Page 71 of Trapped By Claws
"Clever," he murmured weakly.
"All right. Let's do it. One. Two. Three." I strained as I helped him ease back down.
His face twisted with pain. I helped him maneuver, my heart hammering.
He lowered down as the vibration pulsed louder. We got the strap of the bag around him and he forced his other arm up, though now his body twisted at an awkward angle while the limp arm hung down.
Hoarse laughter echoed up from below him.
I tugged harder.
His body twisted up another inch or so, his claws digging into the stone as I pulled with all my strength.
"Cut him!" one of the deep voices shouted.
"Can you get free, flesh scraps?" another laughed. That sounded like Black Claws.
"Test his strength," another called out among the gurgling and bubbles.
Corvin struggled harder. Sweat rolled down his cheeks. His eyes had lost most of their color. Even his teeth were starting to go grey.
How many of them could fit down there? I clenched my jaw and tugged.
He arched, the inkiness in his fingertips and lips spreading into veins along his mouth and up his arms. The scent of blood blossomed in the air, sickening me.
They were hurting him!
I knotted my hands around the straps and tugged harder.
More laughter followed. They jerked him down and then released him.
Corvin's muscles strained. He jammed his left arm against the marble, the veins in his brow and neck bulging.
I heaved with all my strength, adrenaline granting me more might than I had ever had. Corvin's body grated and twisted through the narrow opening, one shoulder snapping out of its socket.
Angry curses followed from below. Black Claws had gotten wedged in part of the way up. His eyes sparked with rage and hatred. "Filthy human whore!" he spat. "You can't escape us!"
Using his one good arm, Corvin dragged himself across the marble tiles. Several knife and claw wounds had gashed into his legs. His right hand pressed to his chest, the fingers now black all the way to the palm. With a grunt of pain, he snapped the shoulder back into place.
I grabbed one of the fallen rocks and chucked it into the pit. It struck Black Claws in the face. As he yelped, I found another and flung it in. Tagger pushed in gravel and smaller bits of rock. It only took a few minutes to jam up the entrance. And that pinch point was low enough in the mouth of the tunnel to make it difficult for them to just shove the debris out of the way. Especially when I packed it in.
The rageful shouts and bellows below grew more muffled.
This wasn't the only entrance point. I was certain of that. And now that they knew where we were, they'd likely be here soon.
I ran to him, dropping to his side. Blood spilled onto the marble as he struggled to heal. One of the largest wounds in his thigh had barely closed. I tried to rip my skirt to make bandages, but the damp fabric refused to tear.
"No, it's fine. Just a moment." He placed his hand over one of the wounds.
He wasn't healing fast enough. He was barely keeping himself alive.
I pulled out the dagger from his belt and used it to cut the fabric. "It'll help to put pressure on the wound. Then you can heal it. Besides, after we get out of this, I assume you'll want to see my legs, so who cares if my skirt gets shredded a little early?"
He tried to smile. "Your legs are magnificent."
"You haven't even seen them yet," I teased, trying to keep my tone light. I glanced at the pile of stones in the hole. "Do you know where there are other entrances? How fast can they get here?"
He gestured weakly toward the end of the passage beyond us. "There's another entrance there. They'll have to go back down."
