Page 46 of Sacrificed to the Mountain Demon

I wade back into the thick of it, my tentacles lashing out in all directions. Waira after waira falls to my onslaught, their howls of pain music to my ears. But for every one I take down, two more seem to take its place.

A particularly vicious beast manages to sink its teeth into my arm. I snarl in pain and fury, my free hand plunging into its chest. I rip out its still-beating heart crushing it in my fist.

"That's for ruining my fucking day," I spit, kicking the corpse aside.

The wound on my arm throbs, but I ignore it. There's no time for weakness. Not when Bella's safety is on the line.

I chance a glance back at her. She's holding her own, her face set in grim determination as she fires arrow after arrow. Pride beams in me. That's my woman, fierce as any warrior.

"How you holding up?" I shout, my tentacles snapping the spine of another waira.

"Running low on arrows," she calls back, her voice steady despite the chaos. "But I'm not out of the fight yet."

"That's my girl," I grin, turning back to the battle with renewed vigor.

The ground is slick with blood and entrails, but I move with deadly grace. My claws find vital points with unerring accuracy,leaving a trail of corpses in my wake. But the waira keep coming, an endless tide of fur and fangs.

As I tear the throat out of yet another beast, a chilling thought strikes me. How long can we keep this up? There's so many of them, and only two of us.

No. I shake off the doubt. We'll win because we have to. Because I won't let those fuckers anywhere near my Bella. I bare my teeth in a savage grin, diving back into the fray with renewed fury.

"Come on, you mangy bastards," I roar, my voice carrying over the din of battle. "I've got plenty more where that came from!"

I tear through another waira, its blood splattering across my chest. My tentacles whip out, catching two more and crushing their spines with a satisfying crunch. But even as I dispatch these fuckers, I can't help but steal glances at Bella.

Holy shit, she's something else.

Her arrows find their marks with deadly precision, each shot dropping a waira in its tracks. She's transformed from the quiet village girl into a fierce warrior. I can't help but smile with satisfaction at her newfound skills. That's my woman.

"Way to go, Bella!" I call out as she takes down a particularly nasty beast that was creeping up on my blind side.

She flashes me a quick grin. "Just returning the favor!"

I laugh, the sound harsh amidst the chaos of battle. Fuck, I love her fire.

We fall into a rhythm, working in tandem. I draw the waira in close, my claws and tentacles dealing out death, while Bella picks off the stragglers with her arrows. It's a deadly dance, and we're the stars of this bloody show.

But just as I start to think we might actually pull this off, the air shifts. The remaining waira suddenly back off, their howls changing from bloodlust to... fear?

"What the fuck?" I mutter, scanning the battlefield.

That's when I see it. A massive shape emerges from the shadows, easily twice the size of the other waira. Its fur is matted with blood and grime, and scars crisscross its muscled body. But it's the eyes that grab me – cold, calculating, and fixed right on us.

"Bella," I growl, not taking my eyes off the newcomer. "Get back. Now."

"Jytos, what-" She stops mid-sentence as she spots the behemoth. "Oh, no."

The waira leader stalks forward. Its massive paws leave deep impressions in the blood-soaked snow. The remaining pack parts before it, whining and cowering.

I bare my teeth. Finally, a real fucking challenge.

"Well, well," I taunt, flexing my claws. "Looks like the big bad wolf decided to join the party."

The beast's lips curl back, revealing yellowed fangs the size of daggers. It lets out a roar that shakes the very mountain, a clear challenge.

My blood sings with anticipation. This is what I was made for. The ultimate test of strength and will. But as I prepare to meet this new threat head-on, a small hand grips my arm. Bella.

"Jytos," she says, her voice low and urgent. "Be careful. This one's different."

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