“Go for its head,” Naomi shouted.
“Then what?” I muttered. “That’s the real question.”
I wrapped my hands around its neck, which was a wide, square rock, with both hands, digging my nails in again. I gave an experimental squeeze to see if I could wrest the block out and hopefully dislocate the head from the body. It didn’t move. Not even a millimeter. It was stuck in place with some kind of crazy supernatural cement.
The Mahrac continued to twist us in a circle. It wouldn’t be long until it smashed me into a tree. There’s nothing for me to grab. What do I do? My wolf barked and began to uncover the box she’d showed me, right as the monster started spinning quicker, trying to dislodge me. If it was smart enough to do that, it had a brain. “You’re not getting rid of me,” I hissed at the back of its head. “This ride isn’t over until you are.”
It slowed, almost like it’d understood me.
“That’s right. You heard me,” I growled. “I’m not getting off until you agree to stop all this. Care to give me any insight?”
The thing let out a gravelly howl and spun in a slow circle, like it was pondering its options. Then it took off through the trees. For a moment I wasn’t sure which direction it was heading in, and then it burst through the tree line, making its way straight to the edge of the mountain it had just climbed up.
The Mahrac was going to take me over the side.
Like hell it was.
“Jess, it’s going over!” Danny yelled behind me. “You have to jump. Jump!”
Naomi was in the air at the edge of my peripheral vision, coming at me quickly, covered in winged devils. For some reason they hadn’t gotten to me yet. “Naomi,” I screamed. “Get back! I’ve got this.”
I had no more time to think. We were almost to the end of the road. In one solid motion, I arched my arm back and struck my fist into the back of its head. A portion at the base exploded into pieces, leaving a gaping hole. The thing didn’t slow for a second. I rocked my fist back one more time, using supernatural speed, and plunged it into the opening with a snarl. This time I kept it lodged in there. The Mahrac faltered for a moment as I opened my hand inside the hole, feeling and searching for what made this thing tick. It slid to a stop, shaking its head, and it took everything I had to keep my hand inside.
My wolf started to bark frantically. What? What do I do now? My wolf gave an impatient growl. Show me! I don’t get it. She leaned down and nosed the box open. The lid fell back and a blinding light rushed out, racing through all my senses like someone had plugged me in. My first instinct was to shut my eyes against it—it was too much. But I knew I had to absorb it as fast as I could. As I took it in, my consciousness flooded totally to white. Power flushed through me like someone had finally pulled the master switch.
My hand started to tingle inside the Mahrac.
A low pulse in the middle of my fist wound up my arm. I could almost taste the essence of the Mahrac now. It tasted of sorrow. I shivered. The monster had stopped right at the precipice of the cliff. One false move and we would go over. I closed my eyes and focused on its Otherness. It was dense and heavy, and extremely strong.
I edged a single finger in farther, prodding its essence with my nail. It cried out.
Then I felt something else.
It was layered on top like a thick coat of sticky slime. In my mind it manifested as dark red, throbbing with menace. It was choking the Mahrac, forcing it do to its bidding. Selene. Her power was here, inserted like a sickness where it didn’t belong.
Something reared up in my psyche so strongly I almost let go. Everything in me wanted to crush the evil thing inside this being. It made me angry beyond measure—beyond any words. Going only on instinct, I twisted my hand quickly, scooping up as much of its essence as I could in my palm. And with everything I had, I threw all the blinding power I’d gathered from inside the box and sent it hurling at the ball of life in my hands.
I needed to purify it. I needed to set it free.
The monster arched its back and flung its arms out, letting out a sound of echoing thunder. My light encapsulated it completely. Then a shock wave of power ran though my body like a tremor, ending with a huge burst of power that snapped my head back and forced my eyes and jaw to snap shut.
Everything went still.
The light in my mind broke apart and dissipated.
Without any warning, the Mahrac tossed me backward, catching me by surprise. I let go, releasing my hold on it from the inside of its head. I landed on the ground hard, not thinking to right myself, just thankful I was off the beast.
The Mahrac gave me one look before it turned and launched itself off the cliff.
I didn’t have time to be relieved or exhilarated. I was drenched in sweat and completely spent.
And covered in winged devils.
13
They tore at my flesh, their greedy mouths lapping at my blood. My limbs felt heavy and I was so tired. I shook myself, but none of them dislodged. My wolf snarled and barked, trying to force me to move. I know. I know. Adrenaline hit my system in a rush, exiting my nerve endings, and I managed to stand.
I was still in my Lycan from, and surprisingly I didn’t feel much pain from their bites. From what Danny and Naomi had gone through, I’d thought there’d be more agony. Why doesn’t it hurt?
One of the devils feasting on my arm suddenly fell to the ground.
In the next moment it disintegrated, leaving a thick smear in its place.
Did you see that?
A few more dropped. They each made sizzling sounds as they died.
“Jessica!” Tyler screamed. “If you don’t get out of there right now, I’m coming to get you.”
I looked up, startled. He took a step into the clearing. I was happy to see he was up, but I didn’t want him coming after me. “No!” I yelled. “Tyler, stop! Look what’s happening. They’re dying.” I pointed to the ground as another one fell. This one rolled a few times and gave a little primal shriek before it died. “My blood must be toxic to them. I have to let them keep feeding. If I can kill them all, we can move forward. If not, we’re trapped here.” Another one took a nosedive off my shoulder. Once it was on the ground it stumbled in a circle before falling over with a high-pitched squeal. It sounded like a mini pterodactyl.
Tyler stopped advancing, his eyes blazing amber. “Holy shit,” he said. “You’re right. It’s working.” The side of his face was caked with dried blood, his hair matted with it. The boulder the Mahrac had thrown had hit him hard, and because of that trauma he might not survive a venom attack from these things. I had to make sure he didn’t come near me.
“Don’t come any closer,” I ordered. “You either, Daniel Walker.”
Danny grinned from where he stood next to my brother. “Wouldn’t dream of it. You’re doing a bang-up job all on your own.” He waved his hand in the air so I could see what he was holding. “Just in case you need it, I have a spell dart loaded, at the ready.” He flipped the dart in his hands. “If you’re in too much pain, I’ll stab you with it and put you out of your misery for a few hours.”
“Save it. We’ll need it later,” I ordered as I took a slow step forward. My body fought the venom from the beasties efficiently, but all the effort it took made me stiff and drowsy. “I have to make sure they all get their fill, but it’s exhausting me. I’m going to walk toward the boundary, but if I lose consciousness, don’t you dare come out here until they’re all dead and gone. My body will heal from this. I can feel it.” I took another step closer and my wolf flooded me with more endorphins. Power tingled through me in a delicious current.
I took another step.
With each movement, more of the devils dropped, shrieking their high-pitched squeals as they died. The ground was littered with thick, black smears.
My brother growled from the trees, “They’re not dropping fast enough.”
“Don’t you dare come out here, Tyler. This is working,” I answered. The strum of my brother’s anxiety hit me in waves. He was on the verge of charging out here.
“Yeah, it looks like it’s working perfectly,” Tyler said, his voice laced with bitter undertones. “They’re gobbling you up, and when they’re done there’s going to be nothing left.”
“I’m going to be fine,” I replied as a group of them plummeted to their deaths, leaving a patch of my arm free for the first time. I glanced down. For the first time I understood why their bites weren’t hurting me. “Look at my arm!” I waved it around and more beasties flew off me, leaving it completely clear. “I’m healing instantly from their bites.” My blood seared the poison as my body closed the wounds the moment their teeth left my skin. I was fixing myself as fast as I could.
But it was taking too much energy.
Some of the devils started disintegrating on me, leaving black goo stuck to my body. That was lovely. I can’t really complain, because gone is gone. My wolf barked in agreement and sent more adrenaline racing through my system, but I was sleepy even with the extra dose. It’s taking too much from us. I’m tapped out, especially after the Mahrac. I feel like I could sleep for a week. My wolf laid down in my mind. She was tired too. When was the last time we slept?
“Jess, wake up! Your eyes just slid shut,” Tyler yelled. “You need to come closer. It’s almost over.” I heard him moving. “Fuck it. I’m coming to get you.”
“No,” I mumbled as I snapped my eyes back open and took a few more steps. “I got this. I’m just sleepy. I don’t want you to be hurt—” The motion of falling downward jolted my senses awake and my eyes opened. But I didn’t hit the ground. Instead I was being lifted.
“I have you.” Tyler smiled down on me, his dimples showing in earnest. “It’s all over, Jess. Those bastards are all dead.”
“Good,” I said. “Now we can get moving.” I rested my head on my brother’s shoulder and everything went dark.