Page 53 of Stolen By The Beast
From the trees, human men emerged from the thick foliage, their expressions a mix of determination and horror.
To them, I was a monstrous creature, a threat to the delicate human girl at my side. They couldn’t see the love that bound us, the gentleness with which I held her, or the way her presence had tamed the darkness within me.
Their shouts ripped through the air, startling the birds that nested in nearby trees. The winged creatures flew from sight, and I wished I could take my mate and follow them.
This was all my fault. I never should’ve kept Juniper. It was selfish and greedy. I had acted like her kind, and now they had returned to punish me.
I was a monster to them, and I wasn’t worthy of someone like Juniper. She was made of light and joy, whereas I was made of darkness and instinct.
For a moment, time stood still as the humans stared at Juniper and me. Then, two of them started yelling again.
Their words were darker than the blackness inside of me, accusing me of endangering Juniper. They didn’t even acknowledge me, but rather, told Juniper to run away.
From me—her mate.
These men wanted to take her because they perceived me as the threat, and yet, they stood brandishing their weapons directly at me as if I were the embodiment of malevolence.
I knew these weapons. Guns, as humans called them. They were what had killed my brethren years ago, including my Chosen.
Over time, human skill had grown more sophisticated. I’d watched hunters with their different guns through the years, the weapons progressively becoming more accurate.
The guns these humans held were shorter than those used by hunters, but I had no doubt they were just as deadly.
Juniper clung to me, the scent of her fear rolling off of her in waves, but when I glanced down, her face was utterly blank.
I wanted to shake her, ask what was wrong, but I couldn’t speak past the dread tying my tongue to the roof of my mouth. It was as if my mated didn’t even see the human men before her.
“Juniper, run,” I whispered, but she didn’t even acknowledge me.
Something was very wrong.
In that moment, as her kind closed in on us, I realized that our bond was even more fragile than the female I had claimed as my own.
She and I were never meant to be together, our worlds too far apart. Her kind would never accept our relationship, and I couldn’t pretend not to be hurt in the face of their ignorance and prejudice.
But I would do whatever it took to protect Juniper, even if it meant confronting the darkness that dwelled within me.
Deep down, I knew that human men thought Juniper was in danger—that I was a menacing force that needed to be separated from her—but they couldn’t have been more wrong.
And I would prove it.
My thoughts were disjointed, a jumble made worse by the cascade of emotions that accompanied them. Before Juniper, logic had ruled, and I had always been level-headed in any situation.
This was the complete opposite. I barely made any sense, even in my own mind, but I couldn’t shut off whatever was consuming me.
It was dark, twisted, and only expanded the blackness within.
One man crept forward a step. Although his expression was stern, his voice wobbled with trepidation. “Miss, move aside slowly so we have a clean shot of the beast.”
Juniper’s grip on my hand tightened, and she seemed to snap out of her daze. Defiance blazed in her emerald gaze. “You can’t shoot him!”
Her words hung in the air like a challenge, and I felt a burst of pride for my brave mate, but it was overshadowed by the growing turmoil within me.
This was the moment I had feared—when the world threatened to tear us apart—and deep down, this was why I think I’d tried to send Juniper back in the first place.
Because I knew the two of us together were only destined to be torn apart.
Another man yelled something, but I couldn’t hear him past the blood rushing through my head. Juniper tried to reason with them, but I was too far gone.
