friends as children? Did we meet as adults? I don’t even know how old I am. How old I’ll always be, now.
There’s a snapshot of a grey-haired man and woman, and a girl who looks a lot like the old me but much younger. She laughs and runs through a tall green field, chased by a black and white collie. I run after her, smiling. A shiny black horse trots up to me, nuzzling a soft muzzle against my pocket. I pull out a peppermint and the beautiful thoroughbred gently takes it from my outstretched palm. I’m reminded of the tattoo on my arm. Could that be Silky? The older couple calls out to us from the porch of a small blue farmhouse. Are those my parents? Do I have a little sister? The splinters in my heart bury deeper. Those poor people. They’ll never find me. Not with how those cult psychos hid my remains.
A graduation cap is thrown high in the air. What did I study? The ceremony whizzes past. Neon lights of a small carnival illuminate the ground below. I sit in the metal seat of a Ferris wheel, tucked beneath the arm of a dark-haired boy with brown, soulful eyes, plucking at a large pink cotton candy. Dozens more memories sail by, each one including him. Our lips colliding beneath an archway of Christmas lights. The two of us running through the rain. Tossing popcorn in the air to one another and trying to catch it with our mouths. Our bodies entwined in the back of a pickup. The stars above shining so brightly.
The next memory is devoid of warmth. My hand holds a shattered frame with a photo of the same dark-haired boy, kissing me on the cheek in my graduation gown. I throw the frame in the trash and look in the mirror. What happened between us? Did he break my heart? My tears dry up and I put on my cowboy hat. The outfit is too familiar. Jean shorts, a blue flannel top. It’s from the night I died.
“Come on, Sera.”
Kel’s voice punches through my reminiscing. My eyes fly wide. His worried gaze bears down on me. The skeletal face paint has been smudged and mixed with blood and fluids of varying colors.
“Are they gone?”
I bolt upright. The lingering memories vanish as fear scuttles through my nerves.
Kel’s hands steady my shoulders. “Whoa. They’re gone.”
“What happened?”
I glance around, seeing nothing but corpses of cursed spirits.
“You blacked out after that nasty fall. I tried to make it there in time to catch you.”
He shakes his head. “After I finished dispatching the horde, I brought you back to the fire. Some of your sutures needed to be sewn up again. I got you stitched together and then you woke up.”
My body is achy but put together well. I test each of my limbs and sigh in relief. “Thank you. That was scary.”
He nods. “We need to get you to the Mid Hallows. You’re some type of creature magnet down here. Monster bait.”
“Monster bait,”
I repeat as my eyes adhere to the collection of bones protruding from Kel. “Is this your royal form?”
He shakes his head. “Hardly. I could only manage a partial shift. This is just the best I could do under the circumstances.”
He rises to his feet and winces.
“Are you injured?”
The sight of this bony, blood-splattered form sets off a tremor of something dark and sweet low in my belly. His muscular form has been maintained, but the decorative bones that curl up, around, and from every part of him give him a terrifying visage. Still, the urge to run my fingers along the smooth edges of the bones, to find where they meet his skin...
Why am I having this reaction? My tongue wets my lips. Maybe it’s the residue of adrenaline. Maybe it’s the type of thrill that accompanies danger. Or maybe there’s more monster in me than I’ve cared to imagine before this moment.
“Sera?”
When I find his eyes once more, there’s a hungry glint in them.
This is an inconvenient time to get aroused. He is injured. My stare treks along his chiseled chest and torso. Black blood still spills from the wounds on his ribs. I follow the steady drip down to the waist of his jeans. Each exhale flattens his lower stomach, making the top of his pants gape.
“What’s underneath?”
I ask, my voice sounding gritty in my ears. When Kel doesn’t answer, I reach forward and unbutton the pants myself.
His large, rough hand covers mine. “Sera. I’m not human. Even before—that skin I was wearing the first time we were together. That’s all it was. A skin. A disguise. Even this version isn’t the truest me.”
“I want to see.”
Determined, I push his hand out of the way. The sound of his zipper dropping is muffled by the blood pumping through my ears. His pants fall to the ground and my mouth gapes.
There’s a cock in the same place as before, but it’s changed. It’s longer, girthier. Two white spires of bone run along the top and bottom of the hard length, growing in size as his erection continues to harden beneath my gaze. The dark thing that’s taken root within me stirs to life.
A strength that did not fill my limbs when I was alive pumps powerfully through me in this body of death. I grip the protruding ribs on his torso and shove, forcing him back. His spine slams against the nearest tree. The unexpected move elicits a startled sound from Kel. A wicked smile curls up at the edges of my mouth.
When I meet his gaze next, I can see his own dark thing rising to the surface. The inky pools spread, blotting out any white until black, unholy, pupilless eyes peer back at me. He smiles, and I notice his once-flat teeth have sharpened to points. I reach for his length, but he spins me before I can grab it.
My back hits the rough bark. Kel’s massive hand collars my throat, gripping tightly. He raises it beneath my chin, lifting my body off the ground. I gasp and sputter, but do not beg him to stop. My legs wrap around his waist, anchoring us together. He loosens his hold on my throat just enough for me to suck in a breath.
“Monster bait,”
he growls. A long, black tongue slides from between his sharpened teeth. It lands on a deep suture wound above my collarbone. When he runs the tip along the sensitive, unhealed flesh, my brain turns to jelly. Wetness floods down my thighs. His tongue retracts, leaving me panting. “They can’t resist you. And neither can I.”
If I wasn’t dead, my soul would have left my body the moment that bone-lined cock thrust inside me. The only way to describe it is hard . So much harder than his cock before. And the width has me spasming in shock.
Last time, Kel allowed me to take the lead. This time the control belongs entirely to him. His hips piston into me, snapping sutures and stretching my body to a terrifying and exhilarating place. My eyes roll back as his full length buries deep inside me. It’s rough, wild, depraved, but fuck does my body react to every second of it with a lust and need unlike anything I’ve experienced. Not that I can remember any experiences before Kel. But if they were anything like this, I would think they’d be permanently branded in my memories.
Time doesn’t slow for us this time. His movements are hard and fast. The actions feed my inner monster. My climax hits just as quickly. His tongue pushes into my mouth, swallowing the sounds of my pleasure.
The change within me was slight at first, but now I know I’ve become a creature of the night. I crave pain and darkness. I need to be treated like the little nightmare I’ve become. My humanity slips further away every time I take a bone-covered thrust and beg for more.
My orgasm is Kel’s undoing. He roars, body tensing, his thrusts quick and uneven. Heat pours into me as he fills me with cum. Yes, yes . I grind up, milking his cock and draining him until he’s twitchy and limp.
My back is raw from Kel’s merciless pounding against the rough bark. I’m certain if I could see it, I would find the skin reddened and scraped away. The pain is dulled by the euphoria that still coasts through my cells. Satisfaction eases the need that’s been building inside me. Kel knew exactly what I needed.
The solid black of his eyes recedes. I stare into those familiar, purple pupils. I’m glad his human skin was a disguise. He would have to be a monster to treat me in such a beastly manner.
He smiles, all devilish and filled with heat. The strong hand at my throat finally lowers. He pulls me against him, dropping down onto his back and taking me with him.
As I lay against Kel’s chest, the bones jutting out of his skin begin to retract. They make several cracking and popping sounds as they retreat beneath his skin. The next time I lift my face, he’s human again. Or he’s taken his human skin at least. The only trace of skeleton left on him is the black and white paint that adorns his face and hands.
One of the hands strokes my back. Goosebumps pebble across my flesh each time his touch passes over a sore sutured area. How can he have such an effect on me?
“I really need to do my best to resist you until we reach the Mid Hallows. I don’t know if I have another fight in me if we come across any more hordes.”
The fingertips of Kel’s other hand drag through my hair.
“I’ll be safe there?”
I murmur against his skin.
“Yes. You’ll be with me.”
His arms circle around me, and beneath those capable arms, I do feel safe.
We move more cautiously through the rest of the Deeper Hallows. A great many eyes watch us from the darkness, but thankfully none approach. The forest grows scarcer, exposing us to the vacant sky overhead. Their growth pattern changes. Two lines of dark, dead trees lead to a foreboding cave.
“We’re going in there?”
I clutch at Kel’s arm.
Reaching down, he takes my hand in his. “That is the way back to the Mid Hallows. Don’t worry.”
As comforting as Kel’s presence is, I’m still battling a gut-wrenching storm of swirling stress when we take our first step into the cave’s abyss. The air inside isn’t at all like the air in the rest of the Deeper Hallows. It’s thick, almost gelatinous, but somehow still breathable. Why do I need to breathe, anyway? My limbs slow down as gravity seems to shift. A heaviness sinks down on my body. My bones protest as the space presses in around me.
Kel squeezes my hand. It does little to quell my panic. Pins and needles scatter under my skin. The pressure grows more intense, crushing me beneath an invisible force. I open my mouth ready to scream or breathe my last breath. Just as I think my entire being will be obliterated under the pressure, it lifts.
We’re still in the cave, but everything feels different. The air has cleared. The pressure is gone. I can’t see a thing in this pitch-black space.
Kel’s fingers interlace with mine as he leads me through the darkness. When we emerge, the world around us is something altogether new.
The air here is fresher and just cool enough to draw goosebumps to my skin anew. In place of harsh, dead trees, the foliage is a nostalgic mixture of burnt oranges, gilded yellows, and sweet cherry reds. Their colors glow beneath a hazy black and yellow sky. The soft crunch of fallen leaves hums beneath my bare feet as Kel guides me into the woods. A chilly breeze blows past, bringing with it a spicy scent. It’s the same scent I picked up on Kel. It’s peppery and rich. Not cinnamon or cloves, but something like that.
“This place is...”
I can’t find the words. It’s dark, strange, saturated in an overall ominous feel. Despite that, there’s a warmth here. A familiar sensation buzzes through my body.
“Welcome to the Mid Hallows. The realm of the Skeleton King.”
Kel smiles down at me.
“Skeleton King? Now I get it.”
I look him up and down. “You’re some sort of Skeleton King groupie.”
My teasing tone earns me a frown.
“Groupie? What makes you think I’m a groupie?”
“Your costume, of course.”
I trace a finger along his painted jaw.
“My human form is just—”
“Yes, you told me. Your human form is different from your royal form.”
I stop walking and slowly spin around to face Kel as something clicks into place. “Your royal form. Are you actual royalty?”
Kel smirks. “What is it you called me, a monster hunter prince?”
He shrugs. “You were close.”
“A king? You’re the Skeleton King? This is your domain?”
He nods. There’s a brightness behind his dark eyes. When he smiles again, it’s bashful and filled with excitement. A real smile. “Don’t look so surprised, monster bait,”
he tells me. “Come on. I have so much to show you.”
The fall forest spreads out around us. Each cluster of colorful leaves is more beautiful than the last. The ground is black and grainy beneath my bare feet. I slide the dead leaves out of my path, relishing the crunch of dried foliage atop the unusual earth. Kel keeps my hand in his, guiding me out of the forest and into a large golden field. The silky grass rises as tall as my chest. It sways gently in the autumn breeze.
Tiny, black beetles take flight as we trudge through their refuge. They flit around us, spreading wings that shimmer an iridescent green. My gaze follows them into the sky. A bone-white moon hangs full and bright within the slow-creeping clouds. Several dark patches cover the pale surface. The longer I look, the more defined the shadowy areas become. Then, a face comes into focus, its wide grin and narrow eyes stretching the span of the glowing orb.
“He’s massive, but harmless.”
Kel nods up at the moon.