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Tristan drops to his knees.
Chapter fourteen
Davian
Do What it Takes
PAINEXPLODESTHROUGHme,and I can’t stop the yell from sounding through the air. The black wolf snaps his jowls on my arm, refusing to let me go. The massive beast shakes its head like it wants my arm, and I try to swing my fist to punch it away. But it’s no use. It’s stronger than me.
I thrash, trying to find my footing, but it drags me away from the beach and deeper into the forest. I use my free hand and reach out, grabbing at anything and everything to find something I can use as a weapon. This fucker will kill me otherwise. It’ll do exactly what it did to the others, and I refuse to die at the teeth of this man beast.
I lock my fingers around a tree root, using my strength to slow the wolf down. Its teeth grind across my forearm, shooting agony across my body. The edges of my vision darken, and I shout again as fiery pain licks my skin.
The wolf releases me, but it doesn’t run away. It snarls and snaps its teeth, lunging and retreating as it tries to intimidate me.
Glowering at the wolf, keeping my eyes on it, I use my good hand to blindly feel around the dirt until I find a sturdy branch, fallen from the trees. I whip it as hard as I can, smacking the wolf across the snout. It whimpers and backs up, barking once at me.
It bolts away, disappearing into the trees. I suck in a few deep breaths and pull my arm close to my chest, trying my best not to look at my mauled skin. I’m going to pass out. I’ve never seen something so disgusting and felt something so painful in my life.
Heat burns from the wound, warming the rest of my body, and sweat prickles across my skin. I swallow. My tongue hangs heavy and swollen in my mouth. I struggle to breathe. To call for help. I can barely even think. My chest tightens and my head pounds. Am I going to turn into one of those things? Is my body going to start morphing into something I won’t be able to survive?
Fuck. I don’t want to die. Not here. Not like this.
It’s the only thing that keeps me conscious. I know if I pass out, I’ll never wake up. That this will be the end.
“Get up,” I mutter to myself, using my good hand to press against the forest floor to get to my feet.
My body trembles with the movement, but I manage to push myself to my knees. Blood drips down my arm and splashes the ground, absorbing into the dirt. I need something to stop the bleeding. I look around and realize that the only thing I have are the shorts I’m wearing. A huge fucking part of me doesn’t want to take them off and leave myself exposed. But the part of me that wants to survive says to suck it the fuck up buttercup, because it’s either show off my damn cock or bleed out. Risk infection. Die.
Another howl booms through the forest, striking me right in the gut. It kicks me into action, and I stumble to my feet and drag my shorts down to take them off. I wind them around my arm, putting pressure on my wound even though the pain intensifies, and I nearly fall to the ground.
“Tristan! Tristan, stay with me!” Eliana’s voice rings in my ears, and I steady myself on the tree trunk, looking around, trying to blink the haze from my vision.
I spot Eliana standing a dozen feet away, obscured by the low hanging branches of the tree. A body lies in the dirt by her feet, and my muscles tense. But it’s not because Tristan sprawls out motionless on the ground. It’s because another figure rushes toward Eliana.
I recognize Tiffany, and anger ignites inside me, giving me the strength to get my shit together. I stumble forward, barely staying on my feet, until my adrenaline kicks in and helps ease the pain trying to leave me incapacitated.
Eliana spins, evading Tiffany. Sweeping her leg out, Eliana trips the woman, sending her skidding across the ground. I’m not even within a few feet of them before Eliana jumps onto Tiffany’s back and locks her fingers through her hair. Yanking her head back, she jabs her fist into Tiffany’s nose, sending blood pouring down the woman’s face.
“You’re dead. You’re fucking dead!” Eliana shouts, punching Tiffany again.
Tiffany gurgles a scream, but she can’t seem to fight back against Eliana.
A grey wolf surprises the two of them and jumps onto Eliana, knocking her away from Tiffany. It’s not Kellan. I would recognize his wolf form now that I’ve seen it a couple of times. This wolf doesn’t have the same blue eyes, and its chest is lighter, almost white.
Eliana shrieks and locks her fingers to the wolf’s fur, managing to keep its teeth inches away from her throat.
Rage consumes me, and I spot a blade sparkling on the ground near Tristan. I try not to look at him, afraid that I’ll notice he’s not breathing. Right now, I can pretend he’s okay. I need to believe that we’re all going to be fine. I’ll protect us, even if it’s the last thing I do.
Eliana cries out, struggling to keep the wolf away from her. I charge toward it and jerk my hand, slicing the blade across its side. The wolf screeches and catapults away from her. I don’t even get a chance to do anything as it kicks its back legs into the ground and flies at me, knocking me so hard that I fall back and smash against the tree. Snarling, the wolf sinks its teeth into my mauled arm again, the agony forcing me to release the blade. Eliana screams again, but I can’t see anything but her blurry figure moving behind the wolf.
I expect the beast to go for my throat next. I brace myself for an agonizing death. But the wolf stops short. Howls echo around me, and it cocks its head, twitching its ears. Snarling once more, the wolf shoves its paws against me only to retreat. I watch in shock as it goes after Tiffany, locking its jaw to her arm and sinking its teeth into her skin. She screams and falls, and the wolf drags her several feet.
A huge branch swings through the air, smacking the wolf in the face. I blink my eyes, trying to keep conscious. Adam shouts and swings a branch again, knocking the wolf away from Tiffany. The wolf doesn’t try to attack. All it does is dart between two trees and disappears into the forest. I inhale deep breaths, trying to suppress the pain, but it’s too much. I don’t think I’m going to last much longer.
“Doc! Doc, over here. We have three down.” Adam kneels beside Tristan. “Stay with me, man.”
I open and close my mouth, but my voice doesn’t come. Eliana closes the space to me, and I meet her beautiful golden eyes. They look brighter than usual as if the sun shines in them even though she stands in the shade.
