Page 41 of Lycan and Lark
“Because he’s a good person.”
They bolted out of the elevators and toward the cell door. Lark appeared in front of them, having teleported into the hallway only a few feet ahead. He rushed toward Aria. “What’s wrong? I could feel your distress.”
She gripped his forearms. “We need your help. Our teams are in danger. Romani can teleport to the first group, but you and Gideon need to get to the second team and bring them home.”
Lark sized up Gideon for a moment, then nodded. “Where are we going?”
Lucas gave Lark and Romani maps and each teleporter stood near their travel companion. Aria dashed forward, planting a kiss on Lark’s lips before quickly moving out of their way. “Be careful.”
Lark smiled at her. “I will.”
The four men vanished. Aria ran back to the elevators. Gideon and Lucas would want to bring the rescued lycans back to the medical bay. She would alert Dr. Sawyer and stay nearby. Her stomach was filled with butterflies. This was Lark’s chance to prove himself and earn Gideon’s trust.Please let this go well.
* * *
Lark and Gideon appeared on the edge of the attack. A group of about a dozen lycans were rushing around in complete chaos. A massive blob-like Dolgur was bulldozing through everything in its path. The terrifying shadow creature was roughly the size of a small house. Men, women, and wolves were constantly diving to avoid the monster’s path of death and destruction. The only thing seeming to save them at the moment was the fact that while the Dolgur was enormous, it was slow.
A high shriek pierced the air. Lark’s eyes went to the sky. Beside him, Gideon gasped. “What the hell is that?”
He could understand the Alpha’s surprise. Lark hadn’t expected to see one here. He hadn’t expected to see one ever again. “It’s a Veil Wraith.”
The creature shrieked again as it flew across the sky. It was pale and translucent, with a long, tattered body flowing behind a hooded face. Two vacant black pits served as eyes. Lark shuddered as memories of his time in the Veil came flooding back. He had tried to repress those horrible months Creedin had forced him to live in the Veil. The worst part of Wraiths were their mouths. A round opening revealed a protruding jaw with three circular rows of sharp, needle-like teeth. Wraiths latch onto their prey, flying them high in the sky before leeching the blood from their victims. If you survived the blood-draining process, you would certainly perish when they dropped you from so high above the ground. The lycans seemed to be holding their own against the Wraith, but Lark knew it was only a matter of time.
He was surprised to see both Veil-dwelling monsters in the same proximity. Usually each creature had its own hunting grounds and was extremely territorial. The idea that they may have been working together was terrifying. “What’s the plan?” Lark asked Gideon. All of their observations had been made in just seconds.
“Get the teams back to the complex, then take care of the monsters.” He turned to look at Lark. “Do whatever you need to do.”
Lark didn’t waste another moment. He slowed down time for everyone except Gideon. “I know it’s a struggle but I need you to get everyone closer to each other. The more people I can reach, the more I can teleport at once.”
Gideon nodded. The Alpha’s muscles were already trembling beneath the pressure of Lark’s magic. “Take them to the complex’s med bay,” Gideon told him.
Lark went for the lycans closest to the Dolgur first. He grabbed them two at a time and quickly deposited them back at the complex. A few injured lycans lay in heaps around the land. As of right now none of them were dead, but several needed immediate medical attention if they were going to survive. Lark moved swiftly and effectively but the monsters struggled beneath his spell. They were fighting to break free of the time restraints Lark held over them.
By the time he got back to Gideon, the Alpha had dragged the remaining lycans into two groups. One man lay badly injured on the ground. Lark transported him back before moving the other two groups. The Dolgur had already begun to move when Lark went back for Gideon.
“What now?” Gideon was covered in perspiration. A wave of dizziness overtook Lark and the spell snapped like a taut cord pulled too tightly. In the blink of an eye the monsters began to move freely again.
“I need your Reaper,” Lark said.
“Leah? She’ll be at the complex.”
The Wraith was diving straight for them when Lark carried them away to the complex. The lobby outside the medical area was a flurry of activity. Both teams had been brought here and lycans were crammed in every available space.
Gideon gripped Lark’s arm. “You’re bleeding.”
Lark swept the warm wet liquid from beneath his nose and eyes with the back of his hand. “Need the Reaper. Now.”
“Where’s Leah?” Gideon’s voice boomed with the strength of an Alpha and the room fell quiet.
“She went with Romani.” Lark recognized Aria’s voice and his eyes sought her out in the crowd. Aria was supporting a lycan woman with a badly mangled leg. Her eyes went wide when she spotted Lark.
Romani, Lucas, and Leah shimmered into existence. The group was filthy. Leah was covered head to toe in some kind of black goo so thick that it hid her naked form beneath. She breathed heavily. “Leah. We need you.” Gideon reached out to the woman. Leah crossed the space without hesitation, taking her place dutifully by her Alpha’s side.
“I will come too.” Romani practically sprinted to reach them before they teleported back to the spot where they’d left the creatures.
“A Wraith? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Leah looked around incredulously.
Lark sent out a wave of complex energetic patterns. They encircled both shadow monsters, imprisoning them in an electrified cage. “The big guy first.”
