Chapter 13

Behemoth

My master’s hand tightened on the top of my head, making all my muscles coil in preparation, waiting for my orders. I had to keep my human buried. He didn’t understand why we had to do the things we did, and neither did I, but this is our life now. Ever since I awakened a few weeks ago, I had known nothing but pain. If I didn't obey her orders, the chips that had been implanted in my human’s arms would shoot enough electrical currents through my body to have me on the ground, seizing until I lost consciousness.

But these new people. They were different. I watched as the strange woman approached the stairs, staring at me. Something in her eyes drew me in even more than I was already invested in her. Her eyes promised me that I would be okay. That I would be safe. It was different from how my ‘benefactors’ made me feel. Only wanting to curl up on her lap, letting her pet me instead of running for our lives from her.

“Don’t come any closer,” my master hissed. “You may have subdued that one, but he was always the weaker of the two. Behemoth here, on the other hand, will protect me with his life.”

The woman stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes still glued to mine, almost pleading with me.

“Let him go, and I won’t kill you,” the woman told my master, making her laugh coldly.

I swallowed hard, unseen by my master, who was glaring at the woman. I had an urge to leap up, clawing out her eyes over the way she was looking at the woman.. Her nail scraped against my skull, and I flew into action. My 8-foot-long wings came out to wrap backwards around my master as I stepped in front of her. I opened my mouth and pushed out a shriek that was so high-pitched that no living shifter in their human form, except werewolves, could hear, calling for my brethren. Moments later, close to a thousand bats darkened the sky. Their wings flapped furiously as I continued to emit little, silent orders to them.

The woman standing in front of me sighed, and seconds later, gorgeous blue scales covered her body. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two of the people she arrived with start to move in our direction, but the other put his hand out, stopping them. Everyone watched as my bats started to circle above them before creating a funnel that rapidly approached the ground until they were flying circles around the woman.

I uttered another call, and the bats shifted direction to swarm the porch. I let my master go, diving toward the woman to clutch her in my talons as I moved her away from the stairs. My master screamed as my bats began to tear into her flesh. I took the woman to the ground with me as electricity flew through my body. I tried to roll off of her, but my body locked up as the convulsions started. She clawed at me, leaving wounds on my face and chest, before breathing fire over me. My body heated but didn’t burn as pleasant tingles all over my skin replaced the violent electricity. I eyed her curiously.

I glanced over her shoulder to see that my master had shifted and was tearing through my bats like crazy. Dozens of their little bodies littered the ground, making me push myself up. My wings came out again to keep me balanced as I made my way to the stairs. I uttered another shriek, and they retreated from the porch, leaving space for me to fly up to land on the leopard’s back. I dug her eyes out before digging my claws into her snout while I tore into her ears with my teeth. She tried to sink her claws into me, but I shifted, making her claws sink into her own back. Bones broke seconds before she collapsed on the porch, immobile. I tossed my head back, calling for my bats again.

They immediately came back to help me finish eliminating the woman who was once my master. Once her body was completely consumed by my horde of bloodsuckers, I dismissed them promptly, flying to kneel before the strange woman with my head bowed. My wings curved forward around my body. I called on my human’s body, slowly shifting back but keeping my wings curled around him to protect him if she decided to attack.

“I offer you my service for life,” I say, unsure if she would accept my loyalty.

She sank to her knees in front of me, reaching forward to grab my hands. “Minton?”

I looked up at her, startled. How did she know my human’s name? I glanced back at the porch. Had I been wrong about trusting these people?

“No.”

She smiled at me. “What’s your name?”

“Behemoth, master,” I answer, lowering my head again.

She dropped my human’s hands to run her fingers over my wings. “You are so beautiful, Behemoth.”

My head shot up to stare at her. Again. “I am?”

She nodded. “Incredible.”

I hesitated before doing what I had wanted to do since the moment I laid my eyes on her. I wrapped one of my wings around her, pulling her close to my body. My eyes drifted shut as pleasure flew through my body again. She nuzzled into my human’s chest.

“Just simply incredible,” she whispered.

I licked my lips. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mayra. These are my siblings. We’re here to take you away from these people.”

I opened my eyes to look down at her as my heart started to pound in my chest furiously.

“Who are you to me?”

She reached up to my face. “The same person that you are to me. Everything. Also known as mates.”

Mates. I had heard the word before from my previous masters. It was never aimed at me, so I had never paid too much attention to it. I swallowed hard again. Mayra seemed sweet, and I felt connected to her in a way I couldn’t explain. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to explain it. She seemed like an honest person, and if she had come to take me away, then she would know everything. Right?

I took a deep breath before asking, “What am I?”