Page 54 of For the Strange and Surprising

My entire body shivers before I realize that it’s not a frog. I recognize the tusks of the Mongrels’ guard helmets, but I can’t see more than a portion of the profile. Whoever it is has their back to us with their head turned.

“Connak?” I quickly call in a hushed voice.

I don’t want to draw someone over here while we’re naked.

“What is it?” he questions quietly. “Why are we whispering?”

“Do guards patrol this far?”

His brow knit together, forming a crease between them. “No. Why do you ask?”

“Then what is that one doing out here?”

I point to the profile of a beastly helmet. I still can’t see much, but Connak has a good foot of height on me. He follows the direction of my finger, and his eyes widen. He sinks low in the water, tugging me against him until just our heads are above the surface.

“Do you see that lily pad beside us?” he murmurs in my ear. “Don’t make any noise as you move. I need you to get under it.”

I nod, crossing my arms over my chest to cover myself. I’m not thrilled about having someone peep on us while we swim, but his reactions tell me that this is more than being caught by Mongrel guards.

He waits until I’m hidden before he joins me under the plant. Then he quietly lifts the edge, making sure that the dripping water doesn’t splash. I search over his shoulder, trying to follow the direction the guard wanders in.

“Are we not supposed to be here?” My voice is barely audible.

“We are.”

“Then why are we hiding from the guard?”

He takes my hand, pressing my back to his chest so I can see what he sees.

“That’s not a guard, Ada. That’s a beast.”

It walks onto the shore, and my first thought is it’s a fucking sasquatch. Except it’s not.

The beast stands and moves like a human, but it’s got giant tusks sticking out of its mouth. Its bulky body is clothed in thick fur. Dark claws extend from its stubby fingers and toes. A gray cloud pulsates around its body.

The beast kicks our clothes around as it surveys the water. Beady black eyes skim over the lily pads. I hold my breath as Connak’s arm tightens around me. I don’t completely understand the danger, but it’s all around us.

My heart thumps loudly against my ribcage. The beast sniffs the air, its enlarged nostrils flaring. It tips its head back before moving farther down the shoreline. We turn to watch it slink over the rocks without ever getting near the water.

The arm around my waist falls away, but I grip his hand. Over my dead fucking body is he getting out from under this lily pad while that monster is still close enough to hit with a stone.

He gives me a half smile, rising until his shoulders are above the surface of the water. I move to his side as my heart continues to flutter. I don’t think the beast has left, but…

I trust Connak.

He’s a hunter. He knows the land and the threats better than I can comprehend.

And that makes me wonder how he got his scars.

When the beast has been gone from the shore for several more minutes, Connak eases from beneath the lily pad, standing at his height to glance around.

“We need to go.”

“Connak?” I whisper as I push through the water behind him. “Did you see the gray aura? It was like smoke flowing around the beast.”

“I saw it,” he assures me. “And that’s why we need to go, Ada.”

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