Page 69 of Scarred Resolve

How wrong I was.

His eyes went wide, and for a second, there was silence until he gave a mad laugh.

“Even that rumor! Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan, you are so full of surprises and yet, none at all. All the rumors, no matter how unbelievable, seem to be true.”

“That’s Jacky, daughter of Subira, asshole,”I growled before jumping out of the window, not caring to see or hear his response. My brothers needed me.

I landed with a definitive thud and looked around wildly for where Davor and Niko could be. It didn’t take me long to see Niko trying once again to fend off the werecat, and I ran for the combatants. I couldn’t see Davor, but I trusted he was still alive as I slammed into the werecat while Niko had its attention.

“My turn.”

With a snarl, I scratched and tried to sink my teeth into it. With almost stunning ease, it reached back and grabbed me, its claws sinking into my skin and pulling me over its shoulder. Pain screamed from my back, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. It held me hard, lifting me only a second after the slam, certainly going to slam me again. That grip was broken thanks to Niko as he slashed it with the silver claws. A second later, I heard a gun go off as I scrambled to get to my feet and recover from the ferocity of the blow. Trying to find the source of the fire, I looked up to see that Davor had taken my place, now sitting in a window, a stolen gun in his hands, looking down the scope, waiting for another shot. The first had skimmed the werecat’s back.

I lingered for only a second on Davor, and that was a painful mistake as I was backhanded by the werecat as it tried to deal with Niko. The blow taught me something important, though, as it only shook me a bit but didn’t take me down.

Fenris was stronger. That wolf would have knocked me out with that.

I lunged, going back into the fight, that knowledge fueling me as I snapped at its legs, looking for a good grip. If I could immobilize it, this would be over. Realizing what I was doing, it turned to attack me to force some space, but I fought relentlessly. So did Niko, continuously getting close and hitting it only once or twice. When it tried to get him, I would go back in while Niko backed off.

In tandem, we fought to slow it down by tiring it out as Davor continued to try to hit it in any vulnerable spot that he could safely aim for. I knew he was trying not to hit Niko and me, and I was grateful for how careful he was being.

It slipped as it tried to turn for me again. Davor got a clean shot into its left shoulder, so well-aimed that its left arm went limp. Niko sent both of his claws under its ribs, puncturing its lungs from behind. It screamed, a terrible mix of human and feline, as Niko yanked those claws back out, blood staining the earth. I jumped, knocking it to the ground. As it tried to fight, I went for a killing bite, Niko disabling its right arm to stop it from injuring me as it died.

I held on, knowing my bite wasn’t strong enough to get my fangs through anything important. I couldn’t shake it and end it quickly. I held on, focused only on the weakening rise and fall of its chest and the slowing of its struggle.

After close to a minute, unable to properly fight me off it, it stopped breathing entirely. I released it once its heart stopped under my paws.

Stepping off it, Niko moved and sank claws down into its heart, making sure nothing could get it to restart.

“AHHHHHHH—”

A woman’s scream ended as suddenly as it had started inside the cabin. A second later, two gunshots went off.

30

CHAPTER THIRTY

Neither of the gunshots had been at any of us.

“Those weren’t aimed at me,” Davor called out.

“I thought you killed all the witches inside,” Niko said softly.

“Me too,”I mentally mumbled, panting as I stared at the cabin.“I guess I wasn’t thorough enough.”

“It definitely came from inside, and that guy you were talking about just disappeared.” Davor leaned out the window as he spoke. “Let me see if I can get the doors. The smell of magic is strong in here, but something feels… different.”

“Oh?” Niko sounded curious, and I was, too. We went to the door I had tried opening for them and Davor swung it open like it was nothing. I sniffed the air as silence reigned over us.

He was right. Something was different, and as I focused on it, I figured it out quickly as it began to dissipate in the breeze and disappear.

“The spells ended,”I said, unsure if I was entirely correct, but it felt right at the same time.

“Let’s get inside and see what we can learn,” Niko said, and he went in as Davor held the door.

“There’s much to look through. Like whatever is in that box and if we can find my equipment. Also, Jacky, I agree. I believe the doors were being reinforced by a witch, and now that witch is dead, the spells ended. That was the change.”

I nodded and padded into the cabin once again.

---