The Goblin Warrior (Beneath Sands Book 2) by Emma Hamm (100 books to read txt) 📕

to keep here.” She replied. “You will come back tomorrow to be paid, or not at all.”

That had the man pausing. He knew how close Catherine was to the Doctor. Though he was nothing better than a peddler of illegal goods, the man wasn’t a fool. Eventually the gears turned enough in his head and he slowly nodded.

“Aye. Alright. Tomorrow night then.”

“I would leave quickly.” She said. “We don’t want the Doctor to know that you were here or he’ll be taking this lovely beast for his own.”

He nodded and whistled for his men to leave. A few of them started pulling out the posts that tied the creature to the ground.

“Leave those!” Her voice snapped loudly in the tunnel.

They looked immediately towards the man who led them.

“That’ll be extra, lass.”

“I’m good for it.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust ya, lass…”

Catherine sighed. “They’ll be here in the evening and I will return them to you. With interest.”

That seemed to be enough to convince the man and he turned to leave with his band of ragged men.

She walked closer to the creature. Catherine knew how terrified it likely was. Even more so, she knew that a creature who was bound and unable to move was much more likely to do something foolish. The last thing she needed was to be wounded by a wild animal.

“What are you?” She whispered quietly.

The tan fur of the creature rippled with every breath. Growls rumbled through the chest in a slow drum beat that made her heart pound. Light reflected off of the tusks as if it only wanted to warn her how dangerous a position she was in.

“You are a very impressive sight.” She said with a laugh. “And judging by the scars, I would guess you are very old. Either that, or very good at fighting.”

Catherine placed her hands firmly on her hips. “I don’t know what got into me. I’m wasting a lot of money buying you, and I have no idea what to do with you now.”

Of course, she was also talking to herself at this point.

“You are a pretty thing. But I can’t very well bring you back to stay with me in my apartment now can I? There’s a difference between you and a lap cat.”

The creature shifted its weight from one leg to the other. Still, it didn’t lunge at her. She could tell it wanted to be pacing. The other sandcats had done that in the cages. They never seemed to stop moving for a second.

“I think it came here to find the others.”

The voice from behind her made her cry out. Catherine turned on her heel and tripped. Lunging forward to catch herself, she landed hard on her hands and knees. Pain bloomed in her palms as her heart attempted to pound its way out of her chest.

When she finally managed to muster the courage to look up, it was a little girl she saw staring down at her with a stern expression.

The little one had a mop of curly blonde hair that tangled around her shoulders. It fell down her back in a heavy mass that Catherine couldn’t help but compare to tangles of rope. There was dirt smudged across her cheek and darkening her fingertips. Her clothing was streaked with more of the same. She was the most wild little human that Catherine had ever seen.

She belonged in this room where the animals were dragged in. Much the same as a wild cat that had captured Catherine’s heart early on, the little girl had a hint of the desert to her. That spark endeared her almost immediately to the scientist who wanted to know what it felt like to be free.

“You shouldn’t wear heels like that. They always make people fall, and then you’ll hurt yourself. Falling in front of something that dangerous is a sure fire way to get yourself killed.” The stern tone snapped Catherine out of her thoughts.

“What?” Catherine whispered.

The little girl shrugged. “I’m young and all, but even I know that.”

“Who are you? And how did you get down here?”

She watched as the little girl’s eyes widened for a moment, and then she shrugged once more. “Let’s just say I ain’t got a name. Not to you anyways. And I came in through the vents. Been following ya.”

“Why?”

“Dunno.” Again that blasted shrug. “You just seem to be a little lost.”

“I have worked here for many years, I am not lost.” She said as she pushed herself back onto her heels. Her hands left dirt streaks on her perfectly started white lab coat.

“Not that kind of lost.” Willow said quietly. “The same kind of lost I am. You don’t belong here any more than the rest of us with a little wild in our blood.”

A coughing fit caught Catherine unawares, and she pulled out her inhaler to breathe deeply from the plastic tube.

“I don’t think I have much wild in me at all.” She said quietly. It was a fantastical thing to think. She had always wanted that bit of edge to her. The way that other women always seemed to have a primal quality to them that called to others. Catherine was more of a wallflower than that.

“Doesn’t really matter does it?” Willow’s face contorted into a snarl. “We’re all stuck here anyways. Trapped like those animals you keep in cages.”

She meandered around the stunned scientist, making her way towards the giant creature in the center of the room.

The slitted yellow eyes followed every step that Willow took. Its head barely moved, yet the creature was obviously aware of the tiny sprite that slowly made her way towards it.

“There’s a good beastie.” She said quietly. She kept her hands in front of her as she slowly made her way towards it. Catherine was shocked to see how the creature did not appear to be intimidated by Willow. In fact, it allowed her to walk nearly all the way up to it.

It lay dormant in her hands, even as she stroked