Page 57 of Samuel
SAMUEL/ BLAKE
SAMUEL
For a second, I allowed myself to breathe, to think it was over.
But the second I looked toward Blake and my heart twisted with fear.
The rogue dragon might have been down, but the wolves were still out there.
It wouldn’t take long for them to realize they had the upper hand. What were the chances they’d come back?
It turned out they were very high.
They soon returned. Their snarls filled the clearing as they circled me, their eyes burning with a feral hunger.
They no longer had a leader but they knew they outnumbered us, and we were barely hanging on.
Blake. I studied him again. He looked terrible.
Panic clawed at my throat, but I shoved it down. I couldn’t let myself fall apart now. Not while he was still in danger.
One of the wolves lunged at me, teeth snapping at my leg, and I lashed out instinctively, sending it flying with a hard swipe of my partially shifted claws.
But more of them were closing in, their snarls growing louder, more confident.
Shifting back to my dragon form would be a disadvantage. It would take too long, and by the time I finished, they would’ve gone after Blake.
My body screamed in protest, every injury pulsing with agony, but I forced myself to remain awake, to keep fighting.
Struggling to my feet, I put myself between the wolves and Blake. I couldn't afford to lose now. Not when Blake still needed me.
A sudden sound broke through the chaos—a gunshot. Sharp and unmistakable.
I whipped my head toward Blake, my heart hammering.
There he was, still on the ground, blood smeared across his chest and face, but his hand was steady as he aimed his gun at the nearest wolf.
Another shot rang out, and the wolf yelped, collapsing mid-leap.
Blake’s eyes were glazed with pain, but he was fighting through it, fighting for me.
“Blake!” I shouted, shock and relief crashing through me. "Stay down!"
He shook his head, wincing as he pushed himself up onto one elbow.
“I’m not… staying down,” he gritted out, his voice hoarse. "We... have to finish this."
I wanted to argue, to tell him to stop and rest, but I knew Blake. He wasn’t going to lie still while I fought alone.
He wouldn’t be Blake if he did.
The wolves seemed to sense the shift in the fight. They paused, glancing between me and Blake, uncertain now that we were both fighting back.
But their hesitation didn’t last long. They regrouped, snarling as they prepared for another coordinated attack.
“I can handle them,” I called out, readying myself for the next wave.
Blake’s voice came again, breathless but determined. “Not...alone.”
