Page 69 of Oleander
I blush at his compliment, even though I’m extremely satisfied by that statement. We use our underwear and some wipes to clean up, putting on a clean pair after.
“Can we cuddle for a little bit? I know we need to get moving, but I need a hug.” I shiver, unable to shake the feeling of the ghoul inside my brain now that Skyler’s not distracting me with his skillful cock.
“Of course, baby.Come here.” His eyes are soft, flickering in the faint moonlight as he holds his arm out for me. I crawl into his side, and he pulls me tight. We grasp onto each other as if we’re afraid to let go. And maybe we are. Tonight has brought us closer together and nearly killed us at the same time. And it’s not even over yet.
A loud howl erupts in the distance, followed by several more, and I gasp.
“Holy shit.” Skyler immediately pops up, and I follow suit. We scramble to get dressed and off the platform, knowing this may be our one and only chance of the night.
I’m not sure how many there are. At least three, maybe four. Enough to win this thing if we can kill them all. I’m sure of it.
We’re giddy with excitement and as relaxed as we can be given the circumstances.
“Let’s go, baby!Let’s do this!” Skyler shouts, jumping around with enthusiasm and getting hyped up for the rest of the Hunt.
I laugh, feeling the excitement and hope radiating from his aura. I close my eyes and absorb energy from the trees, recharging as much of my magic as I possibly can.
We need this win tonight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
OLEANDER
Swords drawn, we make our way through the forest as stealthily as possible. It would be best if we could sneak up on one or two hellhounds and take them out silently so we have less of a chance of being surrounded.
“Thanks for always having my back, dude,” Skyler whispers, his light eyes scanning our surroundings for threats. “There’s no one else in any of the worlds that I would want by my side right now, and I just needed you to know that.”
I swallow against the lump in my throat, absorbing the weight of his simple words. “I feel the same way, Skyler.” Overwhelming feelings swirl in my belly, but now is not the time to confess them.
I’m falling for him. Deeply.
“I thought you’d wish you never even met me at this point, and I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I could say theexactsame thing to you. We’ve stuck together for a reason, and it’snotchanging,” I tell him emphatically.
Leaves rustle and crunch, startling us out of our ill-timed conversation.
“Shit! They’re coming in hot,” Skyler whispers urgently.
It sounds like something is running and rapidly gaining speed. Loud roars explode into the night, echoing around us, and I know this is it.
The hellhounds are here.
“Get ready!” Skyler shouts.
We go back to back on instinct, side-stepping in a slow circle and never once taking our eyes off the woods. Skyler’s firm, muscled back is tense and ready to strike. My heart hammers against my chest, banging into my ribcage like it’s trying to escape. Adrenaline pumps through me, pushing the fear back and replacing it with an eagerness tofight.
Hellhounds pour out, growling and snarling as they eye us like a freshly cooked dinner.
“Oh fuck,” Skyler curses and a lead weight drops into the pit of my stomach at the sheer number of them. This is way more than either of us anticipated.
I trust Skyler to have my back.Always.But there’s only two of us.
This seems nearly impossible.Evenwithmagic.
It’s pure insanity, but here we go.
The air is thick with incipient violence, and I can practically feel the warm spray of blood against my skin as iron slices through tainted flesh. The anticipation is killing me. The hellhounds stare at us with red eyes, a terrifying hunger in their demonic gazes. Matted black fur covers their muscular bodies, and their sharp teeth are barred, dripping with a bright yellow venom. The smell of sulfur emanates from them, and their breath smells of rotten meat as they bite at the air viciously.
