Page 77 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
The snake does not respond with words, but I feel satisfaction flooding through it, an almost sensual pleasure. The Old God slithers upwards, coiling towards the sky as it enjoys the sacrifice and death done in its name.
This time is perfect, it hisses in my mind.The alpha, the witch, the blood of a hundred warriors… and the innocent.
I’m not innocent! I’m just an ordinary woman! There is nothing special about me!
A high, piercing sound breaks through the haze around me, and I’m back in the present moment. Rex is frantically trying to get me to my feet, and Azarian is almost on top of us, his long, sharp knife held high.
The sounds of the fight around us have gotten louder, and I see that more of Rex’s Shadows have joined. Vanessa is still tearing into them, but as more join the fight, it looks like they are managing to push her back and get her on the run.
“The explosion,” I gasp, looking up at Rex. “Even if we can stop this, it’s the force of the snake returning to its home that causes the cataclysm. We’re all dead, no matter what.”
“I don’t think we should let Azarian and Vanessa absorb the power just to avoid the quake,” Rex says. “I can’t imagine what this thing would do if it were mobile.”
Rex has instinctively understood that the snake is tied to the stone and needs a human host to leave. It makes me wonder if Azarian and Vanessa have fully understood that the snake has a will of its own, and even if they manage to contain it within themselves, it’s likely that they won’t be able to control it.
“Azarian!” Vanessa screams, turning to run towards us. “Do it now! I can’t hold them off!”
My uncle was diverted from his path by warriors he cut down without mercy, but now he’s only a few feet away from me and Rex. Azarian is covered in blood. His eyes are black, sunken holes in his face, and his wide, fanged grin is truly the stuff of nightmares.
Rex jumps in front of me, and I scream for him to get out of the way, but he stays in Azarian’s path. Vanessa is closing in fast, and I know he can’t take them both on, even with his Shadows beginning to run towards us to help.
The snake roars, a terrifying, soul-crushing sound. It twists and bends over itself, slowly coiling down towards Azarian. He opens his arms and looks up at the snake with adoration.
“Fill me, great one!” he yells. “My body is yours!”
“Hear the melody of the runes!” Vanessa gasps, joining Azarian. “Be bound by the magics, and serve us.”
A bright glow envelops us, and the horrible vibration increases until it feels like my eardrums are going to burst. Rex falls to the ground, and the other warriors are blown out of the circle as a tremor booms beneath us.
When I look up, the snake is pouring itself into Azarian’s body. He laughs maniacally, and through my connection withthe snake, I can feel that Azarian is containing the power more than any of his predecessors did.
My uncle screams as the snake keeps pouring into him, and I pray that he’ll be destroyed by it, even if it means all of us going out in the explosion. My eyes are locked on the scene before me as the great tower of flame becomes one with Azarian.
Suddenly, everything stops. The air is still. There is no wind, no roaring, no crackling sounds of fire. The edges of the circle look very far away, and there is only me, Rex, Vanessa… and Azarian.
And the snake?
My uncle opens his eyes, and they aren’t dark pits anymore. They are a glowing, glittering ruby.
The snake’s eyes!
Azarian takes a step forward and almost falls. He laughs, a disturbingly beautiful sound of pure amusement. When he tries to walk again, it’s with another broken step.
Rex roars, pulling out his blade and swinging it at Azarian’s neck. Before the blade can reach him, it melts into slag, droplets of steel hissing as they hit the red rock.
Vanessa shrieks with laughter, pointing at Azarian. “You’re too late! He’s invulnerable! It worked. Share the power with me, my love!”
Azarian turns to look at her, his eyes still glowing ruby-red with no pupils. He tries to speak, and I see the flicker of the snake’s forked silver tongue. As my uncle takes a step towards Vanessa, I see bright spots of flame chasing across his skin, as if his insides are made of fire.
Again, I have to say… we’re fucked.
Vanessa reaches out for Azarian, a tender look on her face. He cups her cheeks in his hands and smiles.
Azarian’s hands slowly turn to gold as all the fire in his body coalesces into his hands. Vanessa tries to pull away, screaming horribly, but Azarian tightens his grip, digging his thumbs into her cheeks as fire pours into her, burning her to ash.
Rex stumbles, taking a step back from my uncle. I try again to get up, but my feet still feel stuck to the stone. My skin crawls with a strange, pinching sensation, and my hands begin to feel warm and tingly.
What’s happening to me?
