Page 61 of The Curse of Ophelia

They were not here to eliminate potential warriors as they approached the Undertaking—at least, not all warriors. No, they were a threat that needed to be thwarted in order to advance. Draw blood and the candidate proved themselves worthy. Allow them to draw it first, and it may be the last thing you ever do.

“Do not aim to kill!” I called across the roar of battle. “They only need to be wounded.” The Spirits’ magic would heal them later.

“Drive them toward the volcano,” Cypherion directed. I turned Sapphire at his words, aiming toward where he was chased by two wolves. I ripped my dagger from my thigh and launched it at one. It stuck in the beast’s back leg, dragging it to the ground. I swiped it back up as Sapphire ran past the animal.

Our small band pushed back against the pack, the base of the Spirit Volcano looming ahead of us. But we were moving too slowly. Not gaining enough ground.

I slashed and stabbed any piece of gray fur that reached too near my body, losing count of the fallen wolves. But they were falling. Gray forms littered the ground, looking no more fearsome than oversized pups.

Catching my breath, I looked over the feud occurring on the tundra, seeking my next victim, but that brief pause left me exposed.

A set of shining obsidian claws grasped on to my left arm, sharpened points tearing into the skin and muscle. I cried out against the burning tear of my flesh. The only thing that kept Starfire in my hand was my years of training. No one would take my sword.

The beast’s other paw reached up and sank into my side, tearing a second scream from my throat. The three-inch-long nails sliced through the firm muscle of my obliques. Dark spots clouded my vision. I tried to drag air into my lungs, nearly choking on smoke. My body begged me to give in to the pain.

“Ophelia!” My friends’ screams sounded so far away, like they came from another place entirely. Here it was just me, the wolf, and the blinding slice of its claws.

The predator rose onto its hind legs, using my body to pull itself up. Each tug burned as it tore my skin further, the beast’s weight ripping into me. In a swooping motion, it pulled me from the saddle, throwing me to the sand.

Somewhere, Sapphire whinnied.

Pain echoed through my body. A thunderstorm of agony that reached every inch of my bones so deeply, I was sure it would destroy me.

No, I swore as I looked into the yellow eyes of the wolf looming over me. Menacing drool dripped from its jaw, closer every second, until those shining obsidian teeth were all I could see. No, I have come this far. I will not crumple.

A strangled roar of determination and anguish broke from me as I rolled toward the beast, cradling my injuries. It snapped its jaw open, aiming for my neck. The flash of shining ebony teeth would haunt me for centuries to come.

I drove my uninjured elbow into the wolf’s snout. The beast let out a stunned yelp, fading into an angry snarl. My fingers curled around Starfire’s hilt. But then, hooves slammed into the wolf’s side, forcing it back.

I breathed a ragged sigh of relief. With an unsteady motion, I dragged Starfire from the dirt and swung her over my body. She felt so heavy in my tired arms, but I swiped across the paw of the wolf—the only part I could reach. Blood splattered me.

As if one, the wolf and I both collapsed into the dirt.

For a moment, I breathed, watched the dust swirl above me, the roar of battle dull in my ears. Then, the air kissed the wounds to my arm and torso, stinging the damaged flesh. I wanted to scream, wanted to cry out against the searing pain.

Hooves pounded beside me, Sapphire’s worried blue eyes gazing down at me. She lowered her head, nudging me to get up. She’d been the only one able to reach me as the wolf attacked. She’d saved me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, dragging a hand down her nose.

But I didn’t have time for anything else. Growls ripped through the air, weapons and grunts echoing. My friends were screaming out to me, begging me to rise. Before they became so distraught that the distraction got them killed, I pushed myself to my feet, leaning on Sapphire. Holy fucking Spirits, the pain was unbearable.

Wrapping my good arm around my torso and applying pressure to the slices in my side, I somehow swung myself into the saddle, squeezing my thighs as my only source of stability. The world spun. Pain took over my body. Bright red blood seeped from me onto Sapphire’s white hide, and I cringed.

I chanced a look at my arm, the tangled mess of flesh and shining muscles nearly making me vomit. On my side, blood thickened beneath my palm, sticky and warm.

Please, whatever Angels and Spirits are watching, heal me quickly.

I forced my vision to focus on the battle that was still raging. We’d taken out nearly half of the wolves, but each that fell fueled their pack more.

Jezebel took out her last predator and broke away, galloping toward me, spear sheathed behind her back as she lay flat against Elektra.

“Stop!” I shouted over shaking breaths. It made my head spin, but I held up my hand as an explanation. The sunlight glinted off my crimson fingers, and our eyes met, a thousand unsaid words between us. Her face paled, devastation crumpling her delicate features: I was Cursed. She could not approach while my blood flowed.

Her lips formed a tight line, but she nodded, turning on an attacking wolf with renewed ferocity. Enacting her revenge for what they did to me.

“There are too many of them,” Rina shouted, the use of her meager training against the beasts impressive.

Half of the wolves lay slumbering across the heated black sand, but there were still a dozen awake and hungry for our blood.

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