Monster Anthology [MxM]

Courting the Manslayer

CONTENT WARNING: mpreg, multiple partners, graphic sex, noncon/dubcon

Throbbing pain lanced through his abdomen with each stumble away from the road. Behind him, his stolen car blazed, slammed into several pursuit cars and blocking the rest of the highway. The inferno rising into the creeping night sky covered his escape—but the trail of blood left in the grass from the bullet wound didn't set his mind at ease.

Mathias Strain pressed a gloved, bloodied hand against the wound. He consoled himself with the knowledge that his shooter no longer breathed—and the blood on his clothes wasn't his alone.

Grimacing as his foot kicked a thick stone, Mathias swore under his breath and pushed himself forward. Ahead of him, far from the road, stood a thick imposing treeline stretching endlessly to the left and right. The trees grew so close together, with vines and thorns closing the gaps, that Mathias nearly despaired, feeling escape slip through his blood-soaked fingers.

His eyes scanned the trees for any sign of a break. Just a few feet down the line of uninviting vegetation, Mathias caught sight of an unusual dead circle in the trees, about waist height from the ground. All around the circle's edge, forest flora grew tall and lush, healthier-looking than the surrounding growth. Upon closer inspection, Mathias's trepidation grew. The stumps on the bottom edge of the circle sat smooth, as if sanded. Glancing up to the top edge of the circle, he spotted the same smoothness as the trees continued, reaching up into the sky as if no hole obstructed their growth.

Beyond the edge of the circle, Mathias saw deeper into the lush, thriving forest.

He nearly turned from the odd circle, feeling a chill of gooseflesh spread down his arms—

Until he heard a shout from the road.

They'd spotted him.

Cursing, Mathias hefted himself up onto the nearest stump. A breath, a grimace, and he twisted, hopping onto the forest floor. Adrenaline thrummed through his blood as he picked up his stumbling pace, dodging around trees, ferns, and moss-covered logs. The need for nicotine spiked as the adrenaline flooded his brain, but he couldn't risk lighting up in the darkening forest. Smoke and cigarette ash combined with the blood trail would only help his pursuers.

After what seemed like hours, Mathias pressed his back against an enormous red-barked tree. Resting his head against the rough bark, he shivered and forced his lungs to breathe. No sign of the cops, or the feds. He couldn't let his guard down just yet, but he needed to rest, needed to take care of the gods' damned bullet wound.

Mathias grit his teeth as he peeled his leather jacket away from his abdomen. Blood seeped from the wound, free of the pressure now. Careful not to jostle himself too much, he slid his jacket from his shoulders and bundled it up behind him, then pressed the exit wound against the jacket. He hated to ruin the leather, but between the bullet hole and the amount of blood that had seeped into the material during his escape, it was already a lost cause.

Taking a deep breath, he gently lifted the hem of his shirt. He examined the wound as best as he could in the dark, then snatched a knife from his boot sheath. Mathias grabbed his lighter from his pocket and flicked his shaking thumb several times on the mechanism. When it refused to light, he cursed and kept trying, glaring at the damnable thing.

Finally, the tiny flame burst to life. Mathias held the lighter under the blade of the dagger, waiting as the metal heated. Once it was ready, Mathias shoved one of his gloves into his mouth to muffle the inevitable sounds, and to keep himself from biting his own tongue off. Another deep breath and Mathias shoved the heated blade against the entry wound.