The Lycan Princess and the Temptation of Sin novel Chapter 12

SKYLA.

I don’t move, the first rule of survival… stay calm… I keep my breathing steady, my eyes blazing plum purple, the exact colour of whatever or whoever that is… we’re pretty far but those eyes look almost… reptilian… I’m not completely sure as I’m not close enough… and then again, there shouldn’t be snakes out here… this is England, not Australia.

I briefly wonder if I actually ended up falling asleep and dreamt that I’m in the land down under. I finally get why they call it that. That place must be hell with the number of things trying to kill you over there.

Focus Sky.

The smell of the earth and the crisp air are enough to tell me that I’m definitely wide awake.

Neither of us moves for several seconds and I slowly rise to my feet, eyeing the reptilian or whatever it is. Wait, maybe it’s a snake shifter! Do they exist? Hell, anything can exist, I mean, I’m a Lycan.

Despite how calm I am, that sense of foreboding is only growing, and my gut is telling me that I should assess the situation and start by getting inside… but before I can, I hear Malevolent meow from behind me.

“Go inside.” I say, terrified for her life as those purple eyes turn towards her.

“Meow?” Malevolent tilts her head, looking at me. She’s on edge. I can see the way her fur is standing on end as she stares into the darkness. I don’t think she can see it, but she knows something isn’t right.

“Go inside. Shoo.” I mutter as I begin edging towards her; wrong move.

I hear a sinister hiss and then that thing is darting straight towards us. It’s incredibly fast, so fast for some reason, I’m unable to see it. There’s a darkness surrounding it and at times I swear it feels like it disappears, but I don’t stop to ponder, darting towards Malevolent as I shift into my Lycan form.

I tower nearly 7 feet tall. My pure white fur stands out in the darkness, sadly - unlike Dad, I don’t really blend into the night. I slash out at the thing as I block the doorway to the cottage. No one touches my kitty!

I growl menacingly, as the darkness surrounding it seems to flicker and then it seems to materialise fully. I see the body of what looks like a huge snake, its thick body covered in shimmery black scales that hold a dark plum hue to them. It’s gorgeous I give it that… why couldn’t my fur be that colour?

But I don’t have long to ponder over it, as I realise how terrifyingly huge it is. I may be 7 feet tall, but this thing is way, way, way, bigger.

Fuck!

It spins around, its tail catching my right flank and throwing me to the ground. The impact knocks the breath from me as pain rushes up my side. I’m glad that it no longer cares about Malevolent. Its menacing eyes turn on me as I jump to my feet, launching myself at it. I manage to throw it off balance for a few seconds, taking the chance to try to rip into it but my claws don’t even manage to dent it. The scales are damn impenetrable.

I dart around the house, fuck I need to shift! But I’m bleeding far too much. I stagger around the side of the house, hearing it slither behind me. Is it just me or is it getting colder?

No… I’m right… the floor is literally iced up… I didn’t even realise the temperature has dropped so much…

“Malevolent, you need to protect yourself.” I mutter as she nuzzles against me. “I know you want to protect me… but that’s not a spider…” I trail off as she blinks up at me with those piercing green eyes.

Aww, she is soo cute! And she’s always there for me… she was only trying to help.

My heart’s racing as the huge snake is struggling to get through the trees and I take the chance to scan the area. I look at the cottage and slam my elbow into the small bathroom window, shattering it. I can hear the rustling of the snake-like beast rushing closer.

I quickly place Malevolent inside before I hurriedly pull out the large shards of glass and drag myself through the tiny window. I bite my lip when the glass scrapes my stomach. It’s getting closer and I grab Malevolent, trying to calm my pounding heart, backing away towards the tub in the corner. It’s on the same wall as the window and I’m praying it keeps us out of sight.

Time seems to still as I edge towards the tub…