Page 31 of Hell Raising and Other Pastimes (Grave Concerns 2)

When they paused, however, I recognized the other person.

I wasn’t sure I’deverbeen so happy to see Kase.

Kase was far smaller than the man, but that hadn’t stopped him from plowing into him as if the man weighed nothing.

I’d seen Kase take on a shifted Troy, yet it still shocked me to witness his speed and strength. Maybe it was because he acted so civilized the rest time, because he hid that side of himself in a way no one else did, because he was unfailingly careful around me. Even Troy, with all his hang-ups, had the look of a rough country boy.

Kase looked like an aristocrat who never got his hands dirty.

At least, he normally did. When going toe-to-toe with a resident of hell, he lost that pristine image.

Kase was faster, but the man hit harder. Worse, the claws that tipped the man’s fingers tore into Kase’s body despite his hardened skin.

The fight was bloody in a way I wasn’t used to, and all I could do was scoot backward.

I wasn’t any help here, couldn’t do a damn thing but stay out of their way.

To my left, the plants parted and one of those guard creatures lumbered through. It was my first good look at it, and I wished it had stayed hidden.

They looked less like dogs than I’d thought and more like a cross between a Komodo dragon and a spider. Eight legs came from its body, flames sparking from its eyes, and large, sharp teeth lined its jaws. The thing was from a nightmare, and in that moment, I swore I’d seen it before, like some memory from something I’d spotted in a vision.

It crept forward, slowly, which seemed rude. I’d seen how fast they were, so this one approached slowly for the fun of it…

It ignored its master, didn’t try to intervene in the fight. Then again, I doubted it gave a damn about its master. This wasn’t a beloved pet—it was a guard, and it had no care for the one who imprisoned it.

It leapt forward, and I rolled to avoid it. Teeth dug in, but caught the ankle of my shoe so I didn’t lose my foot. I used my other to kick it—hard.

It let go, and I got to my feet. The fence line was only about ten feet away…

“Go,” Kase snapped, as if he’d known what I was thinking.

The beast leapt, but Kase was faster. Somehow, he got between the thing and me, took the hit himself, let it dig its teeth into his shoulder instead of mine. He grabbed its throat and threw it to the side.

Worse, the distraction let the man close in land another vicious slash to Kase’s ribs.

My feet wouldn’t move. I couldn’t run…Kase was obviously overwhelmed, and I couldn’t leave him like that.

A thought came to me, one that made little sense, but then again, I was in hell. Things hadn’t made sense since I’d arrived.

I opened my hand, the one still smeared in blood, and let it drip on the plants to my side.

That same high-pitched scream from before came again, but I didn’t stop. I bled on the ones close by, and the man jerked his gaze toward me.

Suddenly, Kase didn’t matter as much to him.

Though, I didn’t care for having his attention, either.

The beast left Kase alone, as well. While it might not love its master, it had been trained to protect the plants.

Kase didn’t move, collapsing to the ground as his opponents moved away.

The beast jumped toward me, and I flung my hand out to try and catch it before it got its jaws around my face. The action sent drops of my blood flying toward it.

When they landed, the thing yelped as if my blood burned it. The beast shook its head and bolted in the other direction, a whimper following as if it had just realizedto hell with this.

“What are you?” the man repeated, his hands open, his claws spread, his voice low and furious.

He walked toward me, each step slow and lumbering. It was then I realized all the wounds that covered him.

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