Page 46 of Marc
We hadn’t gone far, when he froze.
Without a sound, he grabbed my arm and dragged me to the nearest doorway.
It was the kitchen. I noted the long, stainless-steel counters coated with dust and old appliances.
He yanked me down behind a counter.
A low, throaty noise, that could only come from a monster, echoed softly through the space. The hair on my arms rose and my heart lodged in my throat. Marc was watching, his neck craned to look at the doorway.
I followed suit.Oh, hell. A monster stood in the doorway, its gaze flicking over the room.
It didn’t know if it wanted to be humanoid or not. It was standing upright, but as I watched, it dropped to all fours and took a step into the kitchen. It’s saggy, brown skin was covered in a scale pattern. It was sniffing the air.
I closed my eyes and felt my muscles tense.
Beside me, Marc’s body tensed, as well.
He’d fight. He’d protect me.
I trusted him with my life, but I didn’t want him to get hurt.
We werebothgetting out of here.
I knew I’d be risking my heart, but I really, really wanted to get naked with Marc Jackson. To know how it felt to have him touch me, his heavy weight on mine.
The monster snorted, its claws clicking on the floor. Marc silently lifted his carbine.
Then, without warning, the monster swiveled and slunk out.
I sagged against the cabinets.Thank God.
Marc waited a beat. “We won’t go back out that way. We need to use that door.” He pointed. “I’m guessing it leads to the dining room.”
With a nod, I shuffled toward it. I shifted, and almost knocked into some hanging pots and pans.
He grabbed me and jerked me against his chest.
I blew out a breath. “Sorry.”
“Good?”
I nodded.
We stayed low and quiet as we made our way to the exit. He slowly pushed through the swinging door. The old hinges creaked and groaned, and we both winced.
We stepped into the dining room and my chest hitched.Not again.
“Fuck,” Marc muttered.
More cocoons dotted the entire room. They were resting among the overturned tables, against the walls. Some were in clusters, some were large ones, standing alone.
“Let’s just cross this as fast as we can,” he said.
I wrinkled my nose. “Okay.”
“Fast and quiet.”
We set off. The floor was sticky, and beside us, a cocoon pulsed gently. My stomach did a sickening turn.
