Page 37 of Devon

With Parrish distracted, Devon managed to crawl away.He almost crossed the shield, but he didn’t want to abandon Nic.He might be a traitor, and he might never have been Devon’s friend after all, but Devon cared about him.He didn’t want Nic to die.

Nic had warned them about the attack.He’d saved the village.He was a Kudlak, but not all Kudlaks were evil.Devon would know—he lived with two of them.

Parrish had to have forced Nic to do this in some way, but even if he hadn’t, even if Nic had done this willingly, it didn’t mean that Devon wanted him to die.If anything, Nic had just saved his life by risking his.

“Devon!”Ryan yelled.

Devon scrambled to his feet.He couldn’t look away from Parrish and Nic.They were fighting, and while Nic was doing his best, it was clear he wouldn’t win.Parrish was too fast and strong.

He struck Nic in the face and, before Nic could even react, in the stomach.Nic whimpered and folded in two, and Parrish raked his claws down Nic’s chest.

He was going to kill Nic, and Devon couldn’t allow that to happen.

He moved forward, even though he was human and would get himself killed.Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one who decided to stop Parrish.

Rowan and Clay ran past him.They weren’t alone.A redheaded woman holding two knives was right behind them, along with Boyd and a few other hunters and Krsniks.Thankfully, Kendrick and Jonas stayed with Ryan.They would make sure that Ryan didn’t cross the shield.Devon wanted nothing more than to run to him, but he needed to check in on Nic.

Parrish had finally let go of Nic.He was too busy fighting the hunters and the Krsniks who’d left the village’s protection.Devon hadn’t noticed it earlier, but Parrish wasn’t the only Kudlak present.More had been standing behind them, and while a few were leaving, others were fighting.

And Devon was right in the middle of that fight.

He swallowed and rushed to Nic’s side.Nic was on the ground, staring at the sky.For a moment, Devon thought he was dead, and he almost started crying.

“That was stupid,” Nic murmured.

“Youare stupid,” Devon snapped at him.“What were you thinking?”

“That I couldn’t let you pay for a mistake I made.”He glanced at his bleeding chest and groaned, probably because of the pain.“I guess that nowIam going to pay for that mistake.”

“You’re not going to die.”Devon didn’t know if that was a lie, but he didn’t care.He would make sure that Nic didn’t die.He needed to kill Nic himself.

He moved behind Nic and grabbed him under the armpits.Nic whimpered, but Devon couldn’t afford to let anything slow him down.He dragged Nic to the edge of the shield, but he couldn’t get him through it.Nic was a Kudlak who wasn’t supposed to be in the village.

Ryan was suddenly next to them.He pulled Devon back, but Devon shook his head.“I can’t let him die,” he said.

“That idiot won’t die,” a voice answered.

Devon recognized one of the Vila who lived with the clan.He was probably at least in part responsible for the shield.He reached through the shield, grabbed Nic’s arm, and pulled.

Nic screamed, but the Vila ignored him.He only let him go once he was through the shield.Devon didn’t have the opportunity to ask Nic if he was okay because Ryan pulled him into his arms, but he saw the Vila lean over Nic to help him.

Devon’s entire body sagged in relief.He was safe.Both him and Ryan were.

Chapter Seven

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RYAN WAS A BIT GRUMPY, but he didn’t think anyone would hold that against him.“Do we really have to see him?”he asked Devon, who was walking next to him.

Devon turned big eyes to Ryan.Dammit.When he looked at Ryan like that, Ryan was always willing to give him the world, let alone a meeting with a man Devon considered a friend.

“Nic’s a prisoner.I’m sure he feels lonely,” Devon said.

“Maybe he should’ve considered that before befriending you so he could sneak Parrish into the village.”

It had been a few days.Parrish and his people hadn’t been able to enter the village, and eventually, they’d left or had been killed by the hunters and the Krsniks.Ryan had stayed far away from the fight.His only focus had been Devon, and thankfully, Devon had finally been on the right side of the shield.Kendrick had stayed there, too, so Ryan hadn’t had to worry about anyone.

Devon had been worried about Nic since the fight.Nic had been wounded, so Clay and Rowan had agreed to keep him at the village and wait to decide what to do with him until he felt better.He wasn’t free to roam the village, though.Ryan wasn’t sure he could do so even if he was because of the wounds Parrish had inflicted on him, but he was relieved that Nic was locked up in a bedroom far away from him and Devon.

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