Page 57 of Their Pretty Little Monster

It’s a Derokar, exactly what I’m after. These bastards are tough, territorial, and will shred anything apart in their way.

What a good day for you to die.

I charge toward the creature, drawing the blades from my belt, aiming for the beast that comes at me from the pitch-black depths. Its teeth glow with an eerie light, razor-sharp and ready to tear me apart. A sharp fin runs along its back, jagged spikes down its sides carrying toxins potent enough to paralyze.

The Derokar jolts closer.

I dodge to the side, my legs kicking ferociously, slashing the blades through the water, aiming for its exposed flank. It’s fast, but I’m faster, my movements a blur as I strike again and again. My knives rip through its tough hide, but it retaliates, a spiked tail whipping toward me, slamming into me, sending me tossed aside through the water.

Fuck.

Finally stopping myself, I twist around to find the Derokar’s charging this way, its body wriggling in its fast approach. I duck under it at the last second but not before its teeth drag across my arm. Pain shoots through me.

I jam my blades upward, tearing through its underbelly. Blood fills the water quickly, a dark cloud that will soon attract a swarm of other beasts. This one convulses, snapping out of the way, but I don’t let up. I dart after it, my legs and arms working overtime, sinking my knives deeper into its underbelly wound, tearing into it with ferocity.

It bucks violently, but it doesn’t last long.

Tucking the blade into my belt, I thrust my arm into its lesion, past ribs and organs, until I feel its heart, still under my fingers. With a swift yank, I tear the small bag these creatures produce, right next to its heart. For something so ugly, they are highly prized for the beauty they create. I wrench it out, shoving the creature aside, and feel the small parcel in my hand with two pearls inside.

Killian appears beside me, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt. He gives me a nod, and I know it’s time to head back. We can’t stay here much longer with all this blood in the water. I clutch the pearls in my fist and shove myself upward.

When I glance down, I spot the swarm of at least a dozen Derokar circling. They’ll come after us. Shoving the sack with pearls into the pocket of my pants, I swim frantically, pushing myself until my head breaks the surface. The boat’s farther away.

Hell.

“You had to kill a damn Derokar, didn’t you?” Killian growls.

We swim wildly while snatching the ropes tied to floats and his kills, dragging them with us. I dive in and help him snatch them up.

“Says you who bloodied the sea so heavily tonight that one dead Derokar would barely be noticed. They’re predators and come at the smell of blood.”

He grins at me, knowing he regrets nothing.

I don’t either, so we push on, swimming like maniacs to reach the boat with our haul.

Just as we scramble out of the waters back up near the balcony, throwing ourselves over the railing, the swish of the sea behind us shows it’s swarming with creatures.

“Like hell,” he growls, desperately hauling in the catch, one hand after another, dragging on his catch.

I rush to help. Some of the dead fish are already being chomped on by those bastards. The water’s become a frenzy of fins, tails, and blood as the monsters of the deep fight to reach their meal. While we pull out half of what Killian killed, the rest is lost.

“That was damn close,” I mutter, stabbing my hand into my pocket to collect the pearls still in their milky mucus bag. I rip them open, collect my perfect mauve pearls, and toss the rest into the ocean. These are rare, and once upon a time, only royalty was permitted to own such beauty.

Killian chuckles, a dark sound that rumbles from his chest. He glances at the pearls in my hand, his eyes narrowing with interest. “Nice catch. Worth the trouble?”

I grin with triumph. “Always worth it,” I reply, curling my hand around them. We move indoors, and Killian orders Howler to call for help to fetch the catches. I turn to watch him begin to haul the massive fish inside from the balcony, his energy endless.

“Are you all right?” I ask. “You’re acting stranger than usual tonight.”

“Never been fucking better,” he snaps back, tossing the fish inside through the open balcony doors like they weigh nothing, and those bastards weigh ten times our weight.

“Well, seeing you’re high on fuck knows what, I’ll let you be,” I grunt at him, not sure what’s gotten into him. Sure, he spent the night fucking Sage, but since when does using all your energy during a fuck feed your adrenaline to crazy heights?

Killian doesn’t respond, lost in whatever frenzy he’s in, and I shake my head.

I stroll back to my room, my mind wandering. Staring at the two mauve pearls in my palm, I think of Killian and Sage, wondering how soon it’ll be my turn to impress her.

Chapter

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