Page 13 of Hell Raising and Other Pastimes (Grave Concerns 2)

“But…it’s dead.”

Goo leaked from beneath Hunter’s shoe, a sickly, green color, and I gagged. “Nope. Sex is not happening out here with things likethataround.”

Hunter scraped what was left of the creature from his boot on a rock. “Cock-blocker,” he snarled at the body.

I shuddered, reminded that maybe hell wasn’t the place for crazy outdoor sex, what with creatures after me and everything wanting to eat me.

Hunter offered me one hell of a leer.Including one hellhound who might just succeed…

“You said you wanted to show me something.” I tried to steer the conversation back on track and ignore the way my bodystillcraved his touch. “I’m assuming it wasn’t just your penis.”

“Well, thatisa sight to behold, as you well know.” He winked, then held his hand out to me.

I set mine in his, and he tugged me farther down the path we’d taken, the one that wound around between rock walls and opened into countless caves.

When we’d passed a few, I would have sworn I’d spotted red eyes gazing out at me from the opening. A quick glare from Hunter or, on occasion, a growl, sent whatever hid there running deeper into the darkness.

Everyone else had stayed at the camp we’d made, seeming to trust Hunter with me on his own. Then again, if anyone knew how to keep someone alive out here, it was him.

This was his home.

Each time I thought that, it weirded me out again. Hell didn’t seem like a home to me at all.

Has anywhere seemed like a home?

Before the melancholy thought could burrow in too deep, Hunter stopped short. He pulled my hand until I stood beside him, and in front of us?

A huge ravine was tucked between two sprawling mountains. In the center, trees rose, and a red river sliced through the place. Things crawled along the far mountain face, though they were too far away for me to make out details.

“What’s this?”

“This is the pass.”

I frowned, recalling the conversation with Jerrod. “I thought you said we were going through that town.”

“Jerrod wasfartoo anxious to know where we were headed for me to tell him the truth.”

“Why would he care?”

Hunter lowered himself to sitting, dangling his legs over the edge of the cliff. A tug to my hand got me to take a place beside him before he slid his arm around my waist, as if wanting to make sure I stayed close and didn’t tumble off. “You don’t belong here, shadow-girl.”

“If the whole throwing up thing didn’t tell me that, I’m pretty sure the spider sold the point to me. I could tell him I don’t want to be here anymore than he wants me here.”

Hunter shook his head, his fingers stroking my side as if an unconscious motion. “You don’t understand. Hell is the antithesis of the living realm. Life exists there, corporeal form, light. Here it’s the opposite—darkness, smoke, death. Just like creatures in the living realm harness the power of death and shadow because itisa power there, creatures from hell are drawn to the living the few times they manage to get here.”

The way Jerrod had stared at me made slightly more sense, and terrified me even more. “How exactly do theyharnessit? I’m guessing it isn’t a process I’d enjoy.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, because I won’t let it happen. Jerrod is a sneaky fucker, though, and I have no doubt he’s got something planned.”

I wanted to argue, to remind him I needed to understand the dangers I faced, but the tight lines of his face made me listen just this once. If he found the idea this objectionable, it was probably something I was better off not knowing.

“I never figured hell for having towns. It’s been all empty so far.”

“That’s because I’ve led us through the wilderness. I know every inch of this realm, so I’ve avoided anything with other beings. I was hoping no one would catch your trail, but Jerrod is a good tracker.”

“So why lie to him if he can just follow us?”

“Because if he thought we were headed there, he’d plan based on that. Jerrod is one of the weaker hellhounds, but he’s one of the cleverest. He wins by plans, by ambushes and exploitations.” A hesitation in his tone made me frown.

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