Page 44 of Mated to the Monster

Joe gutted the membrane with a vicious twist of its head, its antlers puncturing the beast. And then as one, they grabbed Evie, gathering her into their arms.

She wasn’t moving, and Cazar’s heart stopped as Joe began to push backward, moving toward Kylok and the jungle.

More liquid surrounded them as the beast they were trapped inside writhed and groaned once more, a deep sound that shook them before it quieted. Stilled.

Joe breached the surface, dragging Evie out and laying her gently on the ground.

Alex let out a quiet sob, and Kylok reached for his mate as Joe continued to lean over Evie protectively, checking her over. It pulled a few stray tentacles from her, dropping them carelessly to the ground.

Help her,Cazar hissed, agitation and fear searing his insides the longer they kneeled over his mate.

Evie was covered in brown, thick fluid from head to toe, and her chest wasn’t rising. She wasn’t breathing. Cazar began to rip at the parasite’s control, attempting to wrestle it from Joe so that he could help Evie in some way.

But Joe snarled in warning, reaching for Evie’s face. It pried her mouth open gently and then shoved its long tongue inside, probing her mouth and then her throat. Evie didn’t move, didn’t react, but Alex gagged behind them, letting out another quiet sob a moment later.

The parasite latched onto something with its tongue, pulling it out of Evie’s throat and dropping it to the floor in one quick move as it relinquished control. The shift between Joe and Cazar was instantaneous.

Cazar found himself leaning over his mate as she sucked in a ragged breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, coughing loudly as he pulled her into his arms. Evie sputtered, leaning away from him and vomiting onto the ground. She coughed again, attempting to clear her throat.

They were both covered in fluid from the beast, but he didn’t care as she sucked in another lungful of air, shaking in his arms. Or maybe he was shaking, fear still gripping his heart in a vice. He had almost lost her! If not for the parasite’s quick thinking, she would have died, he realized.

“What happened?” Evie asked on a trembling breath, blinking slowly.

“You got eaten by some crazy fucking ground octopus,” Alex sobbed, pushing Cazar away and throwing herself into Evie’s arms.

“What? It was mud,” Evie said in disbelief, clutching Alex just as tightly.

“No, it wasn’t!” Alex wailed. “There was this crazy jello-pudding body, and it was buried in the ground, and there were freaking tentacles all over you when Cazar pulled you out. I thought you died!”

Cazar allowed Alex to hold his mate for a few moments more before he couldn’t bear the separation any longer. He stood, pulling Evie up and into his arms until he was cradling her to him.

“We’re not covered in mud, are we?” she asked, grimacing. “This is something disgusting, isn’t it?” They were both completely saturated in fluid; her usually beautiful blonde hair matted to her head with brown sludge.

Cazar shook his head. He was fairly confident it was some type of mucus meant to help the beast with digestion, but he didn’t intend to tell his mate that. Not right now, anyway. They needed to get cleaned up, and he needed to hold her close and assure himself that she was alright. That they both were.

Follow the path to the left. To the river,the parasite whispered in his head.

And stars help him, Cazar listened, carrying Evie into the unknown.

Chapter 17

She’dbeeneatenbya tentacle mud monster.

A. Tentacle. Mud. Monster.

There was slime–or was it sludge–all over her. It was all Evie could do to keep from running her hands down her body in a poor attempt to remove it as it began to dry on her skin and clothes. Not that her efforts mattered; her hands were covered in the sticky substance as well, and she hated it. She felt, and undoubtedly looked, disgusting.

Cazar was no better off. Even though Joe had saved her, Cazar’s clothing was ruined, and they were both covered in mud monster goop.

He carried her silently through the jungle, her legs wrapped securely around his torso and her arms linked around his neck. She’d never had someone carry her so effortlessly like this before. The scenery around them was romantic and the temperature was dewy.

It probably would have been lovely if she hadn’t just been eaten!

“You’re shaking, Evie,” Cazar commented, running a hand down her back soothingly. She hadn’t even realized, but now that he’d mentioned it, she was shivering, and her teeth were chattering as if she were freezing. “You’re alright. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

Cazar began to purr, and the deep rumble in his chest stopped her shivers, immediately soothing her. Hugging him tighter, she relaxed more fully into her mate.

Evie burrowed her head into his chest and breathed raggedly through her mouth. It didn’t matter how much she tried to avoid it, the odor coming off the both of them was nauseating. Inescapable.

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