Page 4

I was pulled toward the monster. Gently.

The bat-man’s nostrils flared as he sniffed me: my hair, my face, my neck. He lingered there the most, and I used this last chance to grab hold of my knife. Only to realize it was trapped in its sheath by the tail around my waist. I shut my eyes, bracing for the fatal bite–

“What is your name, little human?”

My eyes shot open.

The bat-man held me at arm’s length and lifted to his eye level. His dark-blue gaze studied my face, his own expression calm. “Do not be so surprised I speak your language. I’m fluent in three,” he said in a deep, rumbly voice.

I gaped.

“Your name?”

“S-s-sue?” I stuttered. This was unheard of. Supernatural creatures did not speak to humans; they killed us.

“Sue?” It seemed he didn’t like my name. “Little human, did you touch my wing?”

My mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water.

He grunted from deep within his chest, fully healed by this point.

“Yes,” I managed to mumble. “Sorry?”

“I am not insulted,” the bat-man said with a reassuring tone. “However, I do prefer to be awake, and not in a healing sleep, when a female is bold enough to touch what only a mate is allowed to.”

My eyes were as wide as a tarsier’s at this point. My jaw hung open.

A claw-tipped finger lightly lifted my chin. “Close that enticing mouth of yours, female, unless you wish to have it claimed by my lips.”

I blinked.

He revealed one pearly white fang in a lopsided grin. “So you want to be claimed with a kiss?”

A breathless laugh slipped from my lips, laced with disbelief. Was I in the Twilight Zone?

The bat-man’s smile grew. “Alright, play hard to get. I will be given what I desire later, when the environment is safer… You do want to come with me, do you not?”

Go with him? What–

“Let me paraphrase: do you want to be flown to safety, or should I leave you to the flesh eaters and blood suckers? Darkness is almost here.”

I turned to look through the windows. The alien ships were moving away from the city, but sundown was fast approaching. There was a high risk of the dark catching me on the road. A road that cut dangerously close to the Elf-infested nature park.

I had been hunted by the night-dwelling Elves once, and the only reason I had survived that brief encounter was the sunrise. Daylight made them more or less blind.

“Well?” The bat-man gave my waist a light squeeze with his tail.

I shifted my gaze back to his face. Was accepting the offer of an unknown monster smarter or more stupid than trying my luck with the bow-wielding enemy I knew? I would soon find out.

“Could you… um… by any chance… uh…” God, this was crazy. “Could you drop me off at… a location of my choosing?” I shouldn’t lead him to the bunker, but the nearby filling station would do as a landmark.

“Do I look like a taxi to you?” He grunted. “Trust me to take you to a safe haven. Or don’t and stay here. You are a skilled fighter; you might kill several flesh eaters before the rest eat you up–”

“I saved your life,” I reminded him, hoping that meant something to a being like him. “You won’t eat me if I come with you, will you?”

He flashed me another fangy smile. “I do not eat humans. I swear on it.”

“Will you suck me dry?” I had to rule out all possibilities.

His smile grew and his tongue–long and forked like a snake’s–passed along one canine. Then the bat-man put me down and stated matter-of-factly, “You are coming with me.”

Wonderful. I had amused him enough to be taken away from here regardless of my opinion on the matter. Not that I had formed one already. I wished there were instructions on what to do when faced with a giant intelligent bat-man offering you a ride.

While I stood there, wondering what to do, he released me from his tail and went to retrieve his sword.

He pressed something on the handle, and I watched with fascination how the blade folded on itself like in a sci-fi movie.

Handle now tucked in the belt keeping his loincloth in place, the bat-man went to the windows.

He looked them over, a deep line creasing his forehead.

“Where are the handles?”

Oh. “There aren’t any. You can’t open these windows. It’s a safety feature–”

He slid his claws under the frame of a window and pulled. The powerful muscles on his back rippled under the strain.

“Hey, that’s not going to achieve any–”

He tore the large frame with the glass off. Just like that.

“You were saying?” He directed a smirk my way. Once he effortlessly set the glass aside, he extended a hand to me.

“Uh…” I stared at the large blue palm.

Before I could make up my mind, the bat-man took the distance separating us with a stride. Next thing I knew, I was scooped up in his arms like a bride on her wedding day.

“Come, female,” he said as he carried me to the open window. “You hesitated too long. A gargoyle king can only be this patient.”

And then, we were airborne.