what I just said.”
“It’s a reminder for me. I had it done a couple years back.” A quick glimpse of him incited a smile, and she slid her arm back into her lap, her fingers fidgeting at the compliment. “Thank you. Though, I imagine the women who hang off you most of the time are the most elegant flowers in creation.”
“Elegant, perhaps.” Gavin’s fingers curled around the steering wheel. “Some happen to be the most poisonous.”
Through the windshield, Sabelle caught sight of something white, almost glowing, down in the roadside ditch. “What the hell is that?” She stole a quick glance, noticing the tightness of Gavin’s jaw.
“Sang.”
The car came to a stop on the lip of the road, about a half-mile from where the crouching beast tore at meat from some poor species.
“Say what?” Sabelle’s fingers curled around the leather seat and she straightened her back, focusing on the white creature ahead of them. “Why did we stop?” Christ, whatever it had looked dead from where she sat.
The manic shift of her eyes, to him and forward again, did little to affect Gavin’s focus. “They’re an ancient creature of Orcosia. I’m surprised to see it out in the open like this. They’re usually quite reclusive.” He nodded toward her. “Glove box. Hand me the glock from inside.”
“Glock? Do bullets kill them?”
“We’ll find out.”
***
Gavin quietly slipped out of the car, eyes locked on the white figure ahead. Though, it seemed to still carry some human traits, the further the Sang disease progressed, the more they tended to look like creatures.
Long stretches of muscle fibers hung from its mouth as it consumed the body spread out before it like a buffet. Lifting his hand, Gavin leveled the gun, aimed and fired.
A splat of red hit the beast’s forehead. In a flash of light, it disappeared.
Muffled screams rang from behind, and Gavin swung around to see Sabelle scrambling inside the SUV. He bolted toward the passenger door and threw it open, allowing Sabelle to tumble from the seat. Within, lain across the driver’s seat and console, the Sang oozed a clear, bloody pool that’d trickled across her thighs.
“H-h-how d-d-did it do th-th-that?” Shaking and covered in clear, almost plasma-like ichor, she flinched as Gavin wrapped a coat over her shoulders. Her body trembled against his, before she sucked in a breath and backed out of his embrace.
“They can transport, or flash , as it’s referred. Glad to know he was affected by bullets at least.” Gavin stepped away from her and walked toward the lifeless and discarded body still lying on the ground.
“Where are you going?” She trailed after him like a puppy.
“Making sure the poor bastard he was feeding on is dead.”
As Gavin approached, his pace faltered. The chest of the victim rose and fell—slow and irregular. Its skin blackened with a shine around it’s eyes glowing orange.
“How the hell?” Gavin murmured.
He watched with a frown, as it morphed from human to its Saevious form, writhing with impending death. Its chest and stomach cavities had been torn open and ripped to shit, and entrails hung over the jagged edges of its wounds. Blood trickled down its cheek, and its eyes looked almost robotic, too big for their sockets, as they spun around in what must’ve been delirium.
“What is it?”
“A Saevious demon. Incredibly dangerous. Much stronger than the Sang I’ve encountered so far.”
“So … it was feeding on that?”
“Yes. It must’ve been wounded already. They’re very hardy demons. Savage.” White smoke from inside the demon’s chest cavity caught Gavin’s eye, and he knelt beside the body. Using a stick from the ground beside him, he pushed aside the spilling viscera and shook his head.
Some of the organs inside had crystallized, carrying a white frost on the surface. A few beads of liquid clinging to the outer surface evaporated into the organs.
Gavin blew out a breath and tossed
“It’s a reminder for me. I had it done a couple years back.” A quick glimpse of him incited a smile, and she slid her arm back into her lap, her fingers fidgeting at the compliment. “Thank you. Though, I imagine the women who hang off you most of the time are the most elegant flowers in creation.”
“Elegant, perhaps.” Gavin’s fingers curled around the steering wheel. “Some happen to be the most poisonous.”
Through the windshield, Sabelle caught sight of something white, almost glowing, down in the roadside ditch. “What the hell is that?” She stole a quick glance, noticing the tightness of Gavin’s jaw.
“Sang.”
The car came to a stop on the lip of the road, about a half-mile from where the crouching beast tore at meat from some poor species.
“Say what?” Sabelle’s fingers curled around the leather seat and she straightened her back, focusing on the white creature ahead of them. “Why did we stop?” Christ, whatever it had looked dead from where she sat.
The manic shift of her eyes, to him and forward again, did little to affect Gavin’s focus. “They’re an ancient creature of Orcosia. I’m surprised to see it out in the open like this. They’re usually quite reclusive.” He nodded toward her. “Glove box. Hand me the glock from inside.”
“Glock? Do bullets kill them?”
“We’ll find out.”
***
Gavin quietly slipped out of the car, eyes locked on the white figure ahead. Though, it seemed to still carry some human traits, the further the Sang disease progressed, the more they tended to look like creatures.
Long stretches of muscle fibers hung from its mouth as it consumed the body spread out before it like a buffet. Lifting his hand, Gavin leveled the gun, aimed and fired.
A splat of red hit the beast’s forehead. In a flash of light, it disappeared.
Muffled screams rang from behind, and Gavin swung around to see Sabelle scrambling inside the SUV. He bolted toward the passenger door and threw it open, allowing Sabelle to tumble from the seat. Within, lain across the driver’s seat and console, the Sang oozed a clear, bloody pool that’d trickled across her thighs.
“H-h-how d-d-did it do th-th-that?” Shaking and covered in clear, almost plasma-like ichor, she flinched as Gavin wrapped a coat over her shoulders. Her body trembled against his, before she sucked in a breath and backed out of his embrace.
“They can transport, or flash , as it’s referred. Glad to know he was affected by bullets at least.” Gavin stepped away from her and walked toward the lifeless and discarded body still lying on the ground.
“Where are you going?” She trailed after him like a puppy.
“Making sure the poor bastard he was feeding on is dead.”
As Gavin approached, his pace faltered. The chest of the victim rose and fell—slow and irregular. Its skin blackened with a shine around it’s eyes glowing orange.
“How the hell?” Gavin murmured.
He watched with a frown, as it morphed from human to its Saevious form, writhing with impending death. Its chest and stomach cavities had been torn open and ripped to shit, and entrails hung over the jagged edges of its wounds. Blood trickled down its cheek, and its eyes looked almost robotic, too big for their sockets, as they spun around in what must’ve been delirium.
“What is it?”
“A Saevious demon. Incredibly dangerous. Much stronger than the Sang I’ve encountered so far.”
“So … it was feeding on that?”
“Yes. It must’ve been wounded already. They’re very hardy demons. Savage.” White smoke from inside the demon’s chest cavity caught Gavin’s eye, and he knelt beside the body. Using a stick from the ground beside him, he pushed aside the spilling viscera and shook his head.
Some of the organs inside had crystallized, carrying a white frost on the surface. A few beads of liquid clinging to the outer surface evaporated into the organs.
Gavin blew out a breath and tossed
Similar Books
