Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,56

mind, but it was hard to believe that this tiny little creature could possibly be dangerous. She went down on her knees and patted her lap encouragingly. It studied her out of those big black eyes, then suddenly darted out into the clearing, stubby little legs churning, and jumped into her lap. Its—no, his—whole body was quivering, and she gathered him close, murmuring reassuring noises. He was surprisingly heavy for such a small creature, but he was a reassuringly solid weight in her lap.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” she said softly and started to climb to her feet.

The leaves rustled again, and once more the vegetation parted, but this time, no tiny head emerged. Instead, a nightmarish creature reared over her. Its body was covered with short, spiky fur in murky greens and sickly golds. Six long, thin legs were matched with six bulbous yellow eyes and a mouth that gaped open to reveal multiple rows of teeth. As she gasped in horror, clear liquid dripped from its teeth and hissed as it fell on the surrounding leaves.

God, she was a fool. Why hadn’t she listened to Aidon? The little creature in her arms snarled, fierce despite his small size, and she started to scramble slowly backward. All six of the eyes seemed to focus on her, and a long, furry leg advanced into the clearing. The creature hissed as a shaft of sunlight fell across its leg, and she had a sudden desperate hope. If the light bothered it, maybe she and the animal in her arms would be safe in the center of the clearing. She scrambled faster, but despite its obvious distaste for sunlight, the creature kept advancing.

Why hadn’t she told Aidon that she loved him? In spite of her terror, that thought kept circling in her mind. He would blame himself, she knew, and any hope he had of making peace with himself would be gone forever.

The creature lifted its leg again, and she saw it ended in a single long, dagger-like claw. She curled her body around the small creature in her arms and bowed her head.

An angry roar echoed through the clearing. Oh God, another predator. She was almost too scared to look up, and her mouth fell open as Aidon raced past her. He flung himself at the nightmare creature, and their bodies came together with a loud crash. The creature hissed, and Aidon growled as their bodies tumbled together, their movements too fast for her shocked brain to process. One of the creature’s legs fell to the ground, oozing green fluid, and then another.

Too paralyzed to move at first, she finally came to her senses and scrambled away from the fight.

Seconds later, it was over. The dismembered creature lay bleeding on the ground, and Aidon turned to her, his eyes wild. He crossed to her in one stride before pulling her up in his arms and frantically checking her body for injuries.

“Hanna! Are you injured? Can you ever forgive me for leaving you?”

“I’m fine,” she said even though tears were trickling down her cheeks. “I was so scared, but I should have known you’d come for me. I love you, Aidon.”

His frenzied movements stopped, and he stared at her, his face expressionless.

Maybe I shouldn’t have—

Before she even had a chance to finish the thought, he was kissing her, his mouth hungry and demanding. He started to lift her up his body, and the little creature still cradled against her snarled.

Aidon drew back, his claws extended.

“Don’t hurt him!” she cried. “He’s just a baby.”

“A baby? That’s a war beast. Where did it come from?”

“Out of the jungle. I heard him whimpering—that’s why I was so close to the edge. I’m so, so sorry that I didn’t listen to you.” The war beast butted his head against her. “But at least we saved him.”

Aidon’s brow creased as he looked behind him at the jungle.

“You need to put him back. If his mother comes looking for him… Let’s just say, that’s a fight I don’t want to have.”

“But you said yourself he’s just a baby. What if he can’t find her?” She looked at him pleadingly, and he sighed.

“I doubt she’s gone far. They’re very protective mothers. I suppose I could take a quick look.” He pointed across the clearing at the rocks around the pool. “You go and conceal yourself among the rocks. I’ll see if I can find his mother.”

Reluctantly, she handed over the baby. He started to whimper again as soon