Page 113 of The Wolf and the Chimera
My chest tightened from the effort, and my breath caught, but I forced myself to focus.
Back,I commanded.Move back, back, back.
Like puppets on strings, the creatures lurched backward. Despite the chilly wind, sweat dripped on my forehead.
Elle’s feet stomped across the snow.
“Lift your arms!” she commanded.
I did as she asked, and suddenly, I soared over the tundra.
Elle’s wings beat furiously, and wind whipped my face. We teetered and dipped, and I steadied my core to try to make myself easier to carry. Though the flight wasn’t graceful, and my stomach dropped each time she wobbled, Elle flew toward Circe.
“Run!” I commanded the other wolves and the Guardians.
As we neared Circe and the Handmaidens, Elle cursed.
“I haven’t figured out the landing,” she muttered.
Her arms shook from the effort of carrying me. We darted toward the ground too sharply, and she flapped her wings like crazy to keep us from crashing into the icy ground.
“Let me go,” I told her. “Next time you dip toward the ground like that, let me go, then land yourself.”
Her reply was breathless. “Are you sure?”
We were nearly upon the Handmaidens, and I didn’t want to be carried through their frenzy of magic like a sitting duck.
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
Elle took a deep breath, and we darted toward the ground. As soon as she released me, my stomach hollowed, but I forced myself to stay present. The blindingly white ground raced to meet me, and I tucked my body and rolled.
When I stood, the two nearest Handmaidens twisted to face me. The flap of Elle’s wings told me she was still in the sky,so I focused on my enemies.
Purple lightning crackled on the dark-haired witch’s skin, while the other red-haired witch wielded water. The snow beneath my feet melted, and lightning darted from the dark-haired witch’s fingertips.
I dove out of its path, only to land on more water and be forced to leap again. Thunderclouds blotted out the sky, and power shook the ground. As I dodged the Handmaidens’ attacks, light flared, and magic hummed. Too consumed with staying alive, I couldn’t reach for the dominance inside me. I glanced toward the horizon.
More blue-cloaked figures loomed.
This is just the first wave of their attack,I realized.
Though we had stood a shot of escape before, the hope in my heart splintered into desperation. As I leaped and lunged, I searched the sky for my mate.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Elle
I flew above the battle and tried to think. Magic hummed in the air and buzzed under my skin. My chimera worked in tandem with me, searching for a route of survival. A feminine voice whispered in my thoughts.
Before I tell you how to get out of here,the woman said,you must promise me something.
For a moment, I was blinded by panic, then I realized the voice didn’t belong to Medea. It belonged to Circe, who still fought like hell against the onslaught of Cordelia’s witches.
I knew better than to replyanything.
What?I asked.
Remember the flashes of the past your chimera offered to you?Circe said.
