Page 168 of Monster Daddies

“Would you like to walk for a while, little girl? Please know that I don’t mind carrying you. I like having you close.” He helps me to my feet and brushes a few leaves from my skirt.

“If it’s all right with you, I would like to walk and stretch my legs for a while.” I grin. “When we reach the really steep part of the mountain, you can carry me then.”

“It’s a deal.” He clasps my hand, and we set off.

It’s a beautiful day, and it feels like a new beginning. But as we walk farther up the mountain, the forest becomes unusually dark, and I notice Papa keeps casting cautious glances through the trees.

“Is it about to storm?” I ask.

He tightens his hold on my hand. “No. I don’t detect the scent of impending rainfall.” His eyes flash with worry. “There’s a chill in the air that’s unsettling. Stay close to me, little girl, and if I tell you to run or hide, you must obey in an instant.”

“Okay,” I whisper. Fear churns through me, and I try to keep my steps quiet as I listen for any odd sounds in the forest. Not that I know what to listen for.

“Don’t be afraid, Kiera. I swear I’ll keep you safe. No matter what.”

The seriousness in his voice causes my fear to deepen.

Without warning, a shadowy, red-eyed form rushes toward us. It happens so fast. I gasp, and Papa pushes me behind him, shielding me with his huge body. He lowers his head just as the dark creature reaches him, and there’s a horrid resounding crash as his antlers impact with the being.

A demon. The wind whispers that it’s a demon.

My blood runs cold.

Worry for Papa grips me. I don’t want him to get hurt. I stand against a tree, watching as the demon continually crashes into him. The demon laughs, and the dark cackle sends a chill down my spine.

“Get behind that large tree,” Papa says, and I’m quick to obey.

I hurry behind the ancient oak, though I occasionally peek out to see what’s happening. I send up prayers to the gods to please protect Silas.Please protect my Papa. Give him the strength to defeat this demon.

Is this wraithlike creature the very demon that’s plagued Zochal? It certainly fits some of the descriptions the hunters have shared. Is it responsible for the wasting disease that stole my parents’ lives?

The wind suddenly picks up, and it carries an urgent whisper. It carries a name.Kalleus. The name makes me tremble, but something about the murmurs on the wind feels important. I peer around the tree at Silas. Papa. Oh gods, he still hasn’t killed the demon. Is it even possible to kill a demon? I reason if anyone can destroy a demon, or drive one away, it must be my mate. He’s a forest guardian, and he’s lived for thousands of years.

Kalleus. The wind whispers louder. Actually, it’s becoming more like a chant.

I watch as Papa slams his antlers into the demon, and the dark creature goes flying into a large tree. It slumps on the ground briefly, then it floats upward and sets its terrible red gaze on my mate.

The Nameless One, the wind whispers.Its true name is Kalleus.

“Silas!” I call out. “Do you hear the wind? What does it mean?” I can’t help but think the wind is trying to deliver an important message, but I’m not sure why the true name of the demon might matter.

“I don’t hear the wind.” He turns to stare at me. “The wind has never revealed the true name of this demon to me, which is why I haven’t managed to kill it. Doyouhear the wind?”

The demon’s true name. Oh, gods. Is that really all Silas requires so he might vanquish the dark creature? I draw in a huge breath, ready to scream the demon’s true name, only forthe being to zoom toward Papa so fast, neither of us has time to react. The demon sends my mate slamming into the same tree I’m hiding behind.

I reach around the tree and touch Papa’s arm. “Kalleus!” I shout. “His true name is Kalleus!”

Papa looks over his shoulder and meets my gaze. “Are you certain?” His eyes widen with shock.

“Yes, I’m certain.” I peer around the forest as the demon disappears. Paranoia sweeps through me. Where did it go?

Papa gives me an urgent look. “Stay down,” he says. “Stay as hidden as possible. I must find the beast and end it once and for all.” The wind howls louder, and his expression reveals his shock. “Gods, I hear the whispers now. I hear its true name. Finally. After hundreds of years of taunting me, as well as other guardians, the wind is finally revealing the creature’s true name. I can scarcely believe it.”

I watch as Papa rises to his feet and roars into the trees. He shifts into his stag form and bellows, “Kalleus!” in a tone so resounding, the ground quakes beneath me. “Kalleus!” He calls the demon’s name again and again.

Eventually, the wraithlike being appears in front of Papa. It twists into itself as though in great pain, and its eyes keep closing. Its sharp-toothed mouth gapes open and it releases a high-pitched noise that hurts my ears, a sound of fear and death, a sound of destruction.

Papa runs in circles around the demon, and he keeps bellowing the creature’s true name. Every time he says the demon’s name, the dark being shrinks. The more Papa says its name, the smaller it becomes, until it finally disappears in a burst of black mist that rapidly dissipates in the air.