Page 121 of Third Offense

A hunter tracking his prey.

My commander.

Come out, come out, wherever you are,I taunted him.

But the scent remained elusive, no longer existing.

I’m going to make you bleed when I find you,I promised Auric.Because I don’t fucking appreciate this.

Every passing second had my pulse racing a little faster, my senses expanding just a bit more. Goose bumps pebbled my flesh, a reaction I could honestly say never happened to me.

But the mere thought—

No, I snarled.No. He’s alive. He’s just playing hide-and-seek.

I’ll find him.

I always do.

The beast inside me released a low, feral sound, irritated by this pursuit. Auric belonged to Layla. He belonged to me. And I would not allow him to—

I paused, my nose twitching as a hint of mint touched my senses.

Auric…

I inhaled deeply, trying to find the source of that wintergreen scent. Both woodsy and minty, but too faint.

My lips curled down as I took a step to my left, the aroma disappearing entirely.

So I went the other way.

And nothing.

What the fuck?I growled, returning to the spot where I’d barely scented him.

And lookeddown.

I knelt, the scent increasing just enough to confirm he wasunderme.

My inner beast started pacing, forcing my eyes to search for a nearby stairwell. Anything that led down to the being I hunted.

There was nothing within my current view, and no memories of a staircase came to my mind either.

Which means it’s hidden.

I inhaled again, searching for a new scent. Something musky or perhaps stale.Like a dungeon. Fortunately, it was a fragrance I knew well from my last one hundred years in captivity.

I stalked around the first floor, sniffing like a rabid animal as I searched, and searched, andsearched.

I’m going to find you,I thought at Auric.And then I’m probably going to fuck you again.

Except no.

There was an army outside, their presence a steady beat against my senses causing me to move faster, continuing my search, scenting each room.

Tick tock, my conscience whispered.It’s almost blood o’clock.

I hissed,Yes, yes.I wanted to kill them all. Bathe in their deaths. Paint that rocky beach in their gruesome remains.