My new axes would hurt the wraiths, even in their shadow states, but it would be easier to strike a mortal blow in that brief window they were corporeal.
The wraiths continued circling Ryker, occasionally taking a swipe at him. My breath hitched when the feline one raked his sides and an alarming amount of blood began to flow. But a feral smile broke across my lips when Ryker snapped his jaws around the wraith’s leg, causing it to hiss in pain and vanish into shadows before reforming several feet away.
Nothing else moved along the edges. I’d waited long enough.
I hated the feeling of the drying blood against my skin, but on the plus side, it helped me blend in as I crept closer, pausing next to a tree. Only ten feet separated me from the wraiths and Ryker. The problem was that the last bit of ground was completely out in the open.
Ryker went still. He didn’t look at the tree I was hiding behind, but I had no doubt he knew I was there. A flicker of irritation and relief flowed through the bond, and I had to swallow my sharp inhale. Did that mean our mating bond was growing stronger? I’d never felt emotions through it before.
That was a problem for tomorrow. Tonight was about survival.
The wraith Ryker had bitten was back in its feline form and stalking around him while the one shaped like a dragon had its back to me, wings arching up before breaking apart into wispy shadows. I would have preferred the feline one because it was shorter, but I could make this work.
Ryker and I moved at the same time. He spun around and lunged at the feline wraith just as it tried to take another swipe at him, exposing his back to the dragon wraith, which seized the opening. I raced forward, closing the distance between us before pushing off the ground and leaping straight towards the dragon’s neck. Cold shadows surrounded me as I passed through its wings a second before the wraith solidified. The wraith jerked, trying to twist its jaws that had been aimed at Ryker towards me.
I swung my axes from both sides, tearing through its neck. The wraith screamed and something hit my side, sending me careening away from it. I crashed into a tree, the impact making me lose my grip on my axes. Pushing through the pain, I staggered to my feet just in time to see Ryker tear out the throat of the feline wraith.
The wraith exploded into shadows that skittered through the forest. It would unfortunately survive that, but at least it was retreating.
I watched as the dragon wraith morphed into a vaguely Fae shape, clutching at its throat as black blood poured into the ground. It dropped to its knees, slowly falling over and twitching a few times before going still. Slowly, the wraith’s body broke apart until only a pool of dark blood remained.
Guess the magic in my axes still worked. I’d read the reports but hadn’t seen it in action for myself. Whatever spell the Fae had crafted, it disrupted the wraiths in their shadow form. And if you landed a blow in that brief moment they were corporeal, it trapped them in that state.
The wraiths were still deadly, but it evened the odds tremendously. I flexed my fingers, recalling the axes back into my palms.
Across the clearing, Ryker’s ice-blue eyes met mine. He took a step towards me before faltering.
Oh no. I raced towards him. Five feet away, something grabbed me and yanked me back.
Hot agony sprouted from my chest, and blood spewed from my mouth. I looked down to see a dark silver sword coated in blood sticking out of my chest.
My axes fell from my fingers. Ryker’s growl filled the air, and I was vaguely aware of him struggling to get back to his feet.
Someone gripped me to them, close like a lover, even as they twisted the sword they’d shoved through my back. “Always knew you were a traitor,” a cruel voice whispered in my ear.
I could feel my body shutting down, frantically trying to stop the bleeding. One word passed my lips before darkness claimed me. “Warrick.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Warrick
You stab someone one time and everyone makes a big deal about it. Not a single, “Thanks for being so careful and not puncturing any major organs, Warrick.”
Ryker had tried to bite me before passing out for fuck’s sake. I’d had to carry him back to the stronghold because Rynn was too busy being dramatic about holding her guts in.
The wound had been precise. I’d barely nicked a lung. And it wasn’t like she didn’t have two of them. There was no threat of intestines spilling out and decorating the forest floor, as much as I would have enjoyed that.
I could admit in hindsight that perhaps I’d misread the situation, but I had arrived back at the Alpha stronghold only to find everyone gone. I’d tracked down Bastian and Cade first, the latter of whom had started to explain what was going on, but then I’d heard Ryker’s howl and I’d taken off after it.
I’d gotten to the clearing just in time to see Rynn marching towards Ryker with two bloody axes in her hands and his broken body on the ground.
I wouldn’t apologize for protecting my pack, and Rynn was not a part of it. Things had gotten a little confusing when Ryker had practically dragged himself towards us, his eyes locked on me like he wanted to rip out my throat.
In that moment, I’d debated killing her. Clearly while I’d been away, she’d figured out how to sink her teeth into our most vulnerable pack member. Ryker might’ve been a lethal fighter, but his world experience was quite limited, and Rynn had taken advantage of that.
I’d also had a very strong urge to backtrack to where Bas was dealing with the kùsu and punch him in the face. Before I’d left last time, I had drilled into him that he needed to keep an eye on Rynn. Because Cade had a track record of falling for pretty faces and even prettier lies. But Bas didn’t fall for bullshit like that. There was no one in the world I trusted more than my would-be mate.
Also no one who pissed me off so much. Although Rynn was clearly angling for that title.
