Page 65 of Eternally Yours

Nicholas

The sound of chaos and gunfire erupted through the coven, and a wave of adrenaline flooded my veins. I was forged on a battlefield and wasn’t a stranger to bloodshed. I’d lived for it. But tonight, my body didn’t vibrate with excitement for the carnage and glory. I knew what Loren was capable of when transformed. If she attacked my family, the Iron Guard would unleash their full force on her.

Ellie grasped her neck, her skin flushing pink. “What’s happening?”

“That’s what I intend to find out. Stay here.”

As I went to open the door, Cat burst through, eyes wild with bloodlust, her pupils fully dilated. “Nic, we need you. The Order. They managed to break through our defenses.”

“Ellie,” I said, grabbing her by the elbow. “Take shelter inside my vault. You’ll be safe there.”

“You’re leaving me here?”

“You’re next in line for the throne. A high priority target.”

“But what if someone breaks in?”

“You trained at the academy, Ellie. There’s an array of weapons for you to choose from in that vault.”

“I … I don’t know if I can, Nic. I’ve never fought in a real battle.”

Stepping closer, I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. I will do my best to protect this coven, but I need you to promise me that if someone breaks through that door, you will fight like the future of our covens depends on it.”

She pressed her lips into a hard line. The fear flickering in her eyes wasn’t reassuring, but she nodded in agreement. “Go,” she said. “Eradicate them all.”

As Cat and I exited my room, the sharp scent of human blood shot up my nose, triggering my hunger. Fighting the Order came with an added precaution—ignore the temptation of feasting on their fallen.

More gunfire boomed down the hall, accompanied by the roaring sounds of snarling wolves. Should’ve expected they’d bring their beasts. Without hesitation, we took off toward the angry sounds of battle.

Coming to an intersection, we paused and took cover behind a wall. Cat unholstered her pistols and winked at me, signaling she was ready. I hiked a brow. Blades had always been her thing.

She shrugged. “I’ve evolved. Unlike some others.” She eyed my swords.

“Hey, I take offense to that. I know my way around a gun. I just have more experience—”

“It was meant to be offensive, dipshit. You ready?”

“Always.”

Emerging from behind our cover, Catherine kept to my right, guns aimed and popping assailants with single shots like an expert shooter. “One. Two,” she tallied, as she picked them off one by one. “Three.”

From around a corner, a beast emerged, fangs dripping with saliva. “This one’s mine,” I said, as she continued to fire off her guns.

Charging toward the animal at full speed, I side-jumped off the adjacent wall, propelling myself over the beast and slicing off its head with one swipe of my sword. The wolf continued its headless run for several feet before skidding to a bloody flop by Catherine’s feet.

Wiping a streak of blood off her cheek, she curved a smile. “Nice,” she uttered as she watched the mangled neck almost touch her black boots. “That still only counts as one.”

I smiled back. I hated to admit it, but it did feel great to be back at it with Catherine at my side. But our small victory was short-lived. Two Iron Guard soldiers came rushing toward us, their armor slashed and bloodied.

“Get back!” they screamed. That’s when I saw the beasts chasing after them, barreling in our direction—at least two dozen massive, ungodly creatures with piercing yellow eyes and mouths full of too many sharp teeth.

Fuck.

In the time I’d been gone, the coven had become complacent. Meanwhile, the Order had been plotting their attack. The Iron Guard hadn’t been ready to fight off an army of these monsters, and it didn’t help that we were greatly outnumbered.

But we couldn’t run. Behind us were the living quarters. Coven members were probably barricaded behind their doors, including Ellie. I was not about to leave them unprotected. “Hold your positions!” I ordered the soldiers as they reached us. They were in worse shape than I’d thought.

“They came out of nowhere, hundreds of them,” one of the soldiers said.

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