black tentacles around her middle, and the total looks of horror on her audience’s faces.
She screamed as she was yanked backward through one of the glassy portals, shards exploding on impact. They cut at her hands, her face, and stung her eyes. She tasted blood in her mouth where she bit her tongue. The punishing force around her midsection released, tumbling Cassie backward, down and down until she impacted on soft earth, smelling of loam, manure, and something she thought twice about identifying.
Opening her mouth to yell, she caught the blow full to the face. Falling, her head cracked against a stone, and stars dazzled her eyes.
“Boss, hang on—they’re coming.” Billy sounded like he’d spent one too many hours in the dentist’s chair. Or maybe that was just her. Maybe it was how hard her head hit the stonework.
Another blow caught her in the shoulder, and she flipped, scraping her chin along the stone. Blood spurted from her nose and sliced lip. She tried not to think of the taste of it in her mouth.
He—no, it stalked toward her. Cassie tried to assess her situation. It was dark, it smelled badly, she was alone, and something in the dark seemed intent on eating her face.
Could be worse.
She wasn’t sure how, but it could be worse. “Billy?” Cassie tested her voice, surprised at how rough the hoarse whisper sounded even to her own ears.
“Right here, boss.”
“This is a nightmare, right?”
“Sorry, boss—” The roar from the thing trying to eat her face cut him off. Cassie’s heart sank.
She planned to die, old and infirm, at the ripe old age of ninety-five, not ninety-four or ninety-six, but ninety-five. Old enough to know better and young enough to still get a kick out of not giving a hoot. She had no plans to die in this dark, stinking hole as a victim.
Dammit.
She shoved her hands in her pockets. She didn’t have a gun or a magical sword to summon from anywhere. Hell, she didn’t have any damn salt. Yanking her hands out of her pockets, she ran her hands over the rough stone wall, using it as a guide. She took one step, testing the footing carefully. Loose rocks shifted under her sneaker. She paused, listening to the darkness, and the sounds of a snorting breath came just inches from her ear.
Cassie froze, fingers digging into the shale rock. Hot, moist breath brushed her cheek, and something skittered along the rock.
Don’t scream.
Don’t scream.
Don’t scream.
It breathed, flush against her face, snuffling and foul.
She held her breath, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate on the idea that she was not trapped in the inky darkness with a creature that wanted to eat her. The warm breath snuffled down the length of her, lingering near her face before brushing past her once more.
Swallowing her fear, Cassie counted a hundred of her heartbeats before shuffling her feet forward. Her breathing rasped loudly to her own ears, but the snuffling in the darkness kept moving away. Step by step, she kept moving. She had no idea what direction she traveled in. She just followed the wall.
Cold air breezed across her face. Cassie paused, turning her nose toward the fresh air washing away the foul odor. Keeping one hand firmly on the wall, Cassie tested the ground away from it with her foot. She tried one step and then another. She resisted the urge to curl down to her hands and knees as she moved her fingers away from the wall.
Fear thrummed through her. Nothing moved in the darkness. Biting her lip, Cassie tested another step, then another and another, five steps and counting. The breeze grew stronger as she slid forward, one agonizing step at a time. She refused to lift her feet, edging them along, certain that the blackness hid a sudden precipice just waiting for her to tumble over the edge.
Another dozen steps from the safety of the rough wall, she ran into another stone wall. The wind grew stronger, carrying the scent of brine, sand, and sunshine. Blinking her eyes
She screamed as she was yanked backward through one of the glassy portals, shards exploding on impact. They cut at her hands, her face, and stung her eyes. She tasted blood in her mouth where she bit her tongue. The punishing force around her midsection released, tumbling Cassie backward, down and down until she impacted on soft earth, smelling of loam, manure, and something she thought twice about identifying.
Opening her mouth to yell, she caught the blow full to the face. Falling, her head cracked against a stone, and stars dazzled her eyes.
“Boss, hang on—they’re coming.” Billy sounded like he’d spent one too many hours in the dentist’s chair. Or maybe that was just her. Maybe it was how hard her head hit the stonework.
Another blow caught her in the shoulder, and she flipped, scraping her chin along the stone. Blood spurted from her nose and sliced lip. She tried not to think of the taste of it in her mouth.
He—no, it stalked toward her. Cassie tried to assess her situation. It was dark, it smelled badly, she was alone, and something in the dark seemed intent on eating her face.
Could be worse.
She wasn’t sure how, but it could be worse. “Billy?” Cassie tested her voice, surprised at how rough the hoarse whisper sounded even to her own ears.
“Right here, boss.”
“This is a nightmare, right?”
“Sorry, boss—” The roar from the thing trying to eat her face cut him off. Cassie’s heart sank.
She planned to die, old and infirm, at the ripe old age of ninety-five, not ninety-four or ninety-six, but ninety-five. Old enough to know better and young enough to still get a kick out of not giving a hoot. She had no plans to die in this dark, stinking hole as a victim.
Dammit.
She shoved her hands in her pockets. She didn’t have a gun or a magical sword to summon from anywhere. Hell, she didn’t have any damn salt. Yanking her hands out of her pockets, she ran her hands over the rough stone wall, using it as a guide. She took one step, testing the footing carefully. Loose rocks shifted under her sneaker. She paused, listening to the darkness, and the sounds of a snorting breath came just inches from her ear.
Cassie froze, fingers digging into the shale rock. Hot, moist breath brushed her cheek, and something skittered along the rock.
Don’t scream.
Don’t scream.
Don’t scream.
It breathed, flush against her face, snuffling and foul.
She held her breath, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate on the idea that she was not trapped in the inky darkness with a creature that wanted to eat her. The warm breath snuffled down the length of her, lingering near her face before brushing past her once more.
Swallowing her fear, Cassie counted a hundred of her heartbeats before shuffling her feet forward. Her breathing rasped loudly to her own ears, but the snuffling in the darkness kept moving away. Step by step, she kept moving. She had no idea what direction she traveled in. She just followed the wall.
Cold air breezed across her face. Cassie paused, turning her nose toward the fresh air washing away the foul odor. Keeping one hand firmly on the wall, Cassie tested the ground away from it with her foot. She tried one step and then another. She resisted the urge to curl down to her hands and knees as she moved her fingers away from the wall.
Fear thrummed through her. Nothing moved in the darkness. Biting her lip, Cassie tested another step, then another and another, five steps and counting. The breeze grew stronger as she slid forward, one agonizing step at a time. She refused to lift her feet, edging them along, certain that the blackness hid a sudden precipice just waiting for her to tumble over the edge.
Another dozen steps from the safety of the rough wall, she ran into another stone wall. The wind grew stronger, carrying the scent of brine, sand, and sunshine. Blinking her eyes
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