Page 12 of Healer
Like Superman landing in the middle of a melee, Hakkar appeared, positioning himself between me and the creature. My gaze melded to his back and shoulders, watching his muscles tense for battle. He wasn’t like Superman. No, he favored a berserker Viking, with wickedly curved blades held in both hands.
The creature charged with an ear-splitting roar, the massive body moving with an alarming speed. Hakkar’s instincts kicked in and he spun to the side, narrowly avoiding the crushing impact of those gigantic jaws.
Turning, he charged at the towering creature with his own fierce roar, blades raised and slicing through the tough scales, drawing blood from the monster’s back. The alien dinosaur roared in pain, its massive teeth snapping at Hakkar. With lightning-fast reflexes, the warrior leaped to safety, narrowly avoiding the deadly bite.
The vicious creature lunged again, its massive body propelling forward with incredible force. But Hakkar leaped away, his weapons slicing through the air and landing a powerful blow on the creature’s thigh. The impact caused the beast to stumble and crash into my hiding spot, shaking the ground beneath me.
A rumbling made me glance upward, only now registering that the stones hiding me were part of a larger rock face that cracked and crumbled due to the beast’s weight. When I dodged a falling rock the size of my head, I considered that even with the beaver-toothed velociraptor, it might be safer outside. I crept to the edge of my hidey-hole, out of the way of falling debris.
Hakkar and the creature moved around each other in a vicious, macabre dance of blood and death. The creature bled, but so did Hakkar. A deep gash ran down the length of his left bicep. Thankfully, it didn’t look too deep.
The beast roared, the sound echoing in a strange melody along with Hakkar’s growls and hisses.
I was too caught up in that moment to realize that the sound overshadowed the rumble of falling rocks from overhead.
“Agnes, move!” Hakkar screamed. I dove and barely missed being flattered by a massive boulder that reduced my hiding spot to a pile of rubble.
The creature took Hakkar’s distraction and landed a blow with the meaty part of its tail, sending the warrior flying. With its opponent out of the way, the beaver-toothed velociraptorturned, red eyes centering on me as a slimy gray tongue danced over broad gray teeth.
“Run!”
I heard Hakkar’s yell but hesitated, the whisper deep in my soul urging me to remain. The creature dove for me, mouth agape, claws outstretched.
Yep. This was going to hurt.
And just at the moment when my death seemed a certainty, the desire for life burst through like a flame.
I scrambled backward, but with nowhere to hide, it came too little too late.
The teeth came closer, and I shut my eyes, releasing a whimper of fear... and regret.
Another roar sounded, one that didn’t frighten me, but pulled my eyes open. It was the sound of a man determined to save me. A man who would die to protect me.
The creature didn’t stop, but neither did Hakkar. He came at a run, dropping at the last second to slide through the creature’s thick legs, blades held at an angle to catch the beast in the lower stomach.
The alien velociraptor made a noise of shocked pain, shuddering as blood and internal organs gushed from the wound. It fell like a mighty oak, landing with the beaver teeth just inches from my foot and splashing me with blood and guts in the process.
I didn’t have time to scream. Hakkar was there, his hands trembling as they roamed over my body. His fingers, although coated with sticky green blood, imparted a warm sense of comfort everywhere he touched.
“Are you hurt?”
It took me a minute to find my tongue. “N—no.”
The relief flooding through Hakkar felt palpable, as was his anger.
He grabbed my shoulders, giving me a jerky shake.
“What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you run?”
“I—I…” Hot tears flooded my eyes. The tingle of shock flowed over my skin, although I didn’t know if it was due to the beast nearly killing me or for that one moment when I wanted it to.
Hakkar shook me again, softer this time.
“First, you wandered close to falling off the cliff last night, and now this. It looked like you purposefully kept yourself in the merhidat’s path.”
“I—I….” The name of the beast barely registered as tears flooded my cheeks. His golden eyes locked onto mine—eyes that saw through any flimsy excuse I might offer. The man who put himself in harm’s way to save me, not knowing there wasn’t much to save—not anymore.
One more shake. Only this time, it served to pull me closer, his hands cradling my face.
