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"If you aim right, one good swing is all you need," I challenged, one eyebrow cocked.
He laughed, his dimple gracing his face for the first time in days.
"Fair enough," he said, stepping toward me. "But at least secure it at your hip."
He grabbed the blade from my hand and reached for my belt. His fingers brushed against my waist, making my skin tingle. My wolf simpered at his gentle touch as something deep inside began to twist. I hadn’t felt the familiar ache of desire in a very long time.
I glanced over at Lex, and he raised his eyebrows suggestively at me. I scowled, too gross and cranky to find him amusing. I wondered if the siren could recognize the arousal in my flushed cheeks. I glanced away, trying to pretend it was because of the sweltering heat and not the massive Alpha tugging at my clothes.
Joon leaned away from me, confusion lining his brow. I didn't move, too embarrassed at my body's reaction to a few swift grazes to my waist.
"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling very self-conscious as he tugged at my waistband again, my core starting to throb with each movement of his large, strong hands.
"Is your belt made of fabric, like a shirt?" he asked, running his thumb and finger over the material. His skin brushed against mine in the process. "There's no way this will hold the weight of a sword."
Before I could argue, a deafening screech ripped through the silence. My eyes went wide as I frantically scanned the quickly darkening sky, but I couldn't see anything.
A deep rushing sound above us caused the air to pulse in my ears, then another screech.
"There!" Joon pointed.
Camouflaged by the darkening sky, a bird-like creature hung in the air. Its grey, leathery skin stretched across its bones, and its large, bulbous eyes glowed yellow and red at the top of a long pointed beak. The talons on its feet hung heavy and sharp as it swooped down.
Lex wrapped his arms around me and jerked backward, causing the creature's claws to pierce the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt.
Joon shifted, his dark, shaggy wolf, tall and angry. He reared back and roared at the beast that hung in the sky. The creature screeched and swooped toward me again. Joon lunged for it, landing on its back. He sunk his teeth deep into the base of a wing and jerked, rolling the two of them over the ground.
"Fucking were-wrack," Lex shouted, looking around frantically. "We need to find cover."
I scanned the area, but it was empty, flat, and dark as the last rays of the sun died for the day.
There was nowhere to run or hide.
The edge of a thick wing smacked Lex hard on the back as another creature swooped down. My eyes shot toward Joon. He was rolling in the dirt with the other wrack, both biting and scratching wildly at one another, in a flurry of claws, teeth, and talons. I couldn't wait for him to save us.
I planted my feet and tried holding the sword out, but it was too heavy, and the tip fell hard into the earth. I let it settle there as I tightened my grip, waiting for the wrack to attack again. It hung in the air as if teasing me, dropping several feet suddenly before raising back up again. It swayed and circled us from the sky, forcing me to spin, dragging the blade as I moved.
It let out a sharp, ripping scream then darted right for me. I closed my eyes and swung the sword as hard as I could. The weight of it sent me toppling over, and I opened my eyes to see the wrack circling us again. It angled its beak and swooped down fast. I scrambled to my feet, slicing into the air as hard as I could. Again, I smacked into the ground, dropping the sword as my hands scraped across the hard earth.
Another piercing cry and the pulsing flap of wings told me the beast was diving again. I pushed myself up and spun just in time to see the wrack's pointed beak, filled with razor-like teeth, flying straight toward me.
In The Desert
Joon
I clampedmy teeth deep into the wrack's neck and jerked again, forcing it on its side. It let out a rasp of a screech as blood filled my mouth. Quickly, I kicked my back paws out over the creature's back and side, shredding it with my claws until it went completely limp in my hold. Once I was sure it was down for good, I unclenched my jaw and spun around.
Tzidal was pulling herself off the ground, sword in hand. Lex sunk into the dirt behind her as a wrack circled above them. But before I could move, the creature launched itself, hard and fast, toward the pair.
Tzidal steadied her feet and heaved the blade, slicing it forcefully through the air. It looked as if she made contact as the wrack's wings faltered slightly, but it pushed itself up and away from her. It awkwardly jerked as it hung in the sky, its wings beating in a halting manner. Then it let out a garbled sound as its belly split open and its guts spilled out onto the desert floor. Its body followed moments after, smacking the ground with a heavy, wet splatter.
I walked over to Tzidal, still in my wolf form, and licked her hands. They were bloody and shaking. She dropped the sword and stood for a moment, letting me care for her. She let out a soft whine and pushed herself into my neck. Her body trembled as she cried, but she made no sound. She simply clung to me, my fur absorbing her tears. I wanted to shift and hold her, but she seemed to find comfort in twisting her fingers in my fur, fear and adrenaline still pulsing off her in thick waves.
I dropped my head over her shoulder and sniffed her hair, the air around her smelling of sweet flowers, death, and acute distress. My wolf let out a soft whine, wanting to acknowledge her suffering.
"We should sleep while we can," Lex said softly, still sitting in the dirt.
The siren's pale skin was shiny, covered in a thin layer of sweat, but his complexion was still very white. No hint of red in his cheeks. The Moon illuminated his face, giving off a soft sparkle that made him look so out of place in the dark desert surrounded by rotting corpses.
