Page 60 of Unleashed

Speeding past Vortok, he leapt over Nina and ran at the worm head-on. A shriek to his side signaled Balir was on the attack, as well. The shrieker entered his peripheral vision, running parallel to Aduun.

The new sounds seemed to confuse the worm. It reared up, swinging its attention from Aduun to Balir, and shifted its bulk from back and forth as though unable to determine which to attack. Its hesitation was enough of an opening.

A crimson haze settled over Aduun’s vision. He bunched his hind legs and launched himself at the creature. His claws sank into the flesh beneath its mouth, tearing bloody gashes over its pale blue skin. The creature thrashed to shake him free, but Aduun only sank his claws in deeper. Its bitter blood was made sweet by his need to inflict pain and suffering on the creature.

The worm’s tentacles thrashed, and it violently snapped its front end from side to side to dislodge the valo latched onto it. Balir darted around the creature and pounced from the other side, his shrieking roar of savagery rising over the thunderous sound of shattering ice.

It hurt Nina. It hurt her, my Nina, my mate, my Nina. Mine.

Anchoring himself with his front claws, Aduun raised his lower half and raked his hind claws across its side, shredding through flesh and spilling blood. He sank his teeth into the worm’s hide and tore off a chunk. Below him, the tentacles flared, shooting venomous spines into the snow. The worm bent, and several of its tentacles reached for Aduun.

Growling through the flesh and blood in his mouth, Aduun curled his body, clawing along the worm’s side with his hind legs for purchase, and turned his quills toward the reaching tentacles.

The worm reeled as Aduun’s quills pierced its limbs. It swung its front end backward, raising it high in the air, and shifted its momentum to come back down.

Aduun tore his claws free and leapt away just before the worm’s bulk slammed down with a tremendous crack. Huge chunks of ice jutted upward around it like the ribs of a decaying beast.

Balir remained atop the worm, his pale skin splattered with crimson gore, clawing and biting, ripping and tearing. The worm rocked its bulk as though to separate the ice.

Aduun raced forward and jumped onto the creature beside Balir. So long as it was alive, it was a threat. It had to be destroyed. It had to pay for hurting Nina. He roared and sunk his claws into the worm’s hide, shredding its skin. He ripped chunks of meat up with his teeth and shook his head, casting the pieces down to the frigid water. All the while, the creature squirmed with increasing desperation, batting aside the broken pieces of ice.

The worm’s tail end broke through, dipping into the water. Aduun twisted to see its tentacles grab at the ice, dragging it backward into the hole.

Can’t protect her if I’m gone, if we’re gone, can’t leave her alone. She needs us.Weneed her.

He cast aside his frenzied thoughts and pressed his quills flat. If he and Balir were pulled under with the worm, the battle would quickly turn, and they weren’t likely to come back up again. Kelsharn had made them all tough enough to make a natural rockfur look fragile when he’d changed them, but they were not invulnerable.

Balir hadn’t lifted his head. He continued his ferocious attack, clawing a hole in the creature’s hide large enough for Nina to fit into. The scent of blood stung Aduun’s nose, threatening to draw him back into the fullness of his rage.

Aduun charged forward and pounced on Balir. His momentum and weight were enough to knock the shrieker off the worm’s back. They tumbled together over ice and into snow, Balir’s wild, thrashing claws biting into Aduun’s hide in numerous places before they finally separated and slid to a halt.

Balir scrambled onto his feet, turned toward Aduun, and opened his mouth, releasing an ear-splitting shriek, the red spots on his throat flaring bright.

Aduun roared into Balir’s face, not backing away, and swung his head toward the shoreline.

Nina. Remember Nina.

Balir’s chest heaved. He shook his head sharply and turned, producing a series of clicks that were nearly lost to Aduun beneath the sound of groaning, cracking ice. Of all three valos, Balir had always demonstrated the most control over his beast, but once it was unleashed, once he gave in to its blood frenzy…

It was the most savage and relentless of all.

Aduun bared his teeth, neck muscles straining, and forced his beast aside to return his body to its man shape. His bones popped and cracked as they altered to suit his new form, spine shortening while his arms and legs lengthened. He fell on hands and knees while the agony of the change rippled through him and his form solidified.

He lifted his head to find Balir’s attention on him. Blood dripped from the shrieker’s jaws, combining with the crimson on his hook-clawed feet to stain the snow beneath him.

“Nina needs us, Balir,” Aduun rasped, getting to his feet. “She needsyou.”

Balir lunged forward, producing another piercing shriek, but skidded to a sudden stop. He backed away, shaking his head again, and finally collapsed to writhe in the snow as his body changed.

Once Balir was in his man shape, Aduun took hold of his upper arm and helped him to stand. Balir’s breath was thick and heavy, each breath nearly a growl, but he matched Aduun’s speed as they ran toward Nina and Vortok.

The rockfur valo had returned to his man shape as well. He held Nina’s limp form in his arms.

She was alive. Aduun knew it deep inside, knew it through the bond they shared, but she was once again weak, once again in danger. There were many creatures on Sonhadra that could kill a person with a mere drop of venom; was this one of them? Was she just lingering, holding on to a life that was no longer hers?

No. We cannot lose her. I will not allow her to die.

Vortok took a single step forward, pausing mid-stride. He wobbled unsteadily. Snorting, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his mane. “Venom is sapping my strength,” he muttered.

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