Bearclaw Valley I know my love can be the killing kind

Little points of bright light popped in his vision. Aventus knew the screams of agony and the signs of it. He’d seen it before in the eyes of the trespasser that Merrick murdered. But he’d never experienced it himself until now.

Before he could contemplate it further, movement in the shadows drew his attention. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, then smoothed back when Evien spoke. They weren’t formally acquainted, but the boy knew this one from afar, and from his efforts to speak with the white demon woman. He wondered, absurdly, if the chocolate healer approved of his decision.

A hitch in Evien’s step drew Aventus’ attention to a hind leg that the man held differently. You’re okay. He only glanced away from that weaker leg when Evien crouched, obscuring it from view. Instead, he got a good look at the man’s green eyes. One was foggy and seemed highlighted by the cream outline below. He wondered if Merrick had made it that way in his own image or if it was mere coincidence.

Are you thirsty? Evien asked. Aventus touched his lips experimentally with the tip of his tongue, then bobbed his head. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been down in the deep, but his throat felt like sandpaper, now that he thought of it.