“Even so, you must still be careful, Princess,” said Lord Alvi, never taking his gaze from the beast. “It knows it’s being hunted by us. It will react badly if it feels threatened, female or not.”
“I will be careful,” Aerity promised.
Under the water, Paxton felt her hands skim across his chest, and fought the urge to savor the sensation. Her fingers stopped when they reached his weapons. He let her unsheathe the small dagger and slip it in the waist of her leathers. His eyes bore into hers, and she stared back just as firmly. He would let her have the knife, for what small protection it might bring, but he had no intention of allowing the beast access to her. His hands tightened around her waist.
“We will all approach it,” he said to her. “Together.”
She bit her lip and exhaled through her nose. “All right, fine. Then we’ll spread out a bit. But don’t even think of trying to push me aside when we get close.”
Paxton gave no response. He thought of Aerity standing in the warehouse, her arrow pointed at that woman. The deadly, capable look on her face had resonated deep inside him. “You should know,” he told her, “the beast’s weakness is the patch of skin at its neck.”
Aerity spared him a look of surprise at his forthrightness before staring at the beast closely. “It has no neck.”
“Exactly,” Tiern whispered. “Damn near impossible to kill.”
“It’s there,” Paxton assured her. “Under its mouth, but it tucks its head.”
Lord Alvi nodded, looking from the beast to their group. He touched the four fingertips of his right hand to his forehead before raising them to the skies. “May the stars be with you.”
“And the seas with you,” Aerity said.
The four of them slowly moved forward through the rocky water. The beast prowled back and forth over the shore, watching and waiting. Paxton had never known the beast to behave this way. Almost thoughtful. He’d also never seen it in the light of the sun, which was now setting. This watchful version of the beast made him even more nervous than the animalistic one he’d encountered before.
They were hip deep in the water, a mere twenty steps from the feared creature.
“Lief and Tiern, take the sides,” Paxton said.
“Surround it,” Lord Alvi agreed.
Tiern’s eyes were wild as he nodded. They silently moved wide to either side, the beast swinging his head toward each of them, snorting.
Aerity moved forward, garnering the beast’s attention again. Paxton grabbed her arm, and the beast let out a ferocious growl that split the air. It forged forward, splashing one paw into the water. Aerity raised her palm toward it and let out a series of three clear clicks with her tongue, causing the beast to stop abruptly.
The massive creature watched her with loud breaths, and then it sat down.
All three men stared, astonished. Paxton even dropped the princess’s arm in surprise.
“It worked,” Aerity whispered.
Paxton’s heart, which had nearly stopped, was now hammering. He couldn’t believe it was possible that anyone could control the beast, much less the soft and gentle female by his side. He felt humbled to his core, but as Aerity took a cautious step forward, fear surged again. He withheld the urge to grasp her once more.
“Slowly, Aerity,” he whispered.
She had locked eyes with the creature, and gave a slight nod.
“Keep the knife poised in your hand,” Paxton told the princess. He watched as her hand clutched the handle of the small, sharp blade.
Slowly, so slowly, with movements barely discernible, the four of them began to form a circle around the beast. Time stretched on. The skies dimmed. The beast remained sitting, tense, its hackles of neck fur shooting upward, watching Aerity as she spoke to it in low, firm tones. Paxton tried to make out the soothing words, but he was certain they were a different language.
He had never been so ill at ease. Aerity was far too close to the beast now, and too far from Paxton, whose gut filled with fear. Though Aerity never shrank away, a mere seven paces from the beast now, he could see the sheer terror in her bracing stance. One of her palms was stretched out toward the monster, while the other was at her side, clutching the dagger.
The beast seemed agitated, turning its head slightly to the left and right, as if trying to catch sight of where the hunters had gone. Only Aerity’s voice and commands seemed to be keeping it from turning to attack. Aerity took two small steps forward. The beast seemed to relax the closer she got, so she moved again toward it. She was nearly close enough to touch it now. He could see her chest rise and fall faster. Paxton held his breath and poised his body to sprint forward as she closed the distance and allowed the beast to snort against the palm of her hand.