Her lips quivered in sadness. That was the lesson of the book. It was to remind people that it was okay to care and that once you let someone into your heart, you were never really alone. Even the most simple thing such as looking up at the sky could bring comfort to you, even when the one you loved was far away. "And if I taught you to laugh?"
"I would be tamed."
"Would you? Or would you be the sheep who has a muzzle with no strap and who eats the rose when he's not supposed to? I somehow think that even tamed, you would be beyond control."
Astrid felt the most remarkable thing then. Zarek's lips curled up beneath her hand.
"Are you smiling?"
"I'm smiling, princess. But not broadly. No teeth."
"Or fangs?"
"Or fangs."
She leaned forward and kissed him again. "I'll bet you're gorgeous when you smile."
He grunted at that, then helped her dress.
Astrid snuggled up to him once more so that she could hear the rhythm of his heart. She loved the sound of it, the feel of his strength beneath her.
Even though their lives were in danger, she felt oddly safe here.
With him.
Or so she thought.
In the stillness, she heard a strange scratching sound above them.
Zarek jerked up.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Someone's upstairs in my cabin."
Horror consumed her. "You think it's Thanatos?"
"Yes."
He moved her gently off him and stood her against the wall. Terrified, she remained perfectly still as she listened to his movements and to those above.
Zarek grabbed a grenade, then reconsidered. The last thing he wanted was to trap them underground. He pulled on his spare set of silver claws that covered every finger of his left hand, and moved down the hallway back toward the trapdoor that was underneath his stove.
He heard light footsteps above him.
Then a curse.
Suddenly, there was silence again.
Zarek strained, desperate to hear who was up there and what they were doing.
A strange shiver went down his spine as the air behind him stirred.
He turned expecting to see Astrid.
It wasn't her.
Standing behind him was an odd demonic woman with long blond hair, pointed ears, and large, batlike wings. She was cute in a very strange sort of way.