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“Let me go,” he said. “I’ll take care of everything for you.”
The heat inside me guttered. My stomach dropped. I twisted my hand so I could hold his. If I let go of him, I knew he would leave and never come back. Maddox was willing to face Fenrir all on his own, even if it meant his own death.
An animalistic growl vibrated up my throat as I gripped Maddox’s hand as hard as I could. “Don’t you dare do anything without me.”
The corners of his mouth lifted, but I could see the tightness in his eyes. He wanted me to sit back and stay safe. That wasn’t an option for me. There was so much potential sitting inside me. I had to live up to it. If I didn’t, the guilt would eat at me. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t do what had to be done.
That’s what I’d been running from my entire life. My true purpose had been right there all along, but I’d refused to acknowledge it. This was a lot, maybe even too much for one person, but we were going to get through this.
Once we did, then I would sit back and enjoy a simple life.
I would make sure of it.
Maddox
“God, you’re all so tiring,”Fenrir said, announcing his presence.
I stood and spun to face him. He leaned in the open front door…or what should have been a front door. There was nothing to bar him from entering because he’d destroyed it with his hungry arcana. He flashed me a broad, toothy grin before spreading his arms wide.
“I told you where I was, but no one came to me. I grew bored waiting.” Fenrir’s attention slid past me and fell on Addie.
A hungry gleam crossed Fenrir’s eyes. He licked his lips. He’d gotten a taste of Addie once, already. I wasn’t going to allow it to happen again.
Twisting, I looked to Vi. “Get Addie out of here!”
Vi nodded and jumped into action.
Addie cried out when Vi plucked her off the couch and pulled her out of the room. My last glimpse of Addie was of her shocked face before she vanished into the kitchen. I steeled my core before turning back to Fenrir.
I wished my last sight of Addie could have been filled with love, but this would have to do. She would survive and have many more years ahead of her.
“I won’t let you take her,” I told Fenrir.
He snickered. “You think you can stop me? You’re barely a pup. I can tell you’re running on empty already. When was the last time you ate anything? You can’t fight on an empty stomach. Fill it and try again.”
I refused. I didn’t need to destroy in order to keep the ones I loved safe. If I followed in his footsteps, I wouldn’t be any better than him.
Addie believed in me. She knew that I could be a better man. When everyone else in my life called me a failure and a monster, Addie showed me the truth. For that, I would do anything for her.
The sucking sensation pulled at my skin with every step Fenrir took. I called out for everyone to move. Fenrir tore holes in the house, in the floor, in the furniture. He turned matter into energy and slurped it up like a fast food soda.
Ryder’s face paled. He looked to his own wife who had one hand over her stomach. Ness, determined just like her friends, issued a command.
“Starve, Fenrir.”
The words echoed through the room. Fenrir’s head slowly swiveled towards Ness. I lurched and placed myself between Ness and Fenrir, but he didn’t strike. His face twisted with rage as his hands trembled at his sides. His attention flicked to the nearby table. He reached out with crooked claws, but nothing happened. His hand simply hovered in the air.
I nearly laughed. Instead, I spoke to Ness over my shoulder. “Your work here is done. Now get to safety.”
“If he’s strong enough, he can fight it. If I stay, I can…”
I cut her off with a shake of my head. “No. Out.”
Ryder would beat my ass if I let his pregnant wife stay in a fight that was so dangerous that it could determine the fate of the world. I didn’t need that kind of heat on me if we survived this. It was bad enough that I had Vi run off with Addie.
Fenrir turned an angry glare at me. If looks could kill, he would have destroyed me right then and there. But he couldn’t feed right now.
I lifted both hands in a carefree shrug that made him even angrier. “What? Hungry? Why don’t you have a knuckle sandwich?”
