Page 54 of Oleander
“Them?As in more than one?”
He’s focusing on the wrong thing here. We need to move!
“Yes, I have a collection,” I reply impatiently, continuing to eye the pile of burnt beastie behind us.
“Fuck, that’s hot. You know exactly how to handle a sword, don’t you?”
His sexual words cause my synapses to misfire, and I stumble on my feet for a moment before pulling myself together. I wish I could slam my mouth to his, push him against a tree, and show himeverythingI can handle.But I can’t.“Let’s go!” I shout instead.
A gurgling, wet growl rumbles low behind Skyler, and he spins around in horror, finally realizing the depth of our trouble. “What the actualfuck?!”
The hellhound begins to rapidly retake its form. The charred, blackened skin bubbles and blisters, oozing a yellow pus until it fully melts away. Chunks of raw flesh plop to the ground, revealing the new fur underneath.
“Ohdeargod, that’s fucking disgusting! I’m gonna yack.”
Assuming that means throw up, I grab Skyler’s hand and tug, taking off in the opposite direction of the regenerating beast.
As we run for our lives through the forest, Skyler begins to put more and more weight on me. Weight that I don’t have the strength or energy to carry right now. But he used way moremagic than me and is still slightly intoxicated, too, so I pull from the deepest part of my reserves and push forward.
After a few more minutes, I’m starting to doubt we’ll make it all over again when a faint, high-pitched beep interrupts our labored breathing.
“What. Is. That?” Skyler gasps out.
Wet, sloppy noises squelch behind us, echoing through the woods. The hellhound is unwavering anddeterminedto eat us.
The faint beep sounds again.
“I don’t know?—”
My defeated words are cut short when a golf cart comes sailing down the dirt road at top speed.
“Hop on!” It’s Hawk, with Zephyr in the driver’s seat and Leo passed out next to him.
Hawk holds a hand out as the golf cart slows down enough for us to make a running jump. I let Skyler go first, and Hawk hoists him into the moving cart. Skyler turns around and helps me next, clasping our forearms as he pulls me up.
“Thank you,” I pant, falling into his arms. The electricity crackles along our exposed skin right in front of Hawk. His eyes widen slightly at the sight, but luckily doesn’t comment. We have bigger issues at hand.
The gurgling, smoldering hellhound continues hobbling after us, giving Hawk and Zephyr a clear view of the notorious creature that was just reduced to a torched husk.
“Ohhh!That is fucking disgusting.Burnt to a crisp,” Hawk chuckles before patting Skyler on the back. “Nice one, Sky.”
Something inside urges me to tell him not to touch what’s mine, even though I know the thought isn’t rational, let alone true.
Skyler isn’t mine.
I shake the thought away, shouting at Zephyr as more fur sprouts beneath ruined flesh. “Drive faster!” The hellhound is regenerating quick enough to keep up with us.
Zephyr starts to dig in the duffle bag next to him, and we nearly swerve off the side of the path.
“Are you trying to kill us all?!” Hawk shrieks, wrapping his hands around the grab handle in front of him.
Zephyr pulls out an iron sword longer than his arm, and Skyler gasps.
“Here!” Zephyr shouts, handing the sword to Hawk. “Pass it to the prince!Now!”
I grab the heavy sword from Hawk’s grasp and spin around, the hellhound gaining on us as it regenerates further.
“Be ready!” Zephyr shouts.
