Mary and the Minotaur by Honey Phillips

Chapter Thirteen

“Strip,” Chinit ordered, waving the blaster at Mary. He had used it to force her into the house, complaining the whole way about the state of the property.

Even without his complaints, she could tell that it had once been a beautiful home. The rooms were large and nicely-proportioned, and once the shutters were open, they would be full of light. Now they were dark and sad, with a thick layer of dust covering everything and only a few broken pieces of furniture remaining.

“Don’t make me tell you again,” he snarled, taking a step towards her.

As he did, he tripped over an old chair leg and stumbled, hitting his broken arm against the doorframe and yowling in pain.

“You should have someone look at that,” she said quickly.

“No shit. But I can’t exactly show up at a medical facility, can I?”

“You mean you’re on the run too.”

“Temporarily.” He scowled at her. “I have very important connections. They are already working on restoring my position.”

Were they really?she wondered. She remembered the Chinit she had seen at the warehouse, arrayed in all his finery. Despite his continued arrogance, he no longer looked rich or important—he looked desperate. The very fact that he had brought her to this deserted, dilapidated place argued that he didn’t have many resources left.

“Do you want me to take a look at it?” she offered.

Not that she had any desire to help him, but perhaps it would postpone her seemingly inevitable rape. She had no illusions about what he wanted from her. If only she’d tried harder to encourage Sendat to go all the way. She wanted him to be her first, not this madman.

Maybe he’ll find me in time, she thought hopefully, but it was hard to sustain her usual optimism when she was in an abandoned house with a sadistic lunatic.

“Have you had any training?” he demanded. “I am used to the finest medical care.”

“A little.” She had taken first aid classes as part of her teacher preparation, after all. “And it looks like I’m your only option.”

He scowled at her, but he shifted his arm uncomfortably. She suspected he was in significant pain, especially when he gave a begrudging nod.

“I suppose you’ll have to do.”

In addition to the remnants of furniture that were scattered on the floor, there were some built-in benches that must have once been covered by cushions. She urged him to the largest bench along one wall, as she started to come up with a plan.

He kept his hand on his blaster, eyeing her suspiciously as she very carefully lifted his arm. From the unnatural way it moved, she was quite sure it was broken. The fact that he was still able to function with that kind of injury was frighteningly impressive. He swore when she touched it, but she managed to keep her face calm and, hopefully, professional-looking.

“It’s definitely broken—”

“I knew that, you stupid bitch.”

“—but I think a splint will help.”

“How are you going to do that?” he scowled.

She gestured at a pair of broken chair legs. “I can use those to stabilize the arm, and tie them in place with material from my pants.”

“They’re all going to pay for this,” he muttered, then waved his good hand. “Do it.”

At least he was no longer clutching his blaster.

Gathering up two of the broken chair legs, she laid them innocently on the bench next to him, then took a step back. He glared at her suspiciously, but when she bent down and started ripping a section of cloth from the leg of her pants, he focused on her bare leg instead. His lecherous gaze made her feel almost physically ill, but as long as it distracted him, it was worth it.

The torn cloth fluttered as she returned to him and picked up one of the chair legs.

“Now I’ll just need to—”

She swung the leg with all her might. She had originally intended to strike his existing injury, but at the last minute she changed her mind and went for his head instead. It was a mistake. He only slumped back across the bench, dazed, but clearly not unconscious.

She tried to grab his weapon but only succeeded in knocking it beneath one of the window benches. Frack! Eyeing the narrow space, she decided it would take too much precious time to try and retrieve it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be able to get to it either. Changing her plan, she ran for the door instead.

As she emerged on the beach, Chinit roared angrily, already recovering from the blow, but she refused to look back. The vegetation around the house was dense and overgrown, almost jungle-like, and she headed for it as fast as her legs would carry her. She had just plunged blindly through a thick bush when Chinit came out of the house. His voice echoed across the beach.

“Come back here, you bitch. It will hurt less than if I have to come and get you.”

Yeah, no. Even if she had believed him, she had no intention of obeying his demand. Unfortunately, the flyer in which they’d arrived was on the far side of the house. She’d watched him maneuver it on their flight and she thought she could handle it—if she could get it started. It had already been running when he hauled her inside. Since she didn’t remember seeing any place to insert a key, she prayed it was one of those push-button starts. It was worth a shot at least.

Planning to edge around to that side of the house under cover of the thick vegetation, she took a step backwards—and a branch cracked under her foot. Chinit’s head snapped up.

Frack!

Forcing herself to look away from him as he advanced on the bushes, she concentrated on the ground instead, moving as quickly and silently as possible away from where she had plunged into the jungle. When she dared to look up, he was almost there. If he went into the bushes after her, maybe she could take the faster route across the open sand.

To her dismay, he didn’t dive recklessly into the jungle. Instead, he lifted his head, his nostrils flaring.

“Did you know that the Tajiri are great hunters?” he asked, almost conversationally.

No, but she had no trouble believing it. Everything about him, from his claws to his fangs, screamed predator.

“We have keen vision, of course, the better to see our prey. But what really makes us great is our sense of smell—the better to scent our prey.”

He turned his head in her direction, and she could have sworn he was looking directly at her, despite the heavy vegetation.

“Fear has a scent. Sweet, enticing. There is no more potent lure.” He reached down and grabbed his cock, and she closed her eyes in despair.

No!She was not giving in without a fight. Still trying to keep an eye on him, she searched her surroundings desperately for any kind of weapon. The only thing she could see was a dead branch. It wasn’t very large, only about the size of the chair leg—and that hadn’t stopped him for long—but it was better than nothing.

Go for the arm this time, she told herself fiercely. It was her only chance.

Moving as quietly as she could, she reached down to grab the branch while Chinit prowled slowly along the edge of the jungle towards her.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he sang, his eyes glittering.

He was playing with her, she realized with a sinking heart, like a cat playing with a trapped mouse. An insane cat.

He stopped directly in front of her hiding place. “You’re going to pay for what you did. For what all of you did. You’ll be begging me to let you die before I’m through with you.”

Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely hang on to the branch, but she refused to move, refused to acknowledge his taunts. Sendat, she thought despairingly. Please come for me.

Even knowing that Chinit was preparing to pounce, her heart still skipped a beat when he suddenly thrust the bushes aside.

“There you are,” he purred.

She raised her branch, hoping he couldn’t see how much she was trembling.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Or what? You’ll try and hit me with that twig? It didn’t work the last time, did it?” His air of calm started to dissipate as rage shadowed his features. “You’re mine now, you stupid little bitch.”

“Never!” Sendat roared, appearing behind Chinit like an avenging angel. Blood still streaked his pelt, his nostrils were white with rage, his teeth bared—and she had never seen a more welcome sight.

Chinit gaped at him. “But you’re dead.”

“No, I’m not. You were as incompetent at that as you were with everything else.”

Chinit snarled and attacked, actually managing to knock Sendat back out onto the sand.

The fight was short, fast, and brutal; the outcome never in doubt. Chinit fought like a caged animal, surprisingly fast despite his injuries. He managed to duck under Sendat’s guard and rake his claws across his neck, but Sendat reared back quickly enough that the resulting deep gashes dug into his shoulder rather than severing an artery in his neck.

The risky move was Chinit’s last mistake. Sendat grabbed him before he could escape, immobilizing him with one massive arm as he grabbed his head with the other. With one quick, sharp jerk, he snapped Chinit’s neck, the sound echoing across the beach.