Caught by L. L. Frost

Author:L. L. Frost [Frost, L. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Small Bites
Published: 2019-08-05T04:00:00+00:00

“I’m not going to eat you!” I dodge the small trunk that slaps at my face and give the tiny baku a shake in reprimand. “I’m just looking for Aren. Where is he?”

After an entire day of searching for Tally’s brother, I gave up and caught one of the small baku demons that started following me around as soon as Landon left. The little suckers can move fast when they put their minds to it, disappearing through buildings and into cloud banks without a trace.

I never properly appreciated what a sport hunting the little dream eaters was when my cousins boasted about it. But I finally caught one.

She wiggles and flails in my hold, the slick scales on her hide deflecting my talons with ease. When she starts to slip through my grasp, I shift my grip to the mottles brown and black fur ruff around her neck. From the corner of my eye, I spot movement as other baku circle close. While succubi are the superior species here, I’m obviously not powerful, and a pack of them could probably take me down.

Small, clawed feet kick against my stomach, knocking away the protective clay layer that clings to my skin. I never thought I’d be happy for the baked-on crust, as it protects my delicate stomach from evisceration nicely.

Disgruntled, I hold the baku at arm’s length and turn toward the gathering. “You know who I am. You’ve seen me with Aren. We got separated, and I just need to find him again. I am not upset that one of you collected a bounty on me.” It’s a guess on my part, but that lot got more leery of me after my mentor showed up. “I applaud your ingenuity and hope you make good use of the favor you claimed.”

Ears flap, and liquid black eyes blink as the baku stick their heads together in quiet conversation before the largest of the group steps forward. “Aren is the mightiest of us. You will not be able to feast on him.”

“I don’t want to.” As a show of goodwill, I release the baku in my grasp.

She whips around and clamps sharp teeth onto my big toe, then flees before I can kick her in retaliation.

Glaring after her fleeing rump until she disappears through a wall, I turn back to the speaker. “Look, he was showing me those strange cocoons. The ones that appear after humans have vivid nightmares. We’re working together to figure out what’s causing them. We’re partners.”

“Succubi and baku are not partners,” the speaker trumpets, and the others wave their trunks in agreement.

“That’s not true. I like baku,” I coax, though that’s not necessarily the truth. I like Tally and tolerate Aren’s perviness. “I work with Tally on the human plane. You know Tally, right?”

This wins me disapproving stares. Okay, maybe my pink friend isn’t the best reference. She’s not exactly a standard baku demon.

At last, the speaker trots forward, its ruff rising in an attempt to make itself bigger. “I will take you to where he last feasted.

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