Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4)

I nodded because I got it. It made sense that chaos bred opportunity. I just wasn’t sure if Tallis was jumping to conclusions. I mean, it wasn’t like there was really that much out of whack in the Underground City. Well, as far as I could tell anyway—it seemed like business was pretty much per usual. Only Shrezor believed he was no longer under the jurisdiction of whatever level Tallis said he came from … the morgue, I believed it was. It’s not like we saw any other creatures breaking rank and making a run for it.

  However, Alaire’s bizarre actions were not exactly foremost in my mind. What was taking first place in my thoughts was that Shrezor seemed to know Tallis and there was that weird part about running for office … “Tallis, why did Shrezor refer to you as a politician?” I asked.

  “Yeah!” Bill sounded from behind me. “What the hell was all that shit about?”

  “Ah dinnae know,” Tallis replied, but way too quickly.

  “There’re only so many times you can use that excuse,” I rebuffed in a perturbed tone. “And you’re already way over your quota.”

  “Ah dinnae care tae discoos it, lass,” Tallis answered, his tone harsher. He was quiet for a few seconds before he spoke again. “There are incidences in mah past that Ah dinnae want tae bring tae the light o’ day.”

  “Then that’s that?” I asked between tight lips. “You refuse to answer any questions about your past?”

  “Aye, that’s that,” Tallis answered without bothering to look back at me. He squared his shoulders and walked forward, possibly even hastening his steps.

  That’s not fair! I thought to myself. How am I supposed to put my trust in someone when I don’t know what he’s done in his past or what he’s capable of now?

  I couldn’t answer my question because something very large and very black suddenly darted across the train tracks. It was maybe five feet in front of us. It moved so quickly, it appeared mostly as a blur before it disappeared over the hillside in an instant. Tallis stopped walking so abruptly, I nearly plowed right into him.

  “Ready yerself!” he called out.

  Immediately tightening my palm around the grip of my sword, I held it up beside my face while bracing my feet shoulder-width apart. Then I scanned the perimeter, seeking any kind of clue for whatever just flew in front of us. But there was nothing. The air was just as still as ever, and the only sounds to interrupt the otherwise quiet night was the panting from Bill and me.

  “What the hell fuck was that?” Bill whispered after another few seconds.

  “Shhh!” I chastised from the side of my mouth as I focused on the darkness around us again, every nerve in my body at attention.

  Another few seconds rolled by, and still, nothing revealed itself.

  “Whatever that was, I think it’s history,” Bill whispered. His voice was loud enough that I figured he must have been addressing Tallis. But Tallis made no motion to lower his sword, or to move forward. He just stood there, rooted, as still as a statue.

  “Dudes! Sorry to be the messenger of bad news, but we gotta get a move on ’cause I’m about ta shit my pants,” Bill protested nervously. When I glanced back at him with a discouraging expression, I noticed him hopping from one foot to the other.

  “Bill, stop talking!” I whisper-yelled at him.

  “I can’t help it!” he semi-cried back at me. “Whatever the hell that thing was, it gave me the fright squirts and I’m about ta lose total control of my sphincter.” Then he inhaled deeply. “And if that happens, we could all be in a situation that we might never come back from!”

  “Bill,” I started, swiftly losing my train of thought when, from the corner of my eye, I perceived a black shadow darting out right beside me. It seemed like time stood still as I lurched around at the same moment as the thing plowed right into me. The force of it was so intense, it sucked my terrified scream right out of me. I was soon being thrust backward and couldn’t help accidentally releasing my sword. I heard the faint sound of the blade when it hit the metal of the train tracks. Before I could think another thought, I was airborne. Fighting to catch my breath, my lungs burned and ached with the effort. I couldn’t open my eyes, due to the wind against my face.

  “Ah!” I screamed as soon as I felt my back landing against something hard. A split second later, my head bounced against the ground. Immediately, an ache began to pound behind my eyes as stars danced before them. I clenched them shut tightly and tried to ignore the dizziness that threatened to disorient me. When I opened them again, I could only scream.

  The monster on top of me was huge. Enormous. Its shoulders were so broad, I couldn’t see anything behind them. My vision started to go bleary again, so I closed my eyes and prayed to anyone who was listening not to let this abomination eat me. When I managed to open my eyes again, I focused strictly on its neck. Or lack thereof. What should’ve been its neck was so wide, it blended into its shoulders, making its face appear as if it were protruding directly from its collar. The hideous creature was also covered in long, stringy brown hair.

  Trapped in the slow moving grip of terror, I finally brought my gaze from the creature’s neck to observe its face. As soon as I did, my breath caught and another scream lodged in my throat. The thing opened its mouth, revealing a lethal set of very pronounced and very sharp teeth. Then it growled, low and guttural. Its eyes glowed red. They were surrounded by darkish brown skin that matched the leathery texture of its horns, jutting out from its forehead. Each one must have been eight inches long.

  “Go … go away!” I whispered to the thing when I finally managed to find my voice. The creature made no motion to leave, of course, but also didn’t appear especially threatening, at least, not for the moment. Instead, it simply observed me from where it hovered above me. It didn’t make any motion to bite me, or to tear me up with its daggerlike claws. At that thought, I glanced at its hands and estimated each one as easily double the size of my head.

  Realizing the bad situation I was in, my first thought was of my sword. Hoping it was somewhere nearby, I turned to my right and then my left. As soon as I turned my head to the left, however, a searing pain traveled straight up my neck. I heard myself gasping as I clenched my eyes shut. Then I remembered dropping my sword on the railroad tracks …

  So where was I now? Opening my eyes, I tried to ignore the creature still looming above me as it watched me curiously. Methodically, I glanced around and discovered I was lying in the middle of what appeared to be a cave. The ceiling looked like it was constructed from slate, or some other type of stone. From what little I could see of the floor, due to my limited viewpoint and the pitch darkness, I noticed it was littered with debris. I continued to inspect said debris, until I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why? Because when my pupils finally adjusted to the dark and I could focus, I realized with a wave of horror that I was looking at bones.

  “Does not the sweet light strike upon his eyes?”

  - Dante’s Inferno

  FIFTEEN

  Bones? I thought to myself as an undeniable bubble of panic started to wend its way up my spine. This thing intends to eat me!

  Thankfully, the creature didn’t exactly look like it was hungry, or in a killing mood … period. No, it just continued to study me, cocking its head to the side as it perused my face. Even though it wasn’t touching me, it was still straddling me. I was close enough that I could feel the intense heat it radiated as well as smell its musty odor. It smelled just like you’d imagine a yak-man would—mostly like an unwashed, very hairy animal.

  Once I decided I was in no immediate danger of being eaten … well, at least not right away, a wave of relief washed over me from my head to my toes. Taking a quiet, but deep breath while trying to avoid any sudden movement, I started to devise a plan. How to get myself out of this mess … I had to assume I was on borrowed time … but even borrowed time was better than no time at all.

  Lily, your whistle! My mind’s voice suddenly reminded me of Alaire’s gift, which was still hanging around my neck. I
immediately lifted the whistle to my mouth and blew it once. The creature, however, made no motion to back away from me like the other ones had that we’d encountered in the Dark Wood. I blew the whistle again, just to be sure the beast heard the loud, shrill sound. But all it did was stand there, staring at me curiously.

  Clearly, my whistle had no impact on the creatures of the Underground City. Great. Just great.

  But I wasn’t able to feel sorry for myself for very long because the creature suddenly lifted its nose into the air at the same time that it closed its eyes. Its mouth dropped open, revealing some impressively sharp teeth lining its upper and lower jawlines. It began inhaling, panting like a cat, as if trying to catch the scent of something in the air. Its breathing suddenly grew ragged as it started to kick at the dirt on the floor of the cave. It brought its hands to its chest and clenched them into fists before beating them against its well-defined pectorals. It reminded me of a gorilla. A few seconds later, dropping its fists, it glanced down at me again, as if to make sure I was still there. I could see its chest expanding as it inhaled and exhaled deeply. Then I spotted the expansion of something else … something not quite as innocent.

  Oh. No. I thought to myself as my eyes went wide.

  I hadn’t noticed that the creature had a penis until now. Previously, its entire body appeared to be covered with coarse, long, brown hair. Now, however, that hair was parted, revealing a very aroused and very amply endowed male organ.

  “Oh, my God,” I breathed while shaking my head as I tried to back away from the beast. Now I was fully aware of what sort of appetite it, er, he, had for me.

  Once the creature noticed me crab-walking backwards, hoping to slip out from underneath his legs and away from him, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. The man-beast growled a low, guttural sound that I took as a warning aimed directly at me. I immediately stopped moving, taking a few deep breaths to regulate the sporadic beating of my heart. Freaking out certainly couldn’t help this situation.

  The thing took a few heavy steps toward me, his flat feet maybe a foot wide and two feet long. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he hovered over me, glaring down with glowing, red-embered eyes. His ridiculous erection swung from side-to-side, reminding me of a coiled snake about to strike.

  As long as it doesn’t strike me, I’ll be okay, I said to myself. The thought of losing my virginity to a creature that was neither man nor beast filled me with complete, undiluted dread.

  The creature pounded his chest again and lifted his face into the air, this time making a strange howling noise that emanated from the back of his throat. His erection seemed to dance in time with his cries, and the hideous thing shone as red and shiny as a tomato. Without any warning, the yak-man suddenly bent over and wrapped his hands around my waist. I yelled out in protest as he hefted me up onto my feet. Now facing him, I had no choice but to stare into his crimson eyes.

  There’s no humanity in those eyes at all, I thought as renewed fear started to churn my guts. There’s nothing in that creature but feral beast. The truth of my words made my heart sink. It fell all the way to the floor of the cave.

  The thing dropped his hands and began fisting them before beating them against his chest again. My only hope was that he couldn’t reach the rest of his brethren to ask them to partake in his female feast.

  Oh, God, Lily, really? I berated myself.

  The yak-man stopped pounding his chest and reached out to me with paw-like mitts before gripping both of my breasts painfully. Gasping, I pushed away from him and took a step back, my heart lodged obstinately in my throat. In response, he came at me again and gripped my waist, pulling me into the heat of his primeval embrace. I brought my hands up and shoved hard against his chest, my feeble attempt to push him away from me. The feel of his wiry, coarse hair combined with that musty animal smell made me sick to my stomach. The thing growled again, and his eyes glowed an even brighter red.

  “I know the Master of the Underground City!” I said quickly, hoping to reason with this Neanderthal. Furthermore, I was beyond sure that Alaire wouldn’t be very happy to know this monster was planning to mate with me. “I know Alaire! He and I are … very good friends,” I continued, nodding enthusiastically as I grew more excited by the possibility of my plan working. “So you really don’t want to mess with me because Alaire won’t like it, and he’ll punish anyone who assaults or molests me.” The creature just looked at me blankly. “Don’t you understand?!” I railed, the pitch of my voice increasing rapidly. “I’m like a, uh … you know, I’m like a special ambassador! I’m protected by the master, himself!”

  The beast continued to study me, but a complete lack of comprehension in his eyes made me realize he couldn’t speak or understand me. He growled again and released my waist before suddenly spinning me around so my back was against his chest. It was actually a good thing he hung onto me because he turned me so quickly, I lost my footing.

  The thing brutally gripped me by my hips and pulled me into the hard length of his shaft. His enormous erection slipped right through my thighs, and when I glanced down and realized it was still a good eight inches beyond my legs, I started to panic.

  This thing will split you in two! I railed at myself. How could you be so stupid as to lose your sword on the train tracks?

  I failed to answer myself when the creature began pumping against me, his rotten breath assaulting all of my senses and making me gag. I thrust my hands backward, against his thighs and tried to push away from him, but my efforts were basically useless. The creature was massive—even bigger and taller than Tallis. And judging by the way he was anxiously thrusting, he was also determined.

  When he realized I wasn’t at the necessary angle for penetration, he gripped a handful of my hair at the nape of my neck, pushing down on my shoulder with the other hand until I was forced onto my knees. His breathing grew heavier as he settled behind me before gripping my hip with his free hand. He started to mount me again, but was apparently unaware that I was still wearing yoga pants.

  His erection strained against the delicate, thin cotton of my pants, so I immediately thrust my hips forward to get away from him. All that did, however, was precede a stabbing pain in the back of my head where the son of a bitch viciously yanked my hair.

  I cried out as soon as the pain registered, but all the creature did was growl that low warning sound. Then he wrapped both paws around my waist again and forced me back in place. He started to mount me again, and this time, much faster. The thing grunted a few times, not from pleasure, but what sounded like frustration because his turgid, engorged staff kept getting interrupted by the seam of my yoga pants.

  He continued to make strange, guttural, moaning sounds, which eventually stopped once he realized the barrier was still preventing his efforts from attaining their full effect. He growled loudly again, this time suggesting his frustration was growing. Thrusting one mitt of a hand between my legs, he blindly groped the cotton of my pants, as if he were trying to comprehend what the nature of the problem was. He snarled loudly as he pulled his hand from between my legs, following the cotton stretch fabric all the way past my butt and over my hips. Once he reached the hemline of the pants, he searched for an opening along the waistline, using both hands to guide him. I figured his vision must have been bad because he kept fumbling when he tried to yank my pants off, almost like he couldn’t see them.

  I knew he meant to fully bury himself inside me as soon as my pants were off, so I frantically searched for a way to defend myself. When it came to brawn, there was no way I could go up against the sheer massive strength of the creature. And my sword was probably still back up on the train tracks, basically useless to me.

  There’s nothing I can do! I wailed with despair.

  Then you’re just going to let this thing have his way with you? that other part of me argued back. You’re not even going to attempt to resist him?

  Fight back with what? My fists? Maybe a few choice words?! Maybe hit h
im in the head with my useless whistle??!!

  I was spared the need for further mental debate when the creature suddenly got wise to my pants. He began to pull on them, trying to yank them down my hips. My clever response was to spread my legs out wider, making it more difficult, if not impossible, for him to take them off me. The yak-man growled again, this time much louder before lifting me up by my hips and slamming my legs together with his thighs. I refused to pay full attention to my dilemma, though, because I was fully focused on a pile of human bones that were less than two feet away from me.

  If I can grab that femur, I can hit him with it, I thought to myself as I eyed the bone in question. Jutting out of the top of the bone pile, it looked definitely broad and long enough to do some major damage. My only problem now was that I was still two feet away from it, and the creature was growing ferocious in his eager attempts to undress my lower half.

  Snatching the hemline of my pants again, he pulled down on them, but his fingers were so large, he couldn’t get a grip on them. He also failed to understand that he had to slip his fingers underneath the fabric in order to pull them down. He roared in what sounded like exasperated anger before he began panting. Moments later, he released my pants and beat his fists against his chest. Meanwhile, his monumental erection continued to sway this way and that, no less engorged, not even in the face of such adversity.

  As soon as the beast released me, I darted forward, but I didn’t get especially far since I was still on my knees. I was maybe a foot closer to the pile of bones, though. From there, I scampered the short distance before I was abruptly impeded. The creature howled at me, gripping my legs as he yanked me backwards. My stomach burned when it scraped across the floor of the cave, but I ignored the pain. I was too busy fighting against the creature’s tenacious grasp, digging my fingers into the ground as I tried to make my way back to the bone pile. I was close enough to reach out as far as I could and wrap my index finger around one end of the femur. At that moment, the thing yanked me back again. But it didn’t matter anymore; I’d already gotten what I was after. Wrapping my fingers around the middle of the femur, I immediately rolled over so that I was lying on my back. The creature was directly above me, within perfect striking range.