I turned to see the light colored beast had tossed aside the gator monster to chase after me. Fear soaked tears blurred my vision. “Get away from me. I don’t taste good.” I screamed.
The beast let out a low rumble and ran faster. “I’m not going to eat you. Just stop.” In a flash, the demon darted in front of me and grabbed my shoulders when I slammed into its chest.
Panic made my breath come out in jumbled gasps. A wave of dizziness went through my mind until my knees buckled. The monstrous hands kept a firm grip on my shoulders as they led me gently to the ground. “You’re hyperventilating. Just focus on breathing for me.”
Claws gripped my chin and forced me to look up into glowing, blood-red eyes. My vision swam and everything went dark.
Chapter 2
Brie
Apox on whatever fool felt the need to rummage around my kitchen. I turned over in my bed, trying to block out the occasional bump and clatter of pans coming from the room below. The darkness beyond my window gave testament to the fact that whoever was down there, a robber, a friend coming for fresh cheese, or any sort of drunkard, was here way too fucking early.
My head was killing me. I still had on the blouse and skirt I wore the day before, and they were covered in sweat and dirt. My idiot self must have stumbled home after too many shots. Flashes of monsters chasing me through the woods had me rubbing my temples in frustration. Nightmares were the worst.
Another loud clang caused me to flinch and burrow further under my many fluffy blankets. Not only was that prick too early, but they had no regard for the concept of a hangover. If they had come here just to steal the prized Gouda I had stored in my pantry, then they should have just taken it and fucking left. Briefly, I wondered if it was the same teenager that broke into my family’s cheese shop the week prior. Yet another stupid dare made by teenage idiots that always seem to cost more to those around them than the troublemakers themselves.
The intruder made a low rumbling noise, followed by the sound of more shuffling. Things quieted for a moment and I went back to my task of ignoring it.
Another bang.
“Fuck.” A deep voice cursed.
I sighed and threw the covers off me. Dim morning light illuminated my bedroom in a soft glow. The gentle blue pastels of its interior did nothing to soothe my raging headache. If there is any justice in this world, I would have been allowed to sleep the day away and pretend the world doesn’t exist until tomorrow. But peace would not be found until whatever asshole that was downstairs met my wrath.
Absently, I tucked my titties back into my breast band after their daring escape in the night, then changed my muddy clothes for a halfway presentable nightgown and threw on a bonnet to hide my wild hair. I donned a pair of slippers and snatched a long knitting needle off the nightstand. The cool weight of the metal in my hand felt comforting in its familiarity. I was more used to stabbing through a difficult coat pattern than an annoying intruder, but I assumed the threat of the long needle would get the job done. As soon as they had been scared off, my Blanket Kingdom would once again welcome me with open arms.
Not bothering to tiptoe around my own house, I stomped my way into the kitchen. Brandishing the needle like a dagger, I kicked open my kitchen door. “What’s a woman gotta do to get some god damn sle-” My words cut off and my body froze up. It took a moment for my mind to even process what it was seeing. I held on to the door frame to keep myself upright after my knees threatened to give out.Maybe the shots I had the night before had been spiked?Yes, that made sense. It would explain the weird nightmare as well. The monster that stood next to my fireplace was just some drug-fueled joke gone wrong.
Yet when I shook my head to clear my mind, the beast was still there. It stood on two legs, the top of its head nearly reaching the ceiling. Its massive body was covered in shaggy fur the color of fresh corn. The beast stiffened, finally taking notice of my presence. My heart hammered in my chest as I watched the creature slowly turn around. The red eyes of a massive wolf-like creature locked onto my trembling frame, sending icy fear down my spine. Stranger still, the beast had on my apron. The frilly green garment was strained over the monster wolf’s torso, making the smiley face I had sown on stretch into a worried thin grimace.
“What…what the fuck?”
Turning fully to face me, the beast set down a wooden bowl on the counter. “Brie.” My name came out in a rumble past vicious-looking fangs. Every instinct in my body screamed for self-preservation, and I agreed wholeheartedly. However, the rest of my body was a tad slower than my feet. The needle fell from my hand and skittered underneath my kitchen table as I crashed to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Without bothering to look back, I scrambled up and bolted through my front door. I could hear the scrape of claws against hardwood floors behind me and it only spurred me faster while I ran screaming towards my barn.
“Brie wait!”
Sweet melted fontina, it wasn’t a dream!Sheep scattered out of the way. I knocked a bale of hay over in an attempt to slow my attacker and rushed toward the large red door of the barn. The monster jumped over the fallen hay as if it were nothing and closed the distance between us. I screamed and hit the door with a thud, then forced it open and scrambled inside. Before I could slam it shut, the beast slammed a clawed hand on the door. I let out another shriek and stumbled back.
The creature braced his other hand on the door frame, his breath coming out in deep, slow pants. With a grunt, the wooden door was slammed open, its hinges creaking with the excessive display of force. His chest gave another shuddering exhale before his gaze lifted to pin me in place. Dagger-like teeth flashed into a hungry grin that seemed oddly familiar. “Please don’t run from me, Brie.” He panted. “It’s getting me a little too excited.”
Goosebumps raced down my arms. The predator in the doorway sent off every alarm bell in my soul, but the way he said my name gnawed at me. I swallowed spit and tried to find my voice. “Felix?”
The beast grinned wider. “Good morning.”
I licked my lips and tried to convince my heart to stop trying to beat its way out of my chest. “What are you doing here?”
His enormous wolf’s ears perked up, and he pointed a thumb back toward the house. “I’m making you breakfast.” How he managed to sound guttural, fierce, and chipper at the same time was beyond me.
I nodded once. “OK…how did you get into my house?”
The question caused his grin to finally fade. The werewolf scratched the back of his head and shifted his eyes away. “Um…do you not remember fainting last night? I didn’t want you to have to sleep outside, so I carried you to your bed.”
The memory of the two terrifying creatures became clearer in my mind. “Right..so that was real. Did you find out where I hid my spare key then? I don’t recall taking one with me.” I always lost the damn thing whenever I went out. So I just kept a spare hidden in the wind chime on my porch.
Felix refused to look up from a nail on the floor. “Well, no. I didn’t see a key anywhere.”
My eyes narrowed. “Did I leave my kitchen window open?”
