Page 51 of The Lost Guard's Healer

The behemoth charges at him. I flinch, half considering running out to help Rourk, but what can I do? I don’t think I can summon my magic with my heart beating so fast. Rourk gets to his feet and dives to the side in time for the beast to miss and get its horn stuck in the tree. It shakes its head and wrestles to free its horn, and ends up ripping the bark into several pieces as it releases itself.

Rourk is now without a weapon. I take my chance and rush over to the pick in the ground. Leila calls me back, but I ignore her. My heart threatens to burst from my chest as I throw myself to the ground and grab the pick.

“Rourk!” I yell, and throw the pick as hard as I can to reach him.

Rourk has to sprint toward it while it spins in the air, and the beast turns and chases after him with surprising speed. It rises onto its back legs, raising both paws to slam them down on him. Rourk leaps and snatches the pick out of the air. He twists and manages to plunge the pick into the beast's paw, getting knocked back by it at the same time. Rourk falls to the ground and rolls several times, heading toward me. Fear jolts through me at the sight of him on the ground, but I’m relieved to see him get to his feet. The man is made of strong stuff.

I ignore Leila and the boys calling me back and rush to Rourk. The summoning of my light takes hold in my mind. I have to help us both. Rourk looks dazed and unsteady, but there is a fierce determination in his eyes when I reach him.

We have no time for words as the beast barrels toward us. In an instant, it is rising up and blocking the sun, about to trample us. I raise my hand to summon a shield, but nothing happens. A split-second of absolute terror dawns on me when I realize I cannot help us. The beast's paws slam down on us. I’m shoved by Rourk and feel the rush of air as I fall to the side. The massive paws crack into the earth. I roll and throw myself to my feet, my head spinning, and see Rourk managed to get clear of the attack.

He has pulled out the knife from the beast's side and he stabs it again into its arm. Dark blood pours from several places, but the beast doesn’t seem to be slowing down or concerned by its injuries.

“Get back,” Rourk calls out, waving me away.

He dives and rolls and pulls the pickaxe from the beast, causing it to roar in pain. The behemoth rises on its back legs and watches us both with its beady black eyes which are surprisingly alert and show intelligence. It focuses on Rourk, who is running backward and waving the pickaxe to get its attention.

I’m left there as the beast bounds towards Rourk. He can’t do this on his own. One direct hit is all it would take to end Rourk’s life.

“Hey!” I scream.

It isn’t enough to distract the beast. A shiver of fury washes over me and I throw my arm out in frustration. A spark of golden light shoots out and spins through the air like a thrown stick. It thuds into the mud by the beast's paw and gets its attention. It turns to me and growls, baring its teeth.

“Oh gods,” I mutter, stepping back.

Rourk calls out, but the behemoth is no longer interested in him. It breaks into a bounding sprint, shaking the ground and sending tremors of fear through me. Spit flies from its snarling mouth, its beady eyes wide and crazed.

As I start running back, I search for the light within me. That charged energy that comes from the spark deep within. But I’m too shaken with fear to think or feel anything clearly.

The huge beast leaps toward me and covers my view. Rourk is running for me, but he’s too far away. I scream as the beast crashes down on me, flattening me into the ground. Everything goes black. And then a blinding golden light fills my vision. A pillar of solid light breaks through the beast and bursts out from its back, shooting into the sky. The light instantly vanishes, leaving a gaping hole in the beast.

Crippling pain keeps me in place as my strained mind tries to focus. Blood and guts are covering me and sticking my clothes to me. The hot stench of blood and meat stings my nostrils.

I blink back my focus and see I am beneath the beast, pressed deep into the mud. I see dazzling daylight through the hole in the beast.

Someone comes to me and I yell out, my sense of danger spiking. It’s too hard to think clearly. But relief swells within me when I see Rourk is there. He takes my arm and pulls me out as he shoves the beast aside.

I still can’t believe he’s really here. My heart swells with joy.

He pulls me up and I wrap my arms around him. Our lips slam into each other and we kiss hungrily, holding each other close. I pull his face to me, breathing him in and tasting his hot sweat and sweet lips. His powerful arms hold me close. I’m lost in the moment and I don’t care. I just want him. I need him. Every part of him. I’ve never needed anyone more. I need his hands on me. Need his body pressed against mine. There’s no amount of closeness to satiate my desire.

I become aware of the sound of our kisses as my senses come back to me. I pause suddenly and break free from his mouth. I turn, slowly, and see Leila and the boys staring at us with slack-jawed mouths and raised eyebrows.

I startle and shove Rourk away. “No,” I say. My mind races with thoughts, but I can’t verbalize any of them.

But he nods, understanding as he always is. And yet something lingers in his eyes, in the way he clenches his fists and the way he averts his eyes from mine.

I wonder, at that moment, just what it is that I think I’m doing.

Chapter twenty-two

Rourk

The walk back to the village is tense and filled with unspoken comments. Galene has been avoiding my gaze mostly, and whenever our eyes meet, she quickly turns away as if burned. And yet, there is no more sense of anger or hatred from her. Her small smiles and soft eyes are telling me that. The air is different around us and the only tension is the embarrassment we’re feeling from our passionate kissing earlier. I still have some smears of blood and guts on me from being pressed against Galene. We’ve managed to clear the worst of it off her with a pail of water in the field, but it’s hard to ignore the lingering stench of death on her.

Little Milo has stopped whimpering and looks more composed now as we go through the fields. Jonah has a disturbed expression, his brows constantly furrowed, which makes him look older than his ten years.

“So,” Leila says. “We were just almost killed by the biggest monster I’ve ever seen. And yet that somehow is not the most surprising thing to happen.” She regards us. “When did this happen with you two?”

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