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Despite trying not to fault myself for the Malev attack, I know that I’m to blame. Azarius even said he’d never seen one of them in these woods before I got here. Now there’s a group of them beating down the door. And Elio and Azarius are risking their lives to protect me.
What kind of mate puts their lovers in danger?
A crappy one. That’s me.
My legs are starting to fall asleep, and I ease open the door of the armoire. A pillar of light falls through the crack, breaking up the pitch blackness I’ve been sitting in, and I can see straight to the window. The need to know what’s happening outside swells, pulling me toward the glass vantage point, and it doesn’t take long for me to give in.
I’ll sneak over, glance for a second, and hurry back to my hiding place.
No one will know, and my desperate curiosity will be sated.
My feet hit the ground softly as I slide off the shelf, and I hurry across the room to the window. I stand to the side, obscuring as much of my body as possible, and peer around the edge toward the ground.
I’m hit with instant regret.
The dark ground is swarming with Malevs crawling, walking, and sliding their way toward the mansion. Dozens of bodies—luckily all Malevs—litter the ground.
I scour the scene, searching for signs of Elio or Azarius, and find them fighting back-to-back near the front door. For every Malev they strike down, two more step up, and I can see a long trail of blood starting at Azarius’s chest and dripping down his leg.
My stomach turns.
My eyes sweep back across the space, searching desperately for any sign of Rafe, but I don’t see him.
Surely, he wouldn’t let Azarius and Elio face this fight alone.
I have half a mind to march my way to the third floor and beat down his door to find out until a large, dark figure catches my attention. It darts toward the side of the mansion, easily cutting down two Malevs without slowing down, and I squint to see better.
Long, muscular limbs. Giant horns that curl forward. A barbed tail that whips viciously at approaching Malevs.
The monster is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I know without a doubt who it is.
“Rafe,” I whisper, watching him disappear around the side of the house.
Something crashes in the hallway, and I jump, spinning around to face the door. The lounge chair was the heaviest thing I could haul in front of it by myself, but I don’t know how effective it’ll be if someone tries to break in.
I dart for the armoire, jumping inside as swiftly as I can, and snap the door closed behind me. I’m drowned in darkness again, and I scoot as far back as I can, hiding beneath as much fabric as possible.
Another crash comes from the hallway, this one muffled through the wood of the armoire.
I take a shaky breath, hoping to soothe my nerves, but another crash makes me gasp. That one sounded closer.
My thoughts rush to Elio and Azarius on the ground. They were swamped with Malevs, barely fending them off. If one happens to make its way in here, neither of them will be able to save me.
I’m on my own.
I unsheathe the dagger and hold it close, ready to defend myself. I might not be able to kill a Malev, but I’m confident I can wound one.
Something slams into the door to Elio’s room, and I clap a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream. There’s another bang, followed by a growl, and I tighten my grip on the handle of the dagger.
For a beat, I believe the Malev will give up and move on, and I’m teased by a flicker of hope.
But then there’s an explosion outside, and I hear what sounds like the lounge chair flying across the room. I stop breathing as heavy footsteps enter the room.
“I smell the human,” a voice hisses, making my skin crawl. “Find it.”
More footsteps pad into the room, followed by bangs, scrapes, and scuffles of things being tossed around and searched. Movement stops in front of the armoire, and I know what’s coming before the doors are ripped open.
I brace myself.
