Page 105 of Bride of Choice

Odix was ahead of the rescue crew, crouched and snarling, at the ready, charging towards us as I made to escape.

Get past the big guy, I kept chanting in my head, urging myself on.

If I could just get past Odix, I’d be okay.

Like he was spring loaded, Stalker launched himself into the air, catching himself on a tree and using the momentum to parkour his freaky ass to one on the opposite side of me, then almost directly on top of me.

It all happened in a rush.

Odix bellowed, a horrifying, deafening sound that screamed, Look out!

Running on fear and adrenaline, I pushed my chunky buns faster, harder. Just get to Odix. Get to Odix.

Stalker landed on my lower half sideways, like we were in a wrestling match and not a fight for my life.

A sharp elbow to the back of my leg buckled my knee. Thick claws slammed into the back of my other calf, sending me screaming bloody murder as they dug in and started to rake down the back of my leg.

Collapsing right then and there, I threw my hands over my head, tucking into a ball, praying I covered any and all vulnerable spots.

One moment my leg was being torn bloody by a literal monster, the next those claws tearing into me were ripped from my flesh, the weight climbing atop me gone. I rolled to my side just in time to get an up close and personal view of Odix’s furry, hamhocked booty, as he tackled my attacker and plowed him into the ground.

Rolling back to my stomach, I tried to lift up onto all fours but my leg protested and my knee gave out.

Army crawling towards the others rushing up behind Odix, my stomach curdled as the sounds of the fight behind me pricked my ears.

“Help him!” I shouted as males, many notable hunters I’d spied heading off for hunts many a time, came over to help, slowing at the sight of me, but I waved them off.

It was Pepé, of all the beings, who ignored my entreaties to help Odix and stopped to kneel in front of me.

“Get your damn hairy balls outta my face and go help Odix!” I snarled at him, ignoring the wetness rimming my eyes from the pain or the way my body began to shake and my voice quavered.

I believed I was in shock, but I didn’t really want to deal with that right now.

Without more than a grunt, Berkr backed up a little, putting his hairy fuzzsticles outta my face, and would have helped me to my feet but it was painfully obvious after the first try I wasn’t going to be walking out of here.

“Bad,” he grunted out, opting to scoop me up, wincing when I cried out, and hightailed it to a clearing where it looked the search party was meant to gather, an impromptu command center, as it were.

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m a bad female,” I gritted out. “I’m the worst- Ah-sweet- Jesus- Fuck my life!”

“Bad,” Berkr repeated, barking out orders in stilted English and rapid-fire Lo denaii that others quickly obeyed.

One peek at my leg, dangling over his shoulder, blood dripping everywhere, and I thought I might faint. “Put me down. I’m ruining your fur,” I muttered, glaring at him like this was somehow his fault.

Berkr paused what he was doing, cocked his head at me, and just eyed me.

“It’ll ruin the coat I’m going to turn you into,” I huffed and puffed like a good lil injured dragon lady.

As if the world had turned onto its head, the fool grinned, his mouth full of disgustingly sharp teeth, and chuckled.

“I’m bleeding out here, dummy! I fail to see what’s so funny!” Folding my trembling arms over my chest, my lips pursed, eyes narrowing until they were tiny slivers of brown.

“Berkr not say Jo bad. Wound bad,” he gruffly corrected.

“Oh,” I mumbled, calming the fuck down at that.

I mean, it coulda been the blood loss talking, but when another chuckle escaped him, a part of me curled in on itself. This isn’t fucking funny!

“Ey! Ey!”

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