Page 58 of Land of Monsters

Sonya shrieked, snapping reality back into place. “Get her!”

All their attention on Raven, I snuck up behind the guard running for her, slamming my elbow into the back of his skull as I kicked his knee. He dropped to the ground while I yanked the gun from his hands.

Bang!

I didn’t hesitate, shooting him through the back of the head before pointing it at anything in my path to get to her.

“Kill him!” Sonya barked, her finger pointed at me.

More of these mixed species came for me, firing their weapons, the bullets skating by my head. It would only take one to stop me.

“NO!” Raven thundered, her eyes completely in flames as she shoved past Joska, her claws slicing across Samu’s throat, propelling him into the wall, her deadly frame tearing into everything that stood between us. Blood gushed over the courtyard, which was littered with bodies. It was as if her obscurer was feeding off her anger, off the violence, turning her more savage.

Feral and wild, her teeth bared, black liquid flowing from her nose, her eyes swimming with fire and blood. A darkness encased her in a different plane of existence, slipping from my reach. In my gut, I felt like I was losing her, and if she hit a certain point, she wouldn’t make it back to me.

“Mroczny,” I called out to her, reaching for her. Her tempestuous gaze snapped to me, her chest heaving, taking a moment for her snarl to abate. “I’m here.” I curled my fingers for her to come to me.

Slowly, Raven moved to me, a growl still humming in her gut, her frame caked in carnage, the gore-drenched the castle as a backdrop to the true horror.

“Come here,mroczny,”I ordered, standing in challenge against her power. I stretched out, taking her wrist. Her body shifted back to normal when I touched her, as if I was what centered her, brought her back. Her face was pallid, her shoulders sagging, her bones shaking. Magic was draining from her quickly.

“I need you to run.” My command was low and determined. I locked my attention on Raven, needing her to push against the exhaustion, to continue to fight for our lives.

She nodded, but we both knew it wouldn’t be long until she had nothing left. We had to get as far as we could.

“What is wrong with you freaks!” Sonya screamed, peering down at the bodies groaning and bleeding out. “Get them!” she yelled at Nyx.

“Now!” I took Raven’s blood-covered hand in mine as Nyx screeched down for us. Pulling her with me through the gate, I was aware sometime during the frenzy, Dzsinn had once again disappeared.

Swiping up my pack, we took off. With what little energy we had left, we sprinted from the castle.

The night didn’t hide us from Nyx. Our figures moving through the forest outside the citadel were like glowing heat sources to her. Her squawks pinpointed our location, directing the soldiers Sonya had coming after us, feeling like déjà vu.

Shooting up at the sky, the hawk dodged the bullets, screeching even louder, staying far enough away to not be a target. She wasn’t here to kill us; she was there to keep tabs on our whereabouts.

“I need to kill that bitch once and for all,” I snarled, holding on to Raven, the thicker snow causing her to stumble. Her bare feet struggled to push on, her figure barely staying upright. “Please, don’t give up on me,” I pleaded, propelling her faster. The roars of car engines and motorcycles from the castle scraped the back of my neck.

Everything was against us. The chances of escaping were low, but I knew if the monsters they call thePrimulcame after us, we were dead.

Adrenaline drove my body forward, and I took more and more of Raven’s weight. Her strength was declining, her body unable to keep up with the demand.

We couldn’t slow down. We couldn’t stop. Our only chance was putting enough space between us and them. Images of what would happen if Sonya’s men caught us again, what they would do to her, especially now that they knew how powerful she was and what a dangerous weapon she could produce if mated with thePrimul, ran unbidden through my mind.

She was the ultimate prize, whereas I would be shot and beheaded.

Panic and terror became molten rock in my gut, firing through my nerves and embedding into the earth. A signal of distress stamped into the ground.

The trees answered my call, bending to me, inviting me to take, to procure their energy like a siphon. And I seized it greedily.

The raw, untamed magic burned through my veins, the overload singeing my muscles and igniting me. A grunt escaped my lips, my body shaking as the sudden influx of energy almost dropped me to my knees. There was no real thought, no understanding, except intuition. The need to protect her. To keep her safe.

Tapping into the energy, I turned my focus on her, my hands tight on her face, like I was the conduit. She resisted at first, pain splintering across my forehead, knocking against the barrier. Sweat beaded down my face, and I snarled through the pain, pushing harder. I felt her wall break. My magic poured into her system, flooding her.

Raven jerked at the invasion, a cry breaking from her lips, but I only gripped her harder, forcing her to take more. Magic pumped into her like I was inside her, filling her so deeply it scorched into my soul. I sensed every one of her muscleshungrily gorging on it. Her legs stood firmer under her, her wounds knitting back together. Her cheeks flushed as her green eyes danced with flames again.

I stared down at her in awe of her beauty and power. Our enemies were coming for us, but all I could see, hear, smell, and taste was her. The intimacy of the connection was profound, yet my brain was too numb to understand what I had done. What bond this would create. Sharing magic was one of the most sacred experiences you could share with another. It was opening yourself up for them to see everything.

I groaned in desire, my body shaking like I was on the cusp of an orgasm. I could touch her darkness, feel her beast and obscurer skimming through me. No line was between us anymore, her life melding with mine.

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