Page 59 of Country and Clove
“You all right, lass?” His voice was the same despite his new appearance.
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“Clove!” Waylin gripped her by the elbow, hauling her to her feet before the rapidly spreading puddle of black blood could reach her. She sighed in relief and pulled him in for a tight hug.
“Are you hurt?” She scoured Waylin for injuries. He stopped her, taking her hands in his.
“I’m fine. I stuck close to Graham. He’s pretty much bulldozed through everything in our path so far.” Waylin nodded toward Graham.
“Wait.” Clove looked at the newest Celestial. “No one is supposed to be able to touch the Dolgurs but Leah. You’re not a Reaper. How are you not dead?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Graham shrugged.
The ground quaked once more. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Waylin grabbed Clove’s arm. She had just enough time to slip her heels off before he half dragged her away.
Graham stayed close as they continued through town, moving ever farther from the ominous rumble of the Dolgur snake. In less than five minutes they encountered another group.
The Ulric Beta and the Texas lycans were working hard to subdue a three-legged Dolgur. Its two long necks swung back and forth. Both heads ended in a sharp group of hundreds of teeth. The lycans struck at it with large pieces of shrapnel and broken wood. Graham picked up his pace, speeding ahead of them and slamming into the monster without hesitation. He ripped both heads off and howled in triumph. The other lycans stared at him in shock.
“Graham? Is that you?” Lance asked, his toffee eyes wide.
“Afraid so,” Graham answered, wiping his hands on the curtains from a busted-out window nearby.
“Your timing is impeccable,” the Beta said with a sigh of relief. He clapped Graham on the shoulder and it made a sharp ping sound. “We’re going to need to talk when this is all over.”
“Another damn Celestial. Can you believe it?” Waylin grinned at them. “And Graham is a real hero. He’s been taking down monsters left, right, and—” Waylin’s words shifted to screams as his body was lifted off the ground. Clove’s blood ran cold as she spotted the wraith dangling Waylin’s body in the air.
“No!” she cried out, rushing to locate some sort of weapon. Waylin’s cries turned to wet gurgles as the wraith latched onto him and greedily sucked away his blood. Lance and Tawny threw debris up above them, pelting the wraith with everything within reach. Clove looked on in horror as the wraith shot away from them. It pulled its jaws free and released Waylin. His body plummeted to the earth with frightening speed. The lycans sprinted toward him but they weren’t fast enough. Waylin’s body shattered as he hit the ground. Clove screamed in rage and horror as she reached his broken form. The others were still throwing debris at the wraith, trying to block it from grabbing its next victim.
Clove’s body shook with fury, and as the rage grew, so did her magic. She called upon her Celestial gifts, willing them to send her something to take down this airborne demon. It took several seconds before anything happened. Then a great flapping reached her ears. The crows overtook the sky, snatching the remaining light as they filled the space above. There was a soft golden aura to them as if she could see the magic and her will radiating off their feathers. They descended on the wraith as one. It shrieked out as hundreds of claws and beaks tore at its flesh. The sounds grew more shrill and desperate, forcing the lycans to cover their ears. A new shriek sounded from somewhere nearby, followed by another.
Lance’s eyes went wide as he looked at Clove. “It’s calling for help.” Clove’s eyes flicked back to Waylin’s lifeless body. She yelled in effort as she pushed power from her being, willing the crows to end this now. She was rewarded with the sight of the wraith’s destroyed body as it plunged to the earth.
The monster was in bloodied ribbons. Triumph flooded Clove’s veins. The crows cawed in victory. But their sounds were drowned out by the shrieking spilling through the sky all around them. A new wraith shot into the clearing above their heads, then another, and another. Clove’s concentration was overtaken by panic and the birds fled.
“No!” She willed herself to bring them back just as a wraith made a path toward her. She screamed as its lifeless eyes trained on her, having no time to escape. The sky thundered, and a bolt of lightning arced through the clouds. Clove was nearly blown off her feet as a massive gust of wind whipped past her, snaring the wraith and sending it flying backwards.
Clove’s heart sang as she felt Aaron’s magic wash over her. Her eyes fixed on him and her heart bloomed with hope. His hands were raised in the air as wind funneled forward. The three gusts fused into one, dragging the wraiths into the ever-growing tornado.
Aaron’s jaw was clenched as he wielded his Celestial gifts. The sky continued to rumble as his magic pushed outwards. The tornado spun faster and faster, but the wraiths were creatures of the sky and air. It was going to take more than that to take them down. Clove could call back the birds, but they wouldn’t be able to get close to the wraiths with a tornado surrounding them.
More lycans came spilling forward and hope flickered through her as Darren and Nova joined their group.
“Nova! Fire!” Clove looked at her friend with unmasked desperation. Nova didn’t hesitate. She moved next to Aaron with Darren close by her side. Aaron jumped as Nova interlocked one of her hands with his. Soft grey-green eyes shifted to an icy, glowing blue as Nova called her magic forward. Flames shot forth from her palm, blazing brightly and tracking the same path as Aaron’s wind. They hit the tornado with unimaginable speed and the entire swirling funnel went up in flames. The wraiths shrieked and screamed as they were engulfed by the bright blue fire.
Aaron and Nova continued their attack until the sounds of the wraiths faded to silence.
Nova pulled back first, sucking the flames from the sky like they’d never existed. Aaron followed, releasing his hold on the wind and allowing the charred remains of the wraiths to scatter across the ground. Clove’s gaze darted around, wary of another attack. A quick shimmering to the left signaled the approach of a teleporter.
Lark materialized, his eyes immediately scanning the carnage. “Whatever you two just did, I could feel it all the way from the complex. Is everyone all right?” He was covered in sweat and grime.
“Waylin,” Clove choked out. He was so horribly still. Lark frowned, dropping to Waylin’s side. He reached a hand out, hovering it over the other man before gripping his wrist. He didn’t say another word before they both disappeared. “Wait!” Clove ran forward but they were gone.
Aaron grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her into him. Clove’s emotions overflowed and the tears she’d held back since the beginning of this horrific attack came with them.
“I’m so sorry.” His chest was warm beneath her cheek. She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go. So much had just happened. She was barely able to process anything. They all needed a minute to think.
Tremors shook the ground beneath their feet and adrenaline pumped into her veins.
