Page 24 of Mortis
I placed a hand against my chest, subconsciously reaching for Him, and warmth met my palm. He was reaching for me too. We had spent decades at war with one another, but despite everything, He remained a part of me.
“A monster on the outside, and the Beast within.”
The human nodded slowly, seeming to absorb the explanation. Then his arm dropped back to his side. “So how long have you and your bodymate been separated?”
The question caught me off guard. “The better part of two centuries,” I replied.
He pursed his lips. “And how long have you been in Blackthorn?”
“Sixty years.”
He inhaled sharply. “When the murders started.”
The guilt I had carried for decades stirred immediately. I looked away, suddenly unable to meet his inquisitive gaze.
“If there aren’t enough negative emotions for you, then I’m guessing you munch on human bodies instead?”
I nodded, and shame settled heavily across my shoulders. “If I don’t feed, the Beast takes control. I believe mortals refer to it as survival instinct.” I wrung my fingers together. “When hunger becomes too great, a demon will stop thinking. Stop reasoning. They become a predator focused solely on finding sustenance.”
My gaze drifted briefly towards the mutilated corpse on the floor, then back to him.
“And they do not stop until they’re full.”
The human frowned and folded his arms across his chest. “So, what? All the hikers in the woods weren’t enough for you, and now you’re picking up dinner in town?”
“No,” I replied quickly. “We were hungry and—”
“Yeah, you said.” He cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand towards the elderly corpse. “But you can’t just chomp on whatever human you come across.”
“I—”
“I mean, you shouldn’t be eating the people in the woods either,” he continued, once again speaking over me. “But at least they had a chance. They could avoid becoming demon food by staying out of the bloody woods. I guess those warning signs actually had a point after all.”
He began pacing, gesturing wildly as he spoke.
“I thought the stories were bullshit. Honestly, a giant monster with horns and sharp teeth? Come the fuck on. I thought there was a serial killer out there. A cannibal.” He scoffed and pushed his spectacles further up his nose. “Turns out I was at least partially right. You’re a flesh-eating demon. A murderer.”
The human stopped pacing and turned to face me. I found myself shrinking beneath his glare, despite the fact I stood more than a foot taller than him. It was remarkably difficult to appear small when one was seven foot tall and possessed horns.
“He was hungry—”
The human planted his hands on his hips. “Well, you can’t just clop into town and start murdering people whenever you feel like it!”
“I never wanted to.”
The words escaped in little more than a whisper. The human opened his mouth, clearly preparing another argument. But he paused, and his expression shifted.
“Huh?”
“I don’t enjoy killing people,” I admitted, lowering my gaze towards the corpse. “I hate it, actually.”
The room fell quiet. Then the human sighed, and much of the anger seemed to leave him with the breath.
“So why do it?”
“Because I don’t have a choice.” I clasped my hands together, claws scraping softly against one another. “I would wait as long as possible between meals. I didn’t want to take lives. But eventually He would grow hungry. Impatient. He would seize control and force us to hunt.”
I swallowed.
