The Monster's Caress - S.E. Smith Page 0,71

asked with concern.

He opened his eyes and swayed. Nali grabbed his arm and steadied him. He lifted his hand to caress her cheek, but suddenly paused, his hand in midair. Both of them froze as they noticed the trail of black spiderweb-like veins on the back of his hand.

“I’m infected,” he replied in a strained voice.

The certainty of his statement filled him with dread. Fear for Nali caused him to jerk away from her touch. He curled his fingers into a fist.

“How—when?” she demanded in dismay.

He closed his eyes again and thought about the last few days. He remembered feeling an intense pain in his shoulder when the alien struck him outside the opening to the goblins’ underground tunnels. Now he realized that was when the alien infected him. The blow had been brief, but sharp—like the stab of a needle.

“My shoulder—I thought it was just a bruise. The alien must have injected me with some of its body matter,” he said.

“Loosen your shirt, and let me look at your back,” she instructed.

“Look, but don’t touch me. We don’t know—” He paused and then voiced his grim realization. “There’s a chance it could have spread to you when we made love.” He released a shaky breath.

“If that is the case, then we will deal with it,” she replied.

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged the fabric off of his shoulders, turning his back to Nali. The sound of her low hiss confirmed his fear. He flinched when she gently touched the heated flesh around the bruise.

“There are streaks feathering outward from where the alien struck you,” she exclaimed. “What are your symptoms?”

He stepped away as he pulled his shirt back on, then turned and faced her, slowly buttoning his shirt. He ignored his slight discomfort. There were far more important concerns at the moment, like the images he had seen a few moments ago—and the whispered words.

“Before, all I felt was an ache in my shoulder. A few minutes ago, I experienced minor chills and disorientation. I also had a vision, and it felt as if I could hear the alien’s thoughts,” he said.

Nali’s lips parted on a soft gasp. She took a step forward, ignoring him when he lifted a hand to remind her to keep her distance. Frustration and concern churned inside him at her stubborn disregard for the danger he now presented to her and their mission. She wrapped her hand around his and held it against her chest.

“What did you see? What did the creature say?” she demanded.

“It said ‘we must access the Gateway’. A moment later I saw the eel split apart and the alien spilling out of it. I lost the connection before I could see what happened next. Nali…,” he murmured, cupping her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes. “I now pose a danger to this mission.”

She shook her head. “Not yet. The entity left Medjuline without killing her. We’ll find a way to remove it from you,” she replied in a hard, determined tone.

“I hope it doesn’t require that I run head first into a tree,” he wryly mused.

He started to pull away from her when a movement over her shoulder caught his attention. She sensed his surprise and twisted around to follow his gaze. A small army of dark shapes was approaching the mountain. Asahi’s rising concern dissolved when he heard Nali’s strained, but relieved, chuckle.

“I knew Pai would find me,” she murmured.

Together they waited as the hippogriff led an army of gargoyles to their mountain perch. Minutes later, Pai swept up over the edge of the cliff, followed by the gargoyles. The sight of the granite-like army caused Asahi’s throat to tighten with emotion. For the first time in a while, he was infused with hope. The large group circled around before landing in the serene meadow that carpeted the extinct volcano’s sunken crater.

“Now we only need Ashure and the others to arrive,” Nali murmured, as if reading his thoughts.

“They will,” he replied with confidence.

The words had no sooner left his mouth than a shimmering portal opened less than thirty feet from them. The first thing he saw was Ashure’s grinning face. Asahi noted several other men behind the pirate. He was distracted from watching them appear from the portal, however, by Ashure’s exuberant greeting.

“You don’t know how glad I am to see you!” Ashure exclaimed with relief.

Asahi frowned when he noticed new lines etched around Ashure’s mouth and the unexpected amount of emotion in