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I flew back, hitting the wall with a thud. Dazed, I made it to my knees.
Fuck.
I hit the floor, barely avoiding the next tentacle. The Nothir was smarter than I’d given it credit for, and those tentacles were surprisingly wily. It had used one of its back tentacles, smashing straight into the side of my face.
Now I was pissed.
“Do you know how upset my wolf is going to be over this?”
The Nothir charged toward me. I darted a step to the left, then lunged to the right, slashing out at the next tentacle.
Two down.
Circling the Nothir, I took a running start and leaped onto its back.
Its skin was smooth as marble, which did not make it easy for me to scramble up to its neck. Stabbing my A-F into its back, I used it like a handle, pulling myself up.
The Nothir bucked, but its remaining tentacles couldn’t reach me. I yanked out the A-F, gagging as putrid yellow blood sprayed across my head. The Nothir slammed itself into the wall in an attempt to knock me loose, but I was already stabbing deep once more, this time right into the joint between its head and its body.
Its movements were slowing. Reaching into my ankle sheath, I pulled out my other knife and began to cut deep.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the Nothir to collapse. Blood loss hit everyone eventually. It was unconscious by the time I cut off its head.
Sliding off its body, I catalogued my wounds. My face hurt, but I didn’t feel concussed. Although it had taken me by surprise, it had been a glancing blow.
I stumbled toward the stairs, practically crawling up them.
“Nathaniel?” I called.
A distant roar.
The stairs ended at a blank wall. I stared at the wall for a long moment, heart rate tripling.
I would not panic. I wouldnot.
Another roar. Nathaniel was on the other side. There had to be a way out. I refused to rot down here in this antechamber with nothing but the Nothir’s body to keep me company.
Slamming my hand into the wall, I jolted as it vibrated. It shook again, and I took a deep, steadying breath. That was Nathaniel on the other side. He would rip this wall apart if he had to.
“I’m fine,” I called. I couldn’t hear him, but with his senses, it was likely he could hear me. “I’m going to figure this out. Just give me a second.”
I studied the wall in the dim light. No door handle waiting to pop out. Running my hands over it, I ignored the frustration that wanted to take over.
Slowly, methodically, I inched my hands over the smooth wall.
There.
A hinge. Problem was, I had no idea how to open it.
The door rattled again. “I’m okay,” I reassured Nathaniel.
He merely growled.
The door shuddered again before it finally slid open, and my mate was standing in front of me, looking very put out.
My chest unlocked. I could suddenly breathe again. A choked sob stuttered from my throat, and then Nathaniel was there.
His arms came around me, squeezing until I squeaked. But I was holding on to him just as tightly.
