the rattling I heard in the bush?”
“Maybe.”
“Then you know Chrysalis, don’t you?”
It wasn’t his imagination that she shuddered. Even her breathing fluctuated, increasing rapidly. “You mean the demon?”
“Is that what you call her?”
Her lips pinched. “It’s what we all call her. And no, I don’t know her well at all. But I do know of her. What about it?”
“How many days has she been on the loose?”
“Days?” she laughed. “Try years.”
“What?” That didn’t mesh with the story Danika had given him. “Didn’t the girl turn on her eighteenth birthday?”
She shrugged, her movements lithe and sensual. Like a cats, the thought popped quickly into his head. “As I said, I do not know her. I could not tell you her age. But I do know that she’s been haunting our woods for fourteen years, at least.”
“Fourteen years?” He shook his head. She had to be wrong. “Fourteen years would have made the girl four years old.”
“I see you don’t believe me, but I have proof.”
“What kind of proof?”
The sky was beginning to darken. They had thirty minutes, an hour tops before the sun sat. They had to break for camp.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “we’re close.”
“Close to what?”
“To where camp will be for the night.”
He narrowed his eyes, the back of his neck prickled as he wondered whether she could read his mind. “Who are you, Lissa?”
She smiled and there was a hint of mystery behind the sensual façade. “I’m a guardian. And these are my woods.”
Just then a foul smell permeated the air, the stench of decomposing flesh and rancid blood. It was a rotten stench and made him gag.
She however, seemed completely unaffected. “It’s just the Ogre, as I said. See.” She pointed straight ahead to where a bridge had suddenly appeared as if from thin air.
It was made of a massive knot of brambles and ivy and Aeric wasn’t certain whether the thing was even safe to walk upon.
Stabbed into the ground beside it was a wooden sign that read: Halt ye who dare to trespass on the Ogre’s bridge . But it wasn’t the words that caused a shudder to ripple down his spine; rather it was the flecks of dried blood splattered upon it.
He lifted his brows, looking around for the green skinned brute. Lissa peered over the edge of the steep drop off that the bridge spanned.
“Looks as though Druselda isn’t here. How very strange,” she murmured to herself.
“Druselda? The ogre I’m assuming?” Aeric turned to her.
Muttering something that sounded like an assent, she started across the bridge.
“Woman,” he growled, instantly wary. Everything just felt off to him. Which was no wonder when one walked through Wonderland, but how could a guarded bridge be empty? If there was one thing he knew about beasts was that they guarded their territories with their life. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree.” She nodded wide-eyed, but shrugged out of his grip and continued her forward march.
Realizing he either had to join her or be left behind, he reluctantly followed.
The bridge was sturdier than appearances would lead one to believe. The winds, that’d been balmy and gentle just a second ago, now slammed into them. Causing the bridge to sway precariously.
Gripping onto the railing with a white-knuckled intensity, and overcome with a very sudden and serious case of vertigo, Aeric stopped. “Lissa, I think we should find a way around. Something has died here.”
And that was no exaggeration. The stench was cloying at this point, making his eyes water. The wind and the smell, it was making his stomach want to revolt. He wasn’t normally so weak willed, but he didn’t like this. And if there was one thing Aeric trusted above all else, it was his innate sixth sense that’d seen him through quite a few near scrapes.
Her footsteps were lithe and agile, her pert little bottom flexing with each step. He had to admit, the view wasn’t so bad and did
“Maybe.”
“Then you know Chrysalis, don’t you?”
It wasn’t his imagination that she shuddered. Even her breathing fluctuated, increasing rapidly. “You mean the demon?”
“Is that what you call her?”
Her lips pinched. “It’s what we all call her. And no, I don’t know her well at all. But I do know of her. What about it?”
“How many days has she been on the loose?”
“Days?” she laughed. “Try years.”
“What?” That didn’t mesh with the story Danika had given him. “Didn’t the girl turn on her eighteenth birthday?”
She shrugged, her movements lithe and sensual. Like a cats, the thought popped quickly into his head. “As I said, I do not know her. I could not tell you her age. But I do know that she’s been haunting our woods for fourteen years, at least.”
“Fourteen years?” He shook his head. She had to be wrong. “Fourteen years would have made the girl four years old.”
“I see you don’t believe me, but I have proof.”
“What kind of proof?”
The sky was beginning to darken. They had thirty minutes, an hour tops before the sun sat. They had to break for camp.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “we’re close.”
“Close to what?”
“To where camp will be for the night.”
He narrowed his eyes, the back of his neck prickled as he wondered whether she could read his mind. “Who are you, Lissa?”
She smiled and there was a hint of mystery behind the sensual façade. “I’m a guardian. And these are my woods.”
Just then a foul smell permeated the air, the stench of decomposing flesh and rancid blood. It was a rotten stench and made him gag.
She however, seemed completely unaffected. “It’s just the Ogre, as I said. See.” She pointed straight ahead to where a bridge had suddenly appeared as if from thin air.
It was made of a massive knot of brambles and ivy and Aeric wasn’t certain whether the thing was even safe to walk upon.
Stabbed into the ground beside it was a wooden sign that read: Halt ye who dare to trespass on the Ogre’s bridge . But it wasn’t the words that caused a shudder to ripple down his spine; rather it was the flecks of dried blood splattered upon it.
He lifted his brows, looking around for the green skinned brute. Lissa peered over the edge of the steep drop off that the bridge spanned.
“Looks as though Druselda isn’t here. How very strange,” she murmured to herself.
“Druselda? The ogre I’m assuming?” Aeric turned to her.
Muttering something that sounded like an assent, she started across the bridge.
“Woman,” he growled, instantly wary. Everything just felt off to him. Which was no wonder when one walked through Wonderland, but how could a guarded bridge be empty? If there was one thing he knew about beasts was that they guarded their territories with their life. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree.” She nodded wide-eyed, but shrugged out of his grip and continued her forward march.
Realizing he either had to join her or be left behind, he reluctantly followed.
The bridge was sturdier than appearances would lead one to believe. The winds, that’d been balmy and gentle just a second ago, now slammed into them. Causing the bridge to sway precariously.
Gripping onto the railing with a white-knuckled intensity, and overcome with a very sudden and serious case of vertigo, Aeric stopped. “Lissa, I think we should find a way around. Something has died here.”
And that was no exaggeration. The stench was cloying at this point, making his eyes water. The wind and the smell, it was making his stomach want to revolt. He wasn’t normally so weak willed, but he didn’t like this. And if there was one thing Aeric trusted above all else, it was his innate sixth sense that’d seen him through quite a few near scrapes.
Her footsteps were lithe and agile, her pert little bottom flexing with each step. He had to admit, the view wasn’t so bad and did
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