I'd never had a kiss before. Like ever. And I was nineteen and it already felt kind of late.
I'd imagined it would be tasteless, not worth the hype—just a simple action like shaking hands. I mean, it was just pressing lips against each other anyway.
Oh I was so wrong.
I felt like I was going to combust almost immediately. Neutrons were firing off like crazy in my brain. I felt frenzily heated…in a pleasant way.
Meg's fingers slid into my hair, the kiss deepening as I pulled her closer, her weight barely touching the mattress.
I didn't know if I was a good kisser or a bad kisser—I didn't care. I just knew I couldn't get enough of her.
I couldn't believe how undeniably hungry for Meg I was. And it felt just right. My attraction for her was so intense it felt almost gravitational.
When we finally pulled apart, Meg couldn't stop smiling and when she spoke her voice was a soft whisper.
"I'd thought you were a lost cause." She said, catching her breath and leaning back, a new sparkle in her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry." I said, unsure of what to say. My brain still felt short circuited.
She laughed again. "You're hopeless."
She pulled me down beside her, and we lay facing each other, close enough to feel each other breathing.
"So how did you finally figure out I've been madly in love with you?" she asked.
"You what?" My face burned hot again.
Her cheeks suddenly burned red in embarrassment too, "Oh my God!"
Before I could even say anything, she jumped up from the bed and made a silly excuse about cleaning her wounds (that I'd just cleaned) and shuffled to the bathroom.
She didn't leave the bathroom until I'd put down my floor mattress and pretended to fall asleep on it.
I didn't open my eyes even when she finally came out of the bathroom. And even when she came down to join me on the floor and hugged my waist from behind.
But I did fall asleep with a smile on my face and a pleasant warmth dancing around in my chest.
****
When I woke up Meg was no longer in the room.
I didn't exactly know how to feel about last night especially after Meg accidentally confessed her feelings for me.
I found her in the kitchen making scrambled eggs on the counter.
Today she was dressed in a casual grey tank top and short shorts and her dark hair in a messy ponytail.
There were no bandages on her arms and legs anymore and all her cuts and bruises had faded into faint white scars.
When she saw me, she came over and rustled my hair and went back to preparing breakfast without a word.
Was she trying to avoid talking about last night?
I couldn't blame her. I didn't know how to feel about that either…and on our first night together too but I couldn't pretend it didn't happen either.
Neither could I deny how much I wanted more of that.
"Listen Meg…" I paused abruptly.
I'd suddenly sensed something approaching. An evil familiar aura.
For the first time since I'd moved into the cabin with Meg, that nasty anger was coming back.
Something was triggering it and I knew just what it was.
I stood up and marched outside through the front door.
Meg called my name but I didn't answer.
How did it find us? All the way out here.
There was nothing out here, just a widespread field, small hills in the distance dotted with grazing sheep and now, ruining the view…the lone tall skinny figure approaching our cabin, slowly and dreadingly, a massive broadsword at its side.
A Scokytocles.
For some reason though, this time around there was no army of monsters or an Ourodrakon ride like before. Not that I was complaining though, but this felt more…intimate.
Meg opened the door behind me and stepped outside, "What are you-" then she saw the Scokytocles and went "oh."
I was not going to let that creature pass me to get to Meg. It would literally have to be over my dead body.
I knew I was at a disadvantage seeing as I didn't have a weapon to defend myself with, unlike last time but for some reason I felt more confident.
Maybe it was because of what I'd been through since the last time I'd fought a Scokytocles. Compared to fighting a Harbinger or a fellow Hollowbound, a Scokytocles was almost nothing.
The creature stopped about seven feet away from me and spoke to me with its mind.
"I bring greetings from Lord Vorthul." It said in its nasty weird ancient language.
And that kind of took me off guard. What's with the greeting? Last time i'd fought a Scokytocles, all it did was insult my strength and tried to hack my head open.
Was this one just generally nicer or was the one I'd fought earlier just a jerk?
"What do you want, bonehead?" I asked.
The creature pointed a bony crooked finger at Meg, "I came to take the life of that one."
Yeah, this one was definitely a jerk too.
Meg sneered, "Like hell you do."
She turned and hurried inside and I knew she was going to get the machine gun she borrowed from camp.
The Scokytocles tried to follow her but I blocked his path.
"What do you want with her?" I demanded, my anger rising even faster.
The Scokytocles sneered, "The girl is weakening the effects of our poison in your body. I mean to remove her from the picture."
"What do you even mean by that?"
"Move, boy. I would still hurt you even though you are the "chosen" , as long as you stand in the way of my mission."
I ran out of patience and charged at the Scokytocles. The creature growled and swung its massive sword at me.
I dodged easily and got inside its attack and landed a three hit combo punch on its body.
ThIs was way easier than before. After so many experiences fighting tougher and bigger opponents in such a short period of time, this was nothing.
The Scokytocles stumbled back and groaned in pain and tried to get up but Meg had returned with a comically oversized machine gun with a glowing blue muzzle, a malicious grin on her face.
She aimed it at the Scokytocles and fired rapidly at the monster's torso pushing it backward
The bullets couldn't riddle the Scokytocles' body but it seemed to cause it a lot of pain.
I used that opportunity to close in on the monster again, raining fast but powerful blows all over the body, like Brody had taught me during our countless sparring training sessions the previous week.
Whenever I stepped back to catch my breath, Meg would use that opening to fire her weapon in rapid succession, each shot deliberate and relentless.
The Scokytocles didn't stand a chance.
In two minutes I had a heavily mangled Scokytocles at my feet, wheezing and coughing purplish blood from its maw.
I had indeed gotten stronger since the last time I'd fought a Scokytocles. And with Meg, it wasn't even a fair match.
But I wasn't done yet.
I put a knee down hard on its skinny rib and heard a satisfying crunch beneath my knee. The creature spat out more blood.
A snicker escaped my lips.
I put more weight on the creature's chest as it struggled frantically beneath me-.
"Zephan." Meg said curtly, "Don't."
Her voice snapped me back to reality and I released the pressure from the creature's chest.
If Meg hadn't been here…
"The girl needs to go." The Scokytocles croaked, "She's stopping the poison from working effectively. You are the chos-"
He was cut short by Meg pressing her bread knife on his throat.
"What do you want?" Meg demanded.
The creature sneered, "Don't speak to me, woman." It laughed and coughed. "Soon something big will come. And your body must be prepared for it. The great Lord Vorthul will…"
I picked up the fallen broadsword and swung it down on its chest, splitting it open and the Scokytocles stiffened at once, dead.
Meg straightened up, a few drops of splattered purple blood on her cheek.
"What do you warrant he meant by that?" She asked.
As if on cue, someone popped out from thin air right next to me. I gripped the person by her bullet proof vest and lifted her off the ground without thinking.
"Katie??" Meg exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Can you put me down?" Katie said to me meekly, "I'm totally into guys who are a bit rough but we have something more urgent to deal with. Another Harbinger just appeared. Hylla said I should come get you."