Page 5 of Monstrous Heat
In fact, it looked like some kind of dinosaur.
Way to go, Nat. You not only discovered a lost Maya city but the last living dinosaur. Maybe you should go to Scotland next and document Nessie.
Holding my gaze with those wickedly-knowing demon eyes, the creature lowered its head toward me.
My stomach pitched. My ribs squeezed like iron bands. I couldn’t breathe.It’s going to eat me.
At the last moment, it turned its head and rubbed its scaly cheek against my chest. At least it wasn’t slimy or cold, but strangely warm and smooth, almost like textured leather. Braced for rending pain and tearing teeth, it took my brain a second to catch up. The monster made that low hissing sound again and something wet touched my skin. Ugh.
Shuddering, I pushed its head away. “Gross. Stop torturing me and just eat me already!”
It whuffed out that low, raspy huff that sounded like a chuckle. As if I’d made some kind of dirty joke.
Could it actually be intelligent enough to understand every single thing I said? If so…
“If you’re done licking me, then get off me, you son of a bitch.”
Still rumbling, it sat back on its haunches and lifted its paw, letting me scramble backwards out from under it. I crab-crawled as far as I dared, a foot, two. Until those red eyes slitted and it bared its teeth in warning. Okay. So maybe it wasn’t going to eat me. Yet. But it wasn’t ready to let me make a run for camp either.
It—he—looked at me with stark possession.
His head tipped to the side as he watched me. Probably trying to estimate how many meals he’d get out of me. The darkness masked most of the details about his shape. Big. Bad. Teeth. Claws. Scales. That much I already knew.
He leaned back in toward me, and I involuntarily reared back, bracing for attack. Holding my gaze, he stretched out a clawed… hand. Almost. The appendage was shorter than his heavily muscled back legs, and the three toes were smaller, more mobile, but still tipped with claws. These wouldn’t behead me with a swipe—but would let him hold me down while he raked me with his back claws. Or gripped me tightly for those vicious teeth to get a good grip in my stomach. Or throat. Or—
I gave myself a mental slap.Calm down. Fear is bad. He’ll smell it.
The claw glittered like a black diamond. Curved like a blade, it was evidently serrated too. I averted my face, trembling, but he slipped the claw against my throat and ripped. My T-shirt. Not my throat. But it still made me gasp and jerk away, inching my butt in the loamy jungle floor. If he got that rear leg on me again, he’d gut me.
He made a clicking noise, still watching me with those eerie eyes. Like he was trying to tell me something. His intensity made my stomach quiver with dread. Was he trying to decide the tastiest morsel to devour first? Or something…worse? Shivering, I clutched the tattered remnants of my shirt. The dumbest thought popped into my head.
At least it’s not my favorite Hard Rock Cafe shirt.
I laughed out loud and winced at how hysterical I sounded. Not me. Getting dumped in the jungle by my mentor hadn’t rattled me, just pissed me off. Even finding out my guides had been pulled away for an emergency hadn’t made me fall apart. But now, if I wasn’t careful, I’d be sobbing in a ball and wishing I had a blankie to pull over my head until the scary monster went away.
He touched my arm with that vicious claw. I jerked away, but he wouldn’t stop. Not until I stopped trying to avoid it. When I finally looked up at him, his jaws widened enough that it looked like a smile.
Great. Ajokingravenous monster.
A man yelled in the distance, and the creature’s head jerked up. Nostrils flaring, his head scanned left and right. Despite my fear, I had to admit he was brutally beautiful. A killing machine, claws stretched out, teeth bared. Without his attention locked on me like I was a wounded prey animal, I could admire his beauty. Like I’d admire a jaguar. At a zoo. Behind nice protective glass and ten-foot-tall iron fences. No, twenty. Maybe higher. Those back legs looked like muscled springs that would propel him extremely well if he jumped.
I shifted my weight slightly, trying to get my feet under me. His head whipped around and those baleful eyes burned a warning. He stepped closer and turned to the side, giving me his back. As if he wanted me to fuckingclimbon top of his motherfuckingback.
Hysterics threatened again. “Oh, hell, no. Are you fucking kidding me?”
Something lashed the leaves. A tail. Prehensile too, because he wrapped it around my waist and tugged me closer. I beat my fist on the heavily scaled muscle. “No! No way! Don’t touch me, you fucking mutated Godzilla!”
He hissed again and one of those small hand claws dug into the back waistband of my shorts. Kicking and screaming, I bucked in his grip. I couldn’t help it. The thought of climbing on top of this…thing, having it touch me so closely—I couldn’t. My brain felt like spun crystal, splintering toward the full-blown shatter of a million jagged pieces.
With a distinct sound of disgust, he dumped me back down in the root hole. I fell in a graceless heap, sprawled awkwardly on my back. The creature stared at me, that possessive glint in his eyes making me shudder. I didn’t need words to understand exactly what he was telling me.Stay. I’ll be back for what’s mine.
He’d ripped my shirt. To get a good look at my tasty stomach, the better to bite me? Or my breasts?
Come on, Nat. He offered you aride.
I ground my fist against my lips, trying to stifle the hysterical giggles.I’m losing my ever-loving mind.
If he wasn’t going to eat me…
