Chapter 59

The streets were emptying quickly as night descended. Once they left the safer streets, Sir Mandalay ensured they kept to the shadows, hoods pulled low over their faces, his hand firmly around hers. He always kept her to his left so he could reach for his sword quickly, his eyes darting everywhere.

Lilitha saw everything: the cats, the mice, the men lurking down the alleyways. Though she didn’t know these streets, she suspected where they were going—the slums. It seemed Mandalay had the same plan in mind she did—pick someone who didn’t matter.

It didn’t take long. Mainstry was so large and so filled with the unfortunate and poor, it was too easy. Lilitha refused to let go of his hand as he hid her in a nearby alleyway.

“Lilitha, release me,” he said.

When she didn’t, he took her wrist and pried her fingers away. Lilitha tried to snatch at his cloak as he left but missed. Gripping her stomach, she slumped against the wall, watching through the darkness as Mandalay approached a man who was swinging around a lamppost, laughing, clearly high on something. The street was otherwise empty except for a cat prowling along a fence, its eyes gleaming like little candles.

Lilitha’s ears twitched as she heard them talking. Then Mandalay bundled him into the darkness. She shut her eyes at a muffled shout, quickly cut off. She held her breath. Moments later, she heard the thud of hurrying footsteps. She snapped her eyes open as Mandalay took her arm.

“Let’s go. We’ve got to be quick.”

“You shouldn’t have done this,” she said as they approached the fallen figure.

“No arguments. Just eat.”

Mandalay stood on guard, eyeing the street warily from the shadows as Lilitha stood over the body. She wondered why she couldn’t smell any blood, then realized Mandalay had broken his neck.

She dropped to her knees, rolled the body onto its back. Lilitha swallowed. He was dirty and ill-kempt, stinking of grime and sweat and booze, but beneath it all he was young, barely more than a boy. His eyes were open and there was a look of surprise. Lilitha stared, wondering if his mother had ever worried about him. Or if he even had a mother.

“Lilitha!” Mandalay hissed.

Lilitha took off her cloak.

His thighs were the best, she could tell even through his pants, as skinny as he was. His blood gushed down her throat and it was like she’d been in a fog for the past twenty-four hours. Instantly, the night seemed to come alive, with feelings and sensations and happiness. She felt happy. Happy to fill her tummy. Happy to be alive.

She forgot about Mandalay. She forgot Clara. She even forgot about Damon and Mateus and Silus. All there was was the primal urge to satiate herself. Her hands and mouth and face were sticky. She thought she heard growling—was there a hungry dog nearby?—before realizing it was herself. Mandalay grabbed her shoulder, warning her to be quiet.

When she was done, she slumped to the ground, hand upon her abdomen, breathing deep breaths as she stared up at the sky, enjoying the way her blood hummed through her veins. Then Mandalay was standing over her, pale but expressionless.

“Finished?”

Lilitha nodded. He held out his hand, Lilitha took it, and he heaved her to her feet. He caught her as she stumbled.

“I feel better,” she said.

“Good.” He wiped down her face with his hand. Then he grabbed up her cloak and used it to clean down her neck and hands. “Do you have to make such a mess?” There was humor in his voice. “Here.” He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her. “We need to learn to do this better.”

“Don’t you feel bad?” she said as he tossed the bloodied cloak over the body. She looked down at the boy, numb, licking her lips. He was an appalling mess. She’d ripped open his abdomen and his guts were all over the place. The street reeked of blood.

“No,” he said. “He was a cretin. If I hadn’t killed him, somebody else would have or he would have killed somebody else. No more talking, let’s go.”

Lilitha made sure to keep well wrapped up in his cloak as he dragged her back toward the Black Hound.

“Why here?” she whispered.

“It’s close. And I don’t want you looking like that where I live. I will make use of this place until we resolve this…this ~problem~ of yours.”

~Problem.~ Her eating people was a ~problem~. Merely a problem to be rectified. Not something bad. Not something evil. Lilitha licked her lips as she followed him upstairs. He was naive to think he would ever resolve anything.

Stepping into the room was much different now from when she’d first entered. No fear. Only a dark hollowness in her chest where a good person’s soul should have been.

“I’ll return,” Mandalay told her. “Keep quiet.”

He left, returning minutes later with a basin of cold water and a towel. “Do it properly this time.”

He left again.

Lilitha stripped off and washed herself as best she could, the water turning red within moments. She kicked her clothes into a bloodied bundle in the corner. From there, she did nothing except pace the floor, glancing through the window periodically as she awaited Mandalay’s arrival.

She felt warm. She felt energized. She had a strange urge to run as fast as she could down the streets, screaming and laughing and leaping in the air. Her body buzzed with energy. But all she could do was pace and flex her fingers, thinking that this was how a caged animal must feel.

Wincing, Lilitha grabbed at her backside as her tail spasmed. Her hands were shaking as she raked her fingers through her hair. She needed to get out of the room. She needed to be wild. She needed to be free. A growl clawed out of her throat, which she quickly swallowed down.

And then she saw him through the window—Mandalay. He was striding back toward the inn. A curious sensation spread like fire through her body. Thrusting open the door, she stood on the landing as he entered below.

He looked up at her with a start. Moonlight was gleaming through the nearby window, turning his hair and eyes bright. She was naked. Water dripped down her back.

Pocketing his key, he hurried upstairs. He grabbed onto her, and Lilitha grabbed onto him.

Then she was pulling him against her, her mouth ravishing his. He grabbed onto her head as he kissed her back.

They stumbled back into their room. They didn’t even make it to the bed, collapsing onto the floor.

Lilitha helped to claw off his clothes. He wrenched open his tunic, buttons popping off all over the place.

Lilitha was yanking at his pants. His erection burst free, and Lilitha grabbed onto it. Mandalay gasped and seized her wrist, pulling her away.

Lilitha wanted to be on top. A need to dominate made her curl her thighs around his hips and roll him onto his back.

Mandalay wouldn’t have it, rolling her back and pinning her shoulders to the floor. Lilitha squealed, then growled, as he sucked and mauled her breasts.

She desperately tried to roll him over, but he was too damn heavy and obnoxiously strong. He moved to her face and kissed her.

Lilitha was snarling and growling and whining as he shoved open her thighs. She was battling against him, clawing her fingernails down his chest as he struggled to insert himself.

His shaft kept bumping against her thighs as she playfully fought against him, laughing and snickering. Mandalay gritted his teeth, his face red. “What’s gotten into you?”

Finally, he found his way, sliding into her. Lilitha closed her eyes as pleasure crackled up her spine.

Clamping her thighs hard against his hips, she arched against him, pulling him in tighter, deeper. “Let me see you,” he said, brushing at her eyelids.

She opened her eyes. He grabbed her face, his breath hot against her cheek, blue eyes gazing deeply into hers as he thrust into her. His shaft engorged, filling her up, growing hot and slick and rigid.

Lilitha moaned, arching into him farther. He pushed in deeper, harder, faster.

Grabbing her hands, he stretched her arms above her head, baring his teeth as he plowed, driving Lilitha’s backside against the floor. “Uh, uh, uh, uh,” Lilitha grunted.

She thrust against him, her pelvis smacking against his, sucking at his bottom lip as her orgasm surged throughout her body in rough, blasting waves.

Two more powerful thrusts and Mandalay shuddered, pouring into her with a quiet growl. Lilitha sighed, her thighs flopping to the floor, the walls of her vagina throbbing around his hardness.

Mandalay didn’t move, still pinning her to the floor, his body stiff with tension, eyes squeezed shut as he held onto the last of his orgasm with all his might. Then he kissed her, long and passionately.

And for the first time, Lilitha wanted to kiss back. For the first time, it was bearable. He even felt good inside her.

What the hell was the matter with her? She was wrong in every way. Her human father had been right.

He pressed his forehead against hers. “I guess you’re feeling better.”

Lilitha was panting as she looked back into his eyes. His breath was hot against her. The moonlight shone against his damp skin.

One hand was wrapped loosely around her throat. He slipped to the side onto his hip, dropping his chin into his hand as he watched her drowsily, a small smile playing upon his lips.

His eyes were bright as he fondled her breasts. “Your nipples are so soft,” he murmured, passing his thumb over her right one. “Like little rose petals.”

He dropped his face and kissed both in turn. “Everything about you is beautiful.” ~Even my need for human flesh?~ she wanted to say but kept her lips pressed shut.

He lay beside her, pulling her into him so her face was buried into the nape of his neck. Gently, he stroked her back.

Lilitha bit her lip. All she wanted to do was cry.