Page 16 of Forged By Heart and Claws
Vad didn’t pause.
He tore the helmet off the downed warrior and slit his throat with his claws in one brutal swipe.
Blood drenched him.
I dug deep, pulling strength from some hollow place in my chest. My paws slipped on the blood-slick marble as I rose, legs shaking beneath me. The wound in my side pulsed, sharp and burning from the embedded bolt. But I clenched my jaw and forced myself upright.
Pain screamed through my muscles—and then I saw him.
A soldier rounded the corner, crossbow raised—not at me, but at Elara.
She was still slumped where I’d left her, pale and crumpled against the couch, completely exposed.
No!
Adrenaline surged. The pain dulled, not gone but erased beneath the need to protect her. I launched forward, my body trembling with every step.
When I was halfway there, he fired.
The bolt slammed into my shoulder, and fire ripped through the muscle, twisting my body mid-stride. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
The breath left my lungs in a strangled cry, and I collided with him in a blur of fur and blood. My jaws snapped on his throat before he could reload. Flesh tore beneath my teeth, hot and wet, and his scream cut short to a gurgle.
We crashed to the floor together.
His body jerked beneath me as blood poured from the open wound, puddling on the marble and slicking down my snout. His heartbeat weakened, and he twitched once, then stilled.
“Kill the shadow beast!” another guard screamed.
I jerked back just as a spearman charged with his crossbow aimed at my chest. My paws skidded on the slick marble as I lunged sideways, narrowly dodging the bolt, which sliced past me and shattered against the stone.
Across the room, Vyraetos released Thalira’s limp arm, her blood streaking his hands. His eyes snapped to the fallen spear near his feet, and he grabbed it in both fists.
He bared his teeth and twisted, slamming the spear into the wall. The soldier charging him froze, eyes wide in confusion, then terror, as Vyraetos yanked a dagger from his belt and drove it into the man’s eye socket. The venom-coated blade hissed as it sank deep, and Many-Greats slammed the attacking soldier in the back of the head with his club.
The guard gurgled, his knees giving out as he lurched to the side. Vyraetos shoved the corpse aside without flinching, already scanning for the next threat as Many-Greats stepped forward and braced for his next battle.
Around us, the chamber burned.
Smoke choked the air, thick and acrid, stinging my lungs with every breath. Firelight flickered off blood-slick armor, and screams echoed all around us. Winged guards still surged from every side, steel flashing like fangs in the haze. Shadows pressed in, coiling at the edges of the battle like they were waiting for the blood to run dry before devouring what was left.
Through it all, we fought.
Every one of us was bleeding, staggering, running on fumes and anger. But none of us fell back. We held the line because there was no other choice.
But how much longer could we keep this up?
Are we going to fight until they wear us down and pick us off one at a time?I linked to Vad, breath ragged, wobbling with every step.
A guard Silus had knocked in the head twitched and tried to pull himself up. As he got to his knees, I lunged and clamped my jaws down on his throat. The twisted rim of his helmet scraped my gums, but the artery was there, and I didn’t care. His hands clawed at my fur, then slackened.
We’re leaving as soon as we have an opening.Vad turned toward the northern hall, his lips curled in a snarl.
What’s back there?I linked to him as I pulled away from the corpse.
Another ambush, he answered, his anger heating our bond.At least some of them know we’ll try that route. The northern and eastern hallways both lead to the royal family’s chambers, but the northern hall is the shortest way there since the eastern winds and curves. We could take the longer path to lose them, but the stretch of hall before the family rooms in either direction will be far harder to fight through. With our injured, we’ll be vulnerable.
Shit.
