Beneath The Crescent Moon {TMT #3}

Chapter 7

"Forgive my minions," the shadow slurred, sounding so ancient and not in the least bit apologetic. "They tend to relish in dramatic entrances each time we stumble upon a potential member of the family."

After those words were spoken, I felt like scraping my nails over the bastard's face, my heart suddenly racing in turmoil.

I gritted my teeth. If one would even call it a face. His whole essence was black. Inward and outward. The only two structures that stood out completely were his eyes and his fangs.

Both were white. Purely white. He had no irises, no pupils, not even a tongue or a nose. Against his deadly black entity, those two white parts were a huge contrast.

A terrifying one.

He had the ability to take the shape of any living thing he wanted and control the shadows. At least that was what I'd thought before he had somehow found a way to hypnotize me into doing something I still regret to this day.

"How did you find me?" I mentally panicked but squelched the feeling and chose to resort to glaring into the eyes of the Shadow Bender. Or rather, the King of the Shadow Benders: Et Kar.

Despite the yellow eyes in the background being a troubling first, I'd know that ancient, dark voice anywhere. The bloody psycho.

He brushed my question aside. "Is that any way to greet your soon-to-be master?"

Instead of retorting, I suppressed a groan of despair before unwillingly starting in slight fear when his shapeless figure loomed even higher and brooded arrogantly over my tiny frame, blocking the only available light source from view.

Even as I tried to hide my reaction, Et Kar quickly caught on it before I could cover it up, his grin widening further.

"Frightened, love?" he asked smugly, already aware of the answer.

Nevertheless, I instinctively tightened my grip on the object in my hands - although knowing the freaking thing was a useless toy against Et Kar's incorporeal form - and watched the devil casually shrink to my level and take the shape of a man. "This more to your liking?"

"How the hell did you find me?" I held myself from taking a cautious step back after I'd asked. This Shadow Bender hadn't harmed me - yet - but that didn't mean I trusted him in the slightest.

He grinned again. "Ah, Maera. Such a beautiful black rose you are."

"Don't call me that! And I said, how did you find me?" I repeated, my voice as cool and guarded as ever, contrasting deeply with my inner turmoil.

"Well, Maera," he began, ghostly circling a path around me and ignoring my outburst, "a loyal little servant told me that a little mysterious dog came sniffing around my prized possession in my absence."

I gritted my teeth as a wave of anxiety swept over me. I knew it. I had known it all along even as I'd kept on deceiving myself. The bastard had been watching me this whole time. I couldn't believe that I'd thought for a bloody moment that I was safe.

My gaze unconsciously diverted to eye the yellow creatures still hissing and glaring at me from the bushes before quickly returning to the threat now lingering behind me.

"They've been watching me," I said, fighting to suppress my dismay at the same time being hesitant to face the monster at my back. "All this bloody time I thought..."

"Language, love." Nevertheless, I could actually feel his eyes glistening with excitement, apparently showing no signs of offence. "I assumed you were smarter than this, Maera. I am the King of the Shadow Benders and shadows after all. So as long as you have that harmless-looking black figure trailing you wherever you go, know that you cannot hide from me."