Page 75 of Reaper's Ruin
Fear.
Forme.
“Are you hurt?” The words came out rough, urgent.
“N-no, I—”
The creature erupted from the underbrush with a bone-rattling roar, and Rhyker shoved me back. “Stay behind me.”
He had found me, and now he was fighting the monster with nothing but the hunting knife from his belt. I scurried toward the bushes, crouching low as I watched in terror.
He circled the beast warily, knife held low, his movements precise and controlled. The creature swiped at him with those electrified claws, but Rhyker ducked beneath them, slashing upward and drawing a roar of pain from the monster.
It was like watching a deadly dance. The beast was all raw power and fury, while Rhyker moved with lethal grace, every step calculated, every strike precise. He darted in and out of range, inflicting shallow wounds that seemed to enrage the creature further.
For what seemed like eternity, they fought, neither gaining the upper hand. Rhyker was faster, but the beast’s hide deflected many of his blows. The few that connected drew black blood that sizzled when it hit the forest floor.
Rhyker lunged in for another attack, his blade connecting once again. But the monster spun with a rumbling snarl, its shoulder slamming into Rhyker, sending him flying backward. He crashed into a tree truck with such force I thought he must be dead. The creature charged toward him, and panic caused my heart to seize.
“Rhyker!” I screamed as he slumped to the ground.
The creature whirled toward the sound of my voice, its attention now fully fixed on me. It charged forward, jaws open, electricity crackling along its claws and between its bone spikes.
I was frozen, unable to move, with nowhere to run. In that endless second, I wondered what would happen if I died in thisform. Would my soul simply return to its ghostly state? Or would I be erased completely, never to find my door, never to see my mother again? Never to see... Rhyker again?
It rose up on its hind legs, standing taller than a Grizzly. I stared at it, my heart rattling against my chest as I waited for whatever end awaited me, praying with everything I had that I’d just become a ghost again and still have a chance to find my mother.
But just as it started to descend, Rhyker appeared, launching himself between me and the charging beast. He yanked me against him, one arm wrapping around my waist like an iron band, pulling me tight against his chest.
And then—it happened.
With a sound like tearing silk, massive shadow wings erupted from his back, unfurling with explosive force before wrapping around us in a protective cocoon. Darkness enveloped us completely, sealing us away from the world.
In that sudden, perfect darkness, I could feel his heartbeat thundering against mine, his breath harsh against my hair. I looked up to find his face inches from mine, his eyes no longer gray but swirling with living shadow.
“Rhyker,” I whispered, awed and terrified all at once.
The creature’s attack hit the shadow wings with bone-jarring force, but they absorbed the impact like the world’s strongest shield, not even budging. The monster roared in frustration, the sound muffled through the barrier of Rhyker’s wings.
For one breathless moment, Rhyker looked down at me, his eyes softening as they looked into mine. Then in the span of a second, they transformed, something fierce and protective and deeply possessive burning in those shadow-swirled eyes.
His jaw set with determination. “Stay here,” he commanded.
Before I could respond, his wings snapped open, releasing a blast of shadow energy that sent the beast staggering backward.Rhyker was on it in an instant, his movements now supernaturally fast, his knife seeming to draw power from the shadows themselves.
This time, there was no contest. Rhyker moved like vengeance incarnate, his wings sweeping around to confuse and disorient the creature. When it lunged at where he had been, Rhyker was already behind it, his blade driving deep into the base of its skull.
The beast convulsed, blue lightning crackling along its spine as it collapsed to the forest floor, its massive body twitching once before going still forever.
In the sudden silence, Rhyker stood over his kill, wings spread wide in a display that was both terrifying and breathtaking. The shadows seemed to pulse with each breath he took, rippling like living smoke in the forest air. Blood—his own and the beast’s—stained his torn hunting jacket, but he seemed oblivious to his injuries.
Slowly, the wings began to dissolve, wisps of shadow fading back beneath his skin until only Rhyker remained—a man once more, but something far more than a man as well.
He turned to me then, chest heaving with exertion, eyes gradually fading from swirling shadow back to stormy gray.
I stood frozen, unable to move, unable to speak, my heart hammering so hard I was certain it would burst from my chest. My breath came in short, terrified pants, but not from fear of the monster.
Rhyker had transformed. He had manifested his Reaper powers in physical form. For me.
