Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“But it’s dark out now!” Flow-da protested. “The Manimal packs will tear them apart! Please, Goodie Tight-azz—reconsider! At least wait until morning to kick them out!”
Andi appreciated her friend trying to help, but she was afraid all Flow-da was going to do was get herself shot or kicked out as well.
“It’s all right, Flow-da,” she called. “We’ll be okay—Cade can protect me.”
At least she hoped. He had run off the Manimal pack once—Andi was sure he could do it again. As long as he wasn’t too outnumbered…
“But this isn’t right!” Flow-da was beginning to cry. “It’s so dangerous out there!”
“Of course it’s right!” Goodie Tight-azz snapped. “I caught her with her Manimal betwixt her legs—his tongue buried deep in her cunny! I won’t have a fornicating whore in my house.” She glared at Flow-da. “Just keep up your whining and I’ll kick you and your Manimal out too! Is that what you want?”
“No, no!” Andi said hastily. “Please, let Flow-da stay! Cade and I are leaving right now—see?”
She twisted the knob and swung open the round door, shivering as a gust of freezing air came curling around her bare legs.
“Andi!” Flow-da called, her eyes streaming with tears.
Andi had the feeling that if she’d had Hartford with her, she would have come with her into the dark and cold. But he was still back in their room and of course, she couldn’t leave her beloved Manimal behind.
“I’ll be okay,” Andi tried to assure her. “Come on, Cade—we have to go,” she added, tugging on the big Hybrid’s arm, since he was still growling at Goodie Tight-azz.
With a last growl, he finally came with her. Andi noticed that he wasn’t shivering at all, even though he was nude. She might have tried to get him dressed again, but she’d been forced to leave everything in the room they had rented so briefly, including his clothes.
“Please—” she began, thinking maybe she could at least beg for their clothing.
“And don’t come back!” Goodie Tight-azz yelled ignoring her plea.
As the door slammed shut in their faces, locking them out in the freezing cold night, Andi wondered what in the world she was going to do.
35
ANDI
Zo’rath Three had two moons, but they gave extremely weak light. There weren’t any streetlights either—maybe because no one ventured out at night. So it was dark and freezing cold out on the street.
The sidewalk felt rough and cold as ice against the soles of Andi’s bare feet. She finished buttoning the shirt she was wearing and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
Cade, for his part, still didn’t seem cold at all. He was looking around with narrowed eyes, sniffing the air as though looking for danger. It seemed like he must have found it because he made a low sound in his throat and suddenly crouched in front of her in a protective stance.
“Oh no—what now?” Andi moaned.
She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. A deep, inhuman howling split the air. Could that noise come from a humanoid throat, she wondered, feeling sick with fear? Was it the Manimal pack or something else—some monstrous beast that was native to Zo’rath Three?
Cade stiffened and growled, deep in his throat. He seemed to get bigger somehow and when Andi caught a glimpse of his eyes, she saw that they had gone from gold to red.
Oh God, that could only mean one thing—he was going into Rage. It was a berserker state of fury that Kindred males only went into when they felt the female they were protecting was threatened. For Cade to go into Rage now certainly signaled trouble!
She had barely finished thinking that when there was a loud noise at the end of the street and she saw a bunch of Manimals rushing towards them, out of the darkness. They weren’t easy to see, since they had green skin, but they were coming at a terrible pace and there were a lot of them. Many more than the pack she and Cade had fought off back in the Boom-boom field!
Oh my God, there’s no way we can fight off so many! Andi thought, her heart sinking. They’ll rip us to pieces—or else they’ll rip Cade to pieces and fuck me to death! Oh God, I don’t want to die this way!
The first few Manimals were almost on them when a light suddenly pierced the blackness and an earsplitting Ka-BOOM! split the air.
Andi flinched, looking around for the source of the light and sound. To her surprise, she saw Goodie Bo-long striding down the steps of her mansion. In her hands was a long stick-like weapon which she had raised high in the air.
The Manimals in the pack had stopped only a few feet from Andi and Cade. They were still snarling but they were also looking at Goodie Bo-long uncertainly.