“Why didn’t you just say so to begin with?” Cheshire smirked and then sniffed the opening of his pack. “Did you perchance fill the bag with catnip? I’m quite suddenly…” his silvery eyes grew large and wide in his face and his lips pulled back into a feral sort of snarl, “ravenous.”
“No, there is not catnip inside,” The Huntsman growled. “Where is the girl?” he snapped, finally at the frayed end of his patience.
Just then, like someone drew the blinds down, the sky turned pitch black from threatening thunderclouds and the strangest thing happened. A radiant slice of sunlight poured from within their fluffy, dark folds.
He shivered.
“Why, beside you. Of course,” the cat purred.
The Huntsman twirled at the animalistic growl that rolled through his right side like the snarl of an advancing predator. Leaping back a good five steps, he crouched in a flight or fight stance, waiting on her to make the next move.
Cheshire’s maniacal laughter echoed throughout the woods before he vanished.
The woman (who could only be Chrysalis) was more wild than he’d assumed. And the way the sunlight surrounded her; she appeared more of a macabre angelic being than a person. She wore a shredded dress of cotton candy blue that appeared stained dark in spots. More than likely dried blood. It fell to mid-thigh. Black and white striped socks with large gashing holes slid up to cover her knees. She wore no shoes. Her hair was a deep ravens wing black, and he could tell it was full of brambles and dirt. Red ribbons threaded throughout the hair, made him think at some point she must have been wearing it up.
She just stood there, staring at him. A blank look in her electric blue eyes. A heart shaped teardrop of black ink snagged his gaze.
As wild as she looked, he was surprised at his body’s instant response to her. Not fear, not wariness, but curiosity. How could something so beautiful, be so wrong? With her high slashing cheekbones, heart shaped jaw, and cat shaped eyes, she was stunning. The best of both Alice and Hatter.
But there was something about her glassy gaze that coated his flesh in goose pimples. A sudden fierce gusting of wind whipped around her, pushing the strands of bangs to the side and suddenly he smelled flowers everywhere. Like an exotic perfume that coated his nose and lungs and filled his head with dangerously wicked thoughts.
She never blinked.
“How’d you find me?” he asked low, soothingly. She wasn’t attacking, which meant neither should he. It was easier to catch prey when coaxing them in.
Cocking her head, she reminded him of a dog when a human gave them a command. As if they were trying to make sense of the jumbled noise. Did she even understand what he was saying?
“How. Did. You. Find. Me?” he enunciated each word, and as he did he slowly, slowly slid his hand into the pouch around his waist.
Her eyes landed on his hand and he stilled, heart fluttering in his throat. And where just seconds ago there’d been stillness, silence, an ungodly roar that could never have come from her, but did, spilled from her tongue.
Mouth going wide, hands curving into claws, she leapt just as the clouds obscured the sun, casting everything in darkness.
The Huntsman hadn’t been prepared for the ferocity of her attack. Or for the way her small body slammed against his with the force of a ten-ton dragon, forcing him to the packed dirt. For just a second he was able to flip around and take back the upper hand, pushing his hands against her shoulders.
She screamed like a hellion, twisting and writhing underneath him. Fingers gouged at his face, clawed his back. Her legs wrapped like steel bands around his waist, snuffing the air from his lungs. And then she managed to somehow reverse their positions again. Now she was the one on top and her small hands were tight around his neck.
Dark spots littered his vision as he gasped and choked for breath.
He’d been holding back because she was a woman. But this was no woman. This was a monster without morals. Clamping his hands on either side of her mouth so that she wouldn’t bite down on his neck, he kneed her between the legs.
Not only did it not shake her, it only seemed to enrage her further. Grunting, the Huntsman made the decision to release her mouth, no way in hell did he want to. But soon he’d pass out and be at her mercy if he didn’t do something drastic.
Shoving his hips out, he managed to scoop his arm around hers so quickly that it knocked her off balance long enough for him to take a deep, bruising breath. Hacking at the fire that filled his lungs.
She slapped his face so hard that stars exploded in his vision.
“Enough!” he roared, to hell with what Danika said. This monster needed to be put down. Nothing like this deserved to live. Using every last scrap of strength he possessed he was able to leverage himself up, and take the dominant position back.
Slamming his fist into her temple finally seemed to work.
A whimper spilled from her bloodied lips. The sound so feminine, that for a moment he wanted to think there was something still worth saving inside this creature. Something human. A spark of sanity.