Page 60 of The Ascended
"Don't. Move." Aelix's voice cut through my rising panic. "Don't even breathe."
The largest of the creatures stepped into a patch of moonlight, and my breath caught in my throat. It was enormous—easily the size of a small horse, with midnight fur and eyes like molten gold. When it pulled back its lips, it revealed teeth that could crush.
My heart hammered so hard I was sure it would taunt them further.
The largest one’s burning eyes locked onto mine. It took a step closer. Close enough for me to see the muscles bunching beneath its dark coat.
The creature's ears flattened against its skull.
Suddenly they were all moving.
"Thais," Aelix said, his voice tight with warning. "Stay exactly where you are."
But the largest hound was still advancing, its massive formblocking out the moonlight. I could see intelligence in those glowing eyes, an awareness that made it infinitely more terrifying than any mindless beast.
Fuck.I was going to be ripped apart by wolves before the Trials even started.
My breathing grew ragged despite my efforts to control it. One more step and those teeth would be at my throat.
I started to reach for my power?—
Marx stepped forward.
She was at my side instantly, drawing attention to herself. Slowly, she raised her hands. Her fingers curved just slightly, tracing invisible patterns in the air.
The largest hound's head swung toward her, those burning eyes narrowing.
A faint distortion permeated the air around Marx, like heat clinging to a summer road. A pungent, rotten odor wafted off her. Decay.
The hound's growl faltered. Its massive head tilted, nostrils flaring.
Marx's lips curved in the barest hint of a smile. Still silent, still motionless except for those almost-invisible movements of her fingers. But the air thickened around her, charged with a power that felt like spiders crawling over my skin.
The largest hound took a step back.
Whatever she was doing, it was working. The other hounds began to shift restlessly, their aggressive postures wavering into uncertainty. One by one, they started to withdraw, melting back into the forest as silently as they'd appeared.
But I could see the cost. Sweat beaded on Marx's forehead despite the cool night air. Her breathing had grown shallow. Whatever power she was channeling, it was taking everything she had to maintain it.
The largest hound remained for a moment longer, its burninggaze fixed on her face. Then it too turned and padded away into the shadows. And I sucked in a giant breath.
Only when the last of the glowing eyes disappeared did Marx let whatever she'd been holding collapse. She swayed slightly, one hand bracing against a nearby tree. Aelix took a sharp step toward her.
"Marx—"
"I'm fine." Her voice was hoarse but steady. She straightened slowly, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
“Thank you, Marx.” I managed, at a loss for words. “I thought for sure I was…”
I stood in silence for a moment.
"Well," Marx said finally, her voice carrying the faintest hint of humor. "Haven't had that many eyes on me since my last orgy."
A snort escaped me. Then another. Within seconds I was doubled over, shaking with laughter I couldn't control, adrenaline finally finding its release. My sides ached, but I couldn't stop. The absurdity of it. It was insane. She was insane.
Marx's lips twitched in what might have been satisfaction.
"Absolutely reckless," Aelix said, but his tone carried more exasperation than anger. "You could have killed yourself."
