Page 18 of Moonmarked

Fuck me, I should have thought this through better…

“Good doggy,” I said and stepped farther back slowly. Ididn’t dare even blink because a part of me was sure that he was going to jump me any second. Forget the meat I’d given him—he was going toeat meinstead like he was still starving.

And…he growled.

The dog was in front of me, and he lowered his head for a moment, and he growled—only this time it was twice as powerful as when he’d done it in the beginning. Before I fed him and gave him water and released him from the cage.

A thought occurred to me—now,of course—what if there was a reason why this dog had been caged? What if there was a reason why all the other cages were empty, and onlyheremained?

“Good, good doggy…”

I raised my shaking hands. The dog moved, jumped forward—and right on my other side.

I didn’t even get to scream before I heard the crack. I heardthe voice.

“What do we have here?”

I turned to find a sorcerer just by the tree line in front of the fence gate.

And now I was screwed for real.

seven

I’d seen sorcerers before.On my way through the fae realm with Rune to get to the prince, I’d seen plenty. They were all women—or at least I’d only noticed women—and they had big noses, claws for fingernails, and fangs like a vampire, except theirs came up from their lower jaws.

A sorcerer—worse than mermaids, Rune said.We stay away from them at all costs.

And now she was right there, looking at me, smiling.

She wore a dark grey dress with a hood over her grayish hair, and slowly, she reached a clawed hand toward the fence gate to push it open.

Once again, a bloody battle went on in my mind. My mind demanded I move, turn around and run away back where I came from, yet my limbs refused to obey.

“Stealing my property, little thief? Let me see you…”

The sorcerer’s voice was dark, scratchy, a fucking nightmare on its own. She took a step forward, and my body jerked back—finally—and the dog in front of me barked.

Or more likeroared,like a fuckinglion.

Every inch of my skin rose in goose bumps until I realized that he was roaring ather,at the sorcerer, not me.

I turned around and ran.

There was no time to reach for another piece of dried meat, and no time to fill something with water for later. There was no space in my mind for anything at all exceptrun, run, run,get away from this creature no matter what it took. I didn’t make it all the way here only to wither away while a sorcerer used my life’s energy for her spells, damn it. I wasn’t going to rot in a fucking cage.

So, I ran.

Laughter behind me—just like in the fucking movies, or maybe I made it up myself. I passed through the garden and jumped over the fence, my body perfectly capable of taking me forward—and fast. The food I’d eaten had already made such a big difference, and I actually saw where I was going, was able to coordinate my movements so much better.

I wasn’t the only one.

At first, when I heard the footsteps behind me, I thought it was the sorcerer, but then he caught up with me, ran to my side, and ahead.

The dog.

The dog was running together with me, a couple feet ahead. He was running from the fucking sorcerer who’d kept him caged for God knew how long, and his step didn’t falter.

Mine didn’t, either.

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