Page 57 of Country and Clove
Lucas was on his phone, enacting an emergency protocol with his teams. Aaron sent a message to the chat containing all of his recruits. Clove watched everything unfolding in slow motion. The sun was setting and an array of rich colors danced across the vast sky. She was aware of several quick blurs as Lark teleported back and forth. Aria disappeared first, followed by Dahlia and Laurie.Where is he taking them?
Lucas hung up the phone and ran one direction. Gideon shouted orders to Leah and Romani before he ran the opposite way. Lance rounded up the lycans from the Texas pack. He exchanged a few quick words with Tawny, and then the whole group followed him straight through town. Aaron took up a stance exactly where he was with Dane close by his side.
“The rest of the recruits are coming,” he called out to her. Almost half of the recruits had already been in attendance, so it made sense to meet here. Hunter and Ginger had been at the party, she was sure of it. Her eyes scanned the group but her twin was nowhere to be found. Maybe Hunter ran her away from here. It should be in his instincts as her fated mate to keep her safe. Hunter was smart and skilled. She had to trust he would protect her sister.
Liv and Abigail reappeared, running toward them from the edge of the forest. Waylin and Graham were barricading the door. There hadn’t been any sign of the creature since they’d fled outside. Screams seemed to echo from every direction both near and far. Clove searched for the Scottish pack but couldn’t see a single one. They had been sitting closest to the back wall when the Dolgur attacked. Nausea roiled through her. Had they all been killed?
Something slammed against the door and everyone lurched backwards. Graham and Waylin moved away from it, dropping into crouches and stilling in anticipation of the monster’s emergence. A sickening, guttural gasp wrenched everyone’s attention to the opposite side of the entrance where Taia stood with her back to the wall. A shiny black tip protruded from her chest where the Dolgur had punched a hole straight through her. Graham screamed. Taia’s body was jerked backwards and the wall gave way as the creature knocked through it. Graham roared in fury as he charged straight for it. One of its sharp pointed legs snapped out. Graham dove aside, but the creature caught him in the shoulder. He cried out as blood rushed from the wound. It dropped him to the ground, depositing him next to Taia’s lifeless form.
Leah burst into her black Reaper wolf and lunged for the Dolgur. Before she could reach it, a brilliant red light beamed outward, bathing the darkening world in a crimson glow. The blinding light burned, forcing everyone to shield their eyes until its scorching red began to dim.
* * *
Aaron’s eyes adjusted and he sucked in a breath of pure shock. Graham stood, glowing like a coppery beacon of light. His clothes were gone and a metallic coating now encircled every muscle of his body. His eyes glowed like two orange flames set deep within his skull. He opened his mouth, releasing an anguished cry before ramming into the Dolgur, punching and clawing his way completely through the creature. It wailed as he tore through it, limbs stabbing in every direction. Each time its pointed tips struck Graham’s flesh, they ricocheted off, clinking like the sounds of a sword on a shield.
“An armored Celestial,” Clove said softly. “He’s one of us. I can feel it.”
Aaron couldn’t speak, but he could feel it too. Within moments the Dolgur lay on the ground, its entire middle ripped open. Black ichor spilled across the concrete. Graham was breathing heavily. His eyes dropped again to Taia and he released another distraught scream.
“Graham,” Aaron called, but chaos sparked to life around them. The windows of a nearby bakery shattered as a snakelike Dolgur with a double set of snapping jaws slithered from inside. The beast was easily the length of a bus. Aaron drew in a deep breath, calling on his training and pulling magic to his fingertips. The sky darkened above as thick clouds rolled in. Aaron directed a small gust of wind in front of the group, tightening it into a funnel and feeding it strength and speed. A twister spun to life and he sent it speeding toward the snake. It caught the monster, whipping it up and into the air. The dark animal writhed and hissed in fury. Aaron increased the speed. He was vaguely aware of the others stepping back as objects from all around became swept up in the growing tornado’s pull.
The Dolgur twisted and flipped, working to free itself, but Aaron didn’t stop. He released a feral sound as he willed the wind to whip even faster. The Dolgur’s tail went first, ripping free from its body. One of the jaws was next, and then its middle section. Little by little the vicious tornado ripped the creature apart. When Aaron was certain it was dead, he released the wind and a mass of twenty or more pieces dropped to the earth with wet, meaty splats.
Leah’s dark wolf sped forward, latching onto the largest remaining part of the creature’s head. Romani was right by her side. He buried his fingers in her fur, and the two vanished. Clove’s arms wrapped around Aaron and he pulled her close. Her sweet, familiar scent calmed him as his magic receded once more.
“Uh, did you rip a giant snake apart with a tornado?” Aaron turned and found Braggs jogging up along with the rest of the recruits.
“Did you come from the complex?” Aaron hurried toward the group. The other recruits fell in line behind him. All except Graham.
“Yeah and shit has gone crazy all over town. We passed at least six different monsters on our way.” The group looked pale and anxiety flowed off of them.
“Mountain’s End is under attack. We need to stick together, comb through the city, and take down as many of those fuckers as we can. Just remember what we talked about in training this week. No one touches the Dolgurs but Leah. She’s a Reaper, and their dark magic won’t harm her. It will be extremely harmful for you. Leah and Romani can’t be everywhere at once. Our job is to dismember or incapacitate them with guns, swords, cars, magic, whatever we can, and keep them out of action until she can get there. Durucai can be touched, but none of the slimy, dark liquid that coats their skin can enter your mouth. Veil Wraiths are deadly once they get you off the ground, so stay low and if they grab you, fight with everything you’ve got to free yourself before they drain you. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
“There is safety in numbers. Stick together as best you can. We will get through this.” His nerves were wired full of adrenaline.
“Oh my god, is that Graham?” Callie whispered.
Graham was standing over Taia’s fallen form, his body still coated in the unusual copper armor.
Aaron took a step forward to check on him, but the ground began to rumble beneath his feet. The shaking intensified, until everyone was stumbling around, trying to stay balanced. A fissure formed in the ground, running along the pavement with frightening speed. A hideous moaning cry came just before the creature breached the surface beneath their feet.
The entire group dove in various directions as a new Dolgur tore free from the earth. It was similar to the snakelike creature before, but this one had six heads and was at least five times the size. It was big…bigger than anything they’d faced before.
Terror seized Aaron’s heart and he cried out to his recruits, “Run and regroup!”
The pack took off in various directions. Aaron’s feet carried him away from the monster with lightning speed. His eyes darted around.Where is Clove? Which direction had she jumped when the Dolgur emerged?
He sped away from the monster, assessing the people who ran in the same direction. Dane raced beside him, his topaz eyes burning like molten stars. That was a good start. Aaron’s eyes flicked behind him. Liv, Abigail, Jason, Braggs, and Callie all kept pace close to his flank. Five of the fourteen recruits. Fuck, how had they gotten separated so soon? They rounded the corner, coming up on Le Crepe and skidding to a halt as they nearly slammed straight into another group of people.
A dark, sucking sound reverberated from behind them and Aaron whirled. A willowy, faceless Dolgur appeared out of nowhere. Its mouth was open and it sucked in air, dragging nearby objects into its orbit as it floated across the ground like a ghost.
“Duck!” Nova’s voice hit Aaron’s ears and he dropped without a second thought. His recruits followed his lead, barely making it down in time. A barrage of magic sailed overhead, slamming into the monster and trapping it in ice. Nova cried out, wielding her power more fiercely. She encased the Dolgur in a layer of ice so thick and blue that Aaron could no longer see any trace of its dark form. A hand shot down, gripping Aaron’s arm and hauling him to his feet. Darren’s burning golden eyes met his and he breathed a sigh of relief. Darren dragged him in for a quick hug before pulling back.
“Where’s Clove?” Darren asked, his eyes darkening momentarily.
“I don’t know. We got split up.” Aaron swallowed thickly.
