He wasn’t stupid enough to let them see him. Shane hung back, staying just close enough to not lose them. The more he observed the more wrong things felt.

The boy went wherever the girl directed. He didn’t even look around at where they were going.

Shane was becoming convinced that the girl had somehow abducted the boy. The few times they encountered other people, the girl seemed to get agitated. She would very quickly steer the boy away.

Eventually Shane couldn’t take it anymore.

“Excuse me!” He called out, jogging up to them.

The girl turned and immediately scowled at him. “What do you want?” She positioned herself between Shane and the boy. “Have you been following us?”

Shane thought she had some nerve accusing him. If he was right, then it would be a good thing that he followed. Maybe not for her, but still. He glanced at the boy for an indication that he was correct, but got nothing.

The boy was staring at him like he was a complete stranger. There was no recognition at all. That hurt Shane’s pride and confidence.

The girl was glaring at him. “Well?”

“I…” Shane started, but he didn’t know what to say. ‘I think you kidnapped that boy’ might be too blunt.

“What do we have here?”

Shane was saved from having to word his thoughts by a woman walking toward them. She appeared to be in her early twenties and was dressed like she knew just how pretty she was, which was very. She kind of reminded Shane of a model he had done a shoot with as a child.

He shivered. That had not been a good shoot. The other model had tried to walk away with him before his father showed up.

“What a wonderful group of children.” The woman stopped a few feet away and looked between them. She flipped her hair and grinned. “I could just eat you up.”

“That’s really creepy.” The girl muttered. She readjusted her position so that she was now standing between the boy and the woman. Apparently, she deemed the woman to be a greater threat than Shane.

Shane would have agreed even before the woman attacked.

She laughed and flexed her fingers, which turned into long talons. Shane’s jaw dropped. He stared as the woman charged, slashing.

So, it was a good thing she wasn’t aiming at him.

The girl was faster to react. She tackled the boy to the ground to avoid the woman’s talons. Then she kicked at her legs, probably trying to knock her over.

A loud clang filled the air.

Shane looked and almost cried out in horror. Somehow, he had missed that the woman’s legs weren’t human. The one that had made the clanging sound appeared to be made of bronze. The other was a donkey’s leg.

“What the hell are you?” The girl cried.

The monster woman laughed again. She raised her hand to strike. From the ground, the girl had nowhere to go.

Shane had to think fast, so he did what he was best at. He stole the spotlight.

“I’m offended.” He told the monster woman, harsh enough to get her attention. When she looked at him, Shane met her eyes. It was a lot easier than looking at her hands or legs. At least her face was human.

“How could a woman as beautiful as you-” He was surprised by how easily he said it. “-choose people so average over someone as stunning as me?”

He was breaking his number one rule, but he had too. At the very least, his self-confidence might anger the monster woman and make her target him to teach him a lesson.

But she smiled at him. It was a too sweet smile that made Shane’s stomach churn. “Oh, don’t you worry.” She assured him. “These two are appetizers. You will be the main course.”

So, she really did intend to eat them. Great.

Shane tried to keep the unease off his face. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to secure the main course first?” He moved as if he was about to walk away. “What if I just left while you were killing them?”

“You’ve got a point.” She grinned wickedly and took a step in his direction, flexing her talons. “Thank you for the advi--”

She was cut off by a branch going through her chest.

The monster woman howled in pain before bursting into flames and turning to ash. The air gave off a sulphuric smell.

The girl was standing behind where the monster woman had been. She was still gripping the other end of the branch. The look on her face was a mix of fear, anger, and determination.

Shane hurried to help the boy to his feet. “Tell me you saw what I just saw.”

“No.” The boy laughed. For the first time, he looked at Shane long enough for Shane to see his cloudy, unfocused eyes. “But I’m sure it was quite the sight.”