Page 10 of Stolen By Shadow Beasts

He never lived to see what followed all his efforts, but I’m proud to be part of the battle to help save the dark fae. I’m even prouder that I stood against the shadow beasts and rescued my mate’s sister.

But now? Now I no longer feel like a brave warrior. I feel like a prisoner to beings that are terrifying and dangerous. As much as I try not to think about what they want with me, the question keeps popping back into my head.

Why did the shadow beasts take me?

Another sob escapes my lips, and the shadow beast that carries me slows for the briefest moment.

He makes a sound. It’s almost as if he’s speaking to the other shadow beasts, but I don’t understand his words if he is. I think I heard him speak English during the battle, but it could’ve just been my mind playing tricks on me because he doesn’t seem to understand me now or have the ability to communicate with me.

I don’t even know for sure if these creatures are intelligent enough to communicate with each other inanylanguage.Are they more man or beast?I think about them wearing those collars during the battle. It was clear they were prisoners then, but now what are they?

And when we get to wherever they’re taking me, will they hurt me?

“Just release me,” I say, loud enough that my words feel too loud in the dark night.

But the beast that carries me doesn’t respond or react. He just keeps running.

Time continues to fly by, but I’m not sure how many hours have passed until we come out into a clearing and I see that the moon is hanging low in the sky. It seems these creatures have been running most of the night. The beasts seem to speed up, and I glance around and realize just how fast we’re going. Faster than any fae can move. If we’d been traveling this fast all night, I have a feeling we’re already days away from the academy.

My stomach sinks.

“Just release me! Put me down!” I beg again, my voice cracking.

None of them slow. They just keep going. More time passes, and then we suddenly stop.

The shadow beast that carries me lets me drop gently to the ground. But for some reason, my legs don’t seem to want to hold me, and I collapse onto the ground before him. My gaze moves from the hulking beast above me, his dark hair concealing most of his face, to the area around us. This area could be any other place in the woods, except I see a ring of stones and the evidence of wood having been burned in the center of the stones and a river.

Why have they brought me here? What is this place?

There’s another noise from one of the shadow beasts. A string of sounds, like a low, husky song, or a language unlike any I’ve heard before. The shadow beast emerges from the darkness beneath the trees and comes closer to me. This one, I think, has blonde hair. But it’s long like the man who carried me, tangled, and filthy.

They’re all filthy. But if they were prisoners to our enemies, then that would explain it. Unless, of course, they were just always this gross.

The third shadow beast is suddenly at my other side, and I shriek, cowering back. Part of me recalls the bad-ass bitch I’d been just a short time ago and wants to slap me for shrieking. But when he kneels down and peers at me from beneath the strands of his dark hair, all the fight goes out of me, and I actually feel my body go cold and numb. These things could tear me in half. I’m sure of it.

I also still have no clue what they want from me, and I have a feeling staying quiet and not moving might be my best bet. Yeah, it feels a little like playing dead, but I just sit still, staring into his oddly pale blue eyes until he stands again and begins to speak in that odd language again while moving his hands. His hand gestures are oddly similar to sign language. I’d learned some of it in high school and almost feel like I pick out a couple of words.

“Girl.”

“Bad.”

“Mistake.”

They’re definitely communicating. I guess they are more man than beast.But I’m still not sure if I’m correctly interpreting any of the words, or if I’m just trying to apply meaning to the gestures.

As their discussion grows heated, I eye the trees behind me. Maybe, if I’m fast enough, I can make a break for it when they get distracted. Play dead, then run for it.

It’s the best plan I can come up with at the moment. So, I hold my breath and wait.

The trio moves a little away from me and toward a big thicket of tangled vines and shrubs that cover, what appears to be, the side of a small hill or mountain. Licking my lips, I shift my legs around, trying to get the blood pumping through them, then tense and slowly move to my feet.

When none of them look back at me, I feel a surge of relief and turn around.

Only to come face to face with a nightmare.

The creature behind me is five or six times the size of the shadow beasts. It’s all darkness, like the deep shadows beneath a tree. And it’s built like a wall. Huge arms, huge shoulders, but a short frame. Small tusks curl over its upper lip, and silver eyes fix on me as if I’m the root of all its problems.

Fuck...

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