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KadeandIweresilent as we wound down one of the hidden staircases that led to Katakin City beyond the mountain. We moved swiftly in the pitch dark, not bothering to bring a torch, and using our night vision to guide us down the steps. Every so often my shoulder would brush against the fabric of Kade’s shirt as we moved in the narrow space.
We reached the base of the mountain a while later and stepped into the moonlight. I breathed in deep, taking in the crisp air and scents of pine and vegetation among the sulfur, and the tightness in my chest loosened. The walls of the mountain always reminded me of my father’s grip, tightening around me, and even though at this very moment I was off to do his bidding, it still felt freeing to be outside.
Kade’s gaze roved around the darkened clearing where we’d emerged. Lifting his nose, he scented the air, his wolf sense of smell only slightly keener than my vampire senses. Seemingly satisfied that we were alone, he turned to me and spoke. “Zacal’s team might be hotheaded, but they’re not incompetent. His wolves will scent our whereabouts if we enter the city. It will be hard to keep our movements a secret.”
I cracked the bones in my neck and flexed my back before pulling my sword from the scabbard at my side. “We’ll keep to the forest and only enter the outskirts of the city if we have to. If we’re fast enough, we’ll be gone before we’re detected.”
“Might be hard to do if the outlier runs into a populated area,” Kade reasoned. “Not to mention we could easily be spotted by the guard towers.”
My face remained passive. “I’ll come up with something if we’re seen by the gargoyles in the towers. As for Zacal…we’ll deal with him and his wolves if we have to.” Warrick was right to suggest that Zacal wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut about the experiments on the outliers. The wolf alpha of the House of Worzel was as untrustworthy as they came, and he still had it out for Kade. We didn’t need Zacal finding us out there. He was only such a cocky bastard because Kade wouldn’t fight back. While I understood why, sometimes I wished Kade would give just enough to remind the male to leave him the fuck alone. To remind him that the only reason he had the position as alpha was because Kade stepped down.
Kade was quiet, his face sullen, and I knew he was thinking about his family. He wouldn’t fight Zacal. I wished he’d stop punishing himself, but nothing I said or did could have taken away his pain.
“We’ll stay out of the city,” I stated again, placing my hand on his shoulder.
Itdidn’ttakelongbefore we’d reached a stretch of forest that ended a hundred yards before the edge of the northern district of the city. The lively music and rowdy laughter of monsters walking the streets filled my sensitive ears, even from out here. I stopped in the shadow of a tall pine tree and waited, staring out at the glow of blue light coming from the lanterns lining the cobbled city streets and falling on the tall brick buildings crammed together. If there was something out there, the sounds of the busiest side of the city would draw it out.
Kade took up a similar stance a few yards away, and he sniffed the air. His ears morphed, becoming pointed, and they twitched as he assessed the sounds around him, but the rest of his body remained human. He wouldn’t change completely unless he had to. Releasing his wolf wasn’t the best way to bring in an outlier if we wanted it to still be breathing.
An hour passed with nothing but the usual brawls spilling from taverns and altercations on the streets that were soon broken up. No signs of any unusual activity.
I was about to signal to Kade and motion for us to move to a different position further around the city when a thunderous roar shattered through the brick buildings, making the ground tremble. The laughter in the city was replaced by screams and bellows, and the thud of footsteps filled my ears as monsters ran to take shelter indoors.
Kade’s gaze shot to mine, but I shook my head.Not yet.The outlier sounded too far into the city. Zacal’s team would have to deal with it.
An answering roar came from further south of the city, and I frowned.Another outlier.How the fuck are they getting so far into the city?My fangs peeked from between my lips, and my wings burst from my back as my body instinctively started to react to the challenge these new threats presented.
Kade heard the third outlier just before I did, his hands flying to the hilts of his swords, drawing the blades.
I turned, lifting my sword as a great beast barreled through the forest, its wide body ripping branches from the trees as if they were nothing but twigs in its way. The creature was as tall as a horse and four times as wide, the largest outlier I’d seen so far.There’s a third one.The fact the monster had stayed undetected until it was this close to us irked me, but I had no time to dwell on it now.
The creature’s three glowing red eyes slid to Kade and then fixed on me, clearly deciding I would be its first victim. Not that I would let that happen.
Swinging in my direction as it ran, its bulging muscles propelled its black body forward with unnatural speed, even by monster standards. Before it could reach me, I jumped into the air and over the creature’s body, using my wings to gain extra height. A crack rang out as the beast impacted with the pine I’d previously been standing in front of, and the tree toppled to the ground with a thud.
I dropped back to the ground as the creature shook its head and turned, saliva dripping from its long, bared fangs. Scraggly black fur covered the demon dog’s thick body, and oddly shaped muscles protruded from its arms, as if the muscles were too big for its skin.A barghest.I’d never seen a demon dog in the flesh before, but I recognized it from one of the books I had stashed in my room.
The outlier pulled its pointed ears back as it roared, sending spittle flying, and I winced at the deafening sound. A single answering roar came from within the city, and I knew that meant Zacal and his wolves must have managed to take down one of the outliers. We were running out of time.
Steel glinted as Kade growled and launched at the creature from the side, his swords cutting through the air. In a whirl of movement, the barghest leaped, meeting Kade before he struck. The creature smashed its huge head into Kade’s chest, sending him flying backward into the forest.
Two knives shot out from my hands, sinking into the flesh of the outlier’s hind legs while it was in midair. When the creature landed, I was waiting. My sword sliced a stripe behind the creature’s muscular shoulders in one smooth motion.
The creature turned its head, its huge, gnashing jaws snapping onto my blade and sending it careening out of my grasp. Black blood dripped from where the blade had cut the monster’s mouth, but it didn’t seem to care.
The outlier stared at me and roared again, uncontrolled rage in its glowing red eyes. Its huge, fleshy nostrils flared, and it snorted as Kade appeared again, with hardly a scratch on him.
We faced off the creature, each of us to one side. “Would you fucking put this thing to sleep already?” Kade said. He was still mostly human, but sharp fangs peeked from his mouth and claws had extended from his fingertips.
“I need to get closer to it. Get the rope ready,” I responded.
The outlier eyed the both of us, its ears flicking as if it was listening to what we were saying, but not understanding the words. It snarled in Kade’s direction as Kade sheathed his swords and pulled the coiled rope from where it was clipped to his side. “Let’s get this done.”
I didn’t need any encouragement. The moment the creature lunged at me again, I flapped my wings and launched into the air, a gray powder already in my hand. Blowing the powder into the beast’s face, I landed on its back as Kade lassoed the monster and tightened the rope, pulling its front legs together. I jumped from the creature’s back as it thudded to the ground. The beast sneezed and strained against its binds, trying to stand.
Kade yanked on the rope, pulling it tight against the beast’s legs, a growl tearing from his own throat at the effort. Opening its mouth, the creature went to let out another roar, but I blew another handful of powder in its face, and it snapped its mouth shut.
Its nostrils flared again before its eyes shuttered and it collapsed on the ground with a small whine. Kade and I watched and waited until the creature’s breathing steadied and we were sure it wasn’t a threat.
