MAGE CHRONICLES: THE BEGINNING

39. Hellhounds.

Still creeped out and not wanting to linger, I take a quick shower and collapse on my bed. There was a sense of safety that came with being tucked in blankets all warm and toasty.

My thoughts drift; ranging from my parents, wherever they were, I doubt they'd have managed to keep mama at home once she finds out I was missing, then to the Academy and to Blue... I missed my boy so much. I had tried to downplay my urgency to leave this damn realm, hoping it'd make them slack off and let me be, making my escape easy. But I think I needed to change tactics. I couldn't just wait for the others to come get me... I mean, would they even?

I force my thoughts away fearing the emotions building up in me and they veer to Nyx. He hadn't shown up since the day I put my foot in my mouth and I missed him.

Two hours later, I resign to the fact that sleep wasn't forthcoming and got out of the warmth I had burrowed into. I head to the large windows and open them, jumping up to sit on the sill my legs hanging on the outside.

The night breeze was refreshing, and I was finally relaxed until I felt a hard shove that tumbled out of the window headfirst. Shock and fright glue my mouth shut, and just when I'm about to scream, I slam into something... hard. Hard enough that I feel my teeth rattle.

Was I dead? Oh, my fates, someone had just pushed me out of the damn window to my death. My eyes still shut, I try taking inventory of my body, but funny enough; I feel nothing, other than the initial pain and shock, I felt normal.

"This is so embarrassing," I grumble around a mouthful of dirt and leaves. Most people at least brace their hands to avoid face-planting, but no, classic Mahina, I had to eat dirt.

After getting most of the leaves off me and spitting out the rest, I turn intending to head back into my pretty prison only to find nothing. Well... not exactly nothing, there was a forest of white-trunked trees, I would have called them birch but the trunks were too thick.

I turn a full circle, panic gripping me. What was happening? This was a completely different place from Brights' domain. Turning again, I try to process where the hell I was, which was a futile attempt. I close my eyes and open them again, hoping for a change in the scenery but no luck. Slapping and pinching myself wasn't helping either, I clearly wasn't dreaming.

Before I could assault myself further, a chilling growl reverberates through the woods and I freeze waiting for the sound again, praying it was just a hallucination.

Someone must be slacking at their job up there because my prayers weren't getting answered I think pitifully until the sound comes again, this time from a totally different direction. I turn slowly to scan the trees behind me.

Come to think of it, the place had gone strangely silent, whether in dread, anticipation or both; I had no freaking idea. Scanning the trees again, I meet a pair of red glowing eyes, they are joined by a similar pair within seconds. I watch transfixed as the eyes move closer revealing the magnificent beasts.

"Oh, God," I whisper, reverting back to the scared girl in the streets. Were those hellhounds? Supernatural bogey—-well—- dogs?

Living with supernatural parents I naturally learned a few things, like one; these things weren't supposed to be topside at all unless there was a wild hunt, and two they were skilled hunters.

I feel myself trying to tell if I had pissed my pants already and couldn't feel it. My feet remain glued to the forest floor, apparently, my cerebellum had assessed the situation and checked out.

"What do we have here?"

I unglue my horrified eyes from the snarling beasts and looked behind them at the speaker to find the most perfectly made male I've ever laid my eyes on; the parts I could see with the beasts obscuring most of the view.

A very, very naked male.

I know what you are thinking, and you'd probably be right; this was so not the time. I needed to get my ass in gear and run like hell.

Well, you haven't seen the fine man. I continue staring at said man and a smirk stretches on the magnificent face and fangs pop out; I should have seen that coming.

He moves forward passing in between the hounds, and I fight very hard to keep my eyes on his top half, which granted, was also a piece of art.

"Do you know where you are?" holy hotness his voice was totally orgasmic.

I shake my head slightly still gaping.

"Too bad, he sighs not sounding put out at all, "This is all I'm going to tell you, tiny human, run!"

"Nah Uh gorgeous, those are predators, if I run, I am prey and I hate running, scratch that I really can't run let alone fast enough to get away from those things."

"Well, those things are definitely going to devour you, they will be especially mad if you don't do what they want, which will mean a brutal, slow death, but if you run, the thrill of the chase will have them too excited to play with a snack," he counters with a completely stoic face.

I stare at him gobsmacked, was he really giving options on how to die? Get eaten?

"Well? Be quick about it, I can't stop them any longer."

"Can't or won't?" I ask and the bastard just smirks.

I look at the hounds realizing that they seemed to fight against some sort of invisible force, and they didn't look happy.

"Run!"

Well, fuck!