Nightfall

Andromeda tried to whine back only to find herself gurgling.

She coughed. “Why can’t I?” She coughed again, her eyes widening as her hands flew to her face. She explored her features before glancing at her hands in wonder. “I’m human?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Elana and her sisters turned you back.”

She glanced at me and blushed. “Matt? Kiss me?”

Gladly,” I muttered, brushing my lips against hers. She clung to me and I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her to my lap. She deepened the kiss, running her tongue past my lips and over my teeth nicking it. I gently sucked on it hungry for her blood and for her. She moaned and pressed herself closer as my hands began to wander down her sides and back. We were interrupted when the tent flew open and Greg stumbled in laying Betsey down.

We separated blushing but he paid no mind, his eyes on Betsey.

“The Scoli poison must have paralyzed her. She’s been alive all this time. Imagine if we had buried her? We’d have killed her ourselves!” he said, petting the large Cockerdillian who seemed slightly groggy.

Andromeda peeked from my arms at the scene and she sighed at Betsey’s condition. “I hope the pups are ok.”

Greg whirled on her while my eyes still on her bulged slightly.

“What do you mean? Cockerdillians are like mules they can’t give birth,” he said, spearing Andromeda with a glare.

Andromeda shrugged. “With other Cockerdillians maybe but Betsey’s not expecting from a Cockerdillian. She’s expecting from a Scorli. The one we fought was his mate.”

“H-How many?” whispered Greg as he turned back to Betsey.

“Last count was three. I was sniffing her when the Scorli came angry and attacked us. It got to her before she could defend.”

I thought about this predicament. Greg wasn’t going to want to separate from Betsey, but she would slow us down. “How long do Cockerdillians gestate?” I asked my eyes meeting Andromeda’s.

“Two weeks,” came both their replies and I raked my hair back from my face in agitation.

“We need to get to the outpost,” I said, glancing from Andromeda’s tight shoulders to Greg’s white knuckles as he held Betsey’s blankets a bit harder than necessary.

“I’ll stay and make sure the cublings and their mama turn out ok,” said Greg as he went back to bustling around Betsey. I nodded and turned to Andromeda who had an unsure glint in her eyes.

“Maybe I should stay back as well?” she said and my eyes widened even more.

“Andy, we need you to lead us to the outpost,” I said, rubbing her arms gently. She pulled back and watched as Betsey’s eyes slowly cracked open. A whine left her and Andromeda stood and walked away from me and towards the mutt. I wasn’t jealous. Not in the slightest! I glared as Andromeda nosed Betsey as if she was still a canine. Well, some bonds are forever when forged, I guess?

I stood and walked towards Donny, who glanced once at me and scootched away. I decided to leave the tent and go hunting. I needed to release some steam. This whole situation had pissed me off. I followed some tracks to a nest of Houls. Perfect. At first glance, they looked like any family of two roughing it in the plains, except for the fact that they had two humans tied up. Where they had gotten the humans from, was beyond me. My only concern was that they were alive still.

I snuck by the first Houl that looked like an eighteen-year-old male. He was blond with dark eyes and a few freckles. Sneaking up on the monster was easy. He was terrifying the humans by grinning at them with his fangs and glaring at them with his blood-red eyes. I crept over to him and firmly wrapped my hand around his throat and yanked. A crack sounded and the light went from his eyes. My eyes widened. I wasn’t able to do this before. Was this what a few drops of human blood did?

I faced the humans not recognizing the first, but gasping as the green eyes of my friend Tarric were shown in the dim light. I searched for the keys to the cell on the teen and screwed my eyes shut in frustration when I found none.

“Mal!” came a nasal voice and I tried to hide in the shadows. Green eyes followed me, a glint of recognition flitting past them. Tarric kept quiet as another Houl entered. They smelt divine! Like hickory and coffee! I was salivating at the smell to my hunter senses.

“Yo Mal! Stop lying around!” came the nasal voice again along with a body. A nice plump female. She was bursting with the smell. I let out a growl and she heard me thinking it was the boy. She kicked the body around a bit before leaning down and realizing his head wasn’t bobbing right on his shoulders. She gasped and started to scream, til I slammed my fist into her stomach and sent her reeling. She coughed and I smiled before curling my hand around her neck and burying my fangs into her neck.

I pulled at her blood like a Slurpee, except there was no brain freeze and a whole bunch of culinary delight for me. She gasped out and I dug my teeth deeper in her throat. She slowly dried up like a raisin and I disengaged when the last drop of blood was gone from her body. Tarric gulped and I could hear his heart flutter in fear.

“Matt?” he gulped, eyes dilated with that same fear. I smirked. I know I must look a fright with blood-painted lips, and possibly other blood-soaked places, as I could feel the Houl’s strength adding to mine. I approached the cell and pried open the bars.

“Come on, Tarric. Andromeda will be glad to see you,” I said, extending my hand. He took it and images of him and Andromeda bombarded me. Images of the two intertwined, hands gliding over skin that glistened with sweat. Hands traveling to unexplored places, as Andromeda gasped and panted above or below him. I snarled and pulled back holding my head.

What the fuck was that?