The Last Hunter: Collected Edition (Antarktos Saga #1-5)

But not death.

That is the difference. A pack of cresties stalked my cavern, slaying the giant albino goats on a regular basis. The place, like much of the underworld, reeked of blood and decay. But there is nothing like that in the air here. Not even rot.

The others seem equally stunned.

“What is this place?” Kainda asks. She actually looks a little uncomfortable.

Em crouches at the edge of the falls, clinging to an outcrop of rock. She leans her head out a little further and breathes deep. “There is no corruption here.”

Kat is more practical. “How do we get down?”

“We jump,” I say, holding out Whipsnap. “Just like moving through the water.”

“You have enough juice for that?” Kat asks.

I take a deep breath of the electrifying air. “Actually, I’m feeling pretty good.”

Kat, Kainda and Em step close and I wrap Whipsnap around them. When everyone is holding on, I say, “Jump together. Ready?”

Nods all around.

“Jump!”

As one, we leap over the edge, falling beside the waterfall. A gust of wind slows us and then swirls around our bodies, depositing us on the soft grassy floor next to the shimmering pool at the bottom.

When we separate, I notice that Kat is sweating. “Is it hot?”

“Gotta be around ninety degrees in here,” she replies. “You can’t feel it?”

“I don’t feel any temperature changes,” I say. “I can walk through fire or swim in ice water. It’s all the same to me.” I motion to her black military garb. “You don’t need to wear all that. The dress code in the underworld is a little less strict.”

She looks me up and down, and then Kainda and Em. We’re all dressed for a day at the beach, if you ignore the weapons.

“No thanks, kid,” she says, and I’m surprised by her modesty. “Most of the underground is a lot colder than this. I can handle a little heat.”

“Um, Sol,” Em says.

She and Kainda are standing a few feet away. Both have their weapons drawn. I didn’t see them recover the knife and hammer from the Nephilim they killed, but then again, I was pretty preoccupied. I step to the side and see what has them on guard.

A lion.

A big lion. It has clean tan fur that shimmers when it moves. Its dark mane flows with streaks of yellow. The cat just stares at us, twitching its tail.

“It must be at least twenty feet long,” Kat says, slowly drawing her pistol.

When the lion takes a step forward, everyone tenses. Kainda raises her hammer. Em brings the knife back, ready to flick it forward. Kat takes aim.

But something is wrong. I’ve seen enough nature specials to know what a hunting lion looks like—low to the ground, ears back, claws splayed—and this is not it. If anything, the cat is mildly curious about our presence.

Kainda’s muscle’s tense. She’s about to strike.

“Wait!” I say, placing my hand on Kainda’s hammer.

“If we don’t strike first—”

“Watch,” I say, moving forward, toward the cat.

“Sol...” Em says, using the tone reserved for when Luca or I decide to try something stupid.

I’m just feet from the lion when the brush at the edge of the clearing rustles. The lion turns its head toward the sound and lets out a roar, but it’s more of a friendly sound than a threatening one. A deer prances out of the jungle and skips up to the lion.

I tense. I have my suspicions, but a deer in front of a lion seems like too tasty a treat for the big cat to resist. But the lion doesn’t budge. In fact, the deer comes right up next to the lion, leans its head into the big mane and nuzzles. The lion leans its head down, rubbing the deer’s back. The big cat purrs, the sound so deep and powerful that I can feel it in my chest.

Then the deer trots on its way, stepping into the pool for a drink.

“I find this so much more strange than giants with six fingers and two rows of teeth,” Kat says.

I think I agree with her. This would be odd behavior in the outside world, never mind in the underground where absolutely everything is either killing or being killed.

The lion steps toward me, lowering its head.

I recognize the gesture. It’s similar to what the big male cresty did when I killed the dominant female, Alice, to save Kainda. I stab the blade end of Whipsnap into the grass and step away from the weapon, reaching a hand out. The lion’s fur is softer than I would have guessed. I rub the giant’s forehead, right between its eyes.

The lion purrs again, stepping forward, rubbing its head against my chest. I nearly stumble back, but the big cat lifts its head over my shoulder and pulls me closer. My face is buried in the thick mane as the cat nuzzles me. When it squeezes me tight, I realize that it’s not just nuzzling me, it’s embracing me. With a laugh, I wrap my arms around the beast’s large neck and squeeze. The lion lifts its head and steps back.