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When it swings its huge, clawed hand around and down towards Syn, the minotaur’s side becomes exposed. Clutching my blade of starlight and praying to the goddess for strength, I drop from the tree, slashing at the beast’s ribs as I fall, and then I plunge the dagger into its stomach as it turns. Braying with pain, it twists to bat me away, its elbow connecting with my face.
Agony bursts through my cheek and jaw, the force of the blow knocking me back. I tumble to the ground, my eyes watering with the pain. However, I don’t have time to nurse my wound as the minotaur locks its rage-filled eyes on me, my dagger protruding from its stomach. The ground seems to shake as it takes heavy steps towards me. Scrabbling back on the forest floor, I try to put some distance between us.
Star erupts from my chest, and I barely wince as she places herself between me and the beast, but it just knocks her to the side. Syn attacks from behind, his snarls getting louder and more desperate, but the minotaur still presses forward. I keep backing away, my legs turning to jelly as I practically drag myself across the dirt. My back thumps against a tree trunk, and before I can attempt to move around it, the minotaur pins me in.
Leaning down, it bellows in my face, and I realise this is the moment I’m going to die.
ChapterThree
The stench of its breath almost makes me gag, and my heart pounds so hard in my chest I’m sure everyone can hear it. Squeezing my eyes shut, I await the blow that will undoubtedly kill me. However, it doesn’t come. I don’t know what’s taking so long. I thought the creature would have sliced me to pieces already. I can still hear Star, Syn, and Scott snarling and trying to get to me.
Something warm drips onto my legs, causing me to open my eyes. It’s the creature’s blood. The wound from my dagger is leaking, running down its stomach and legs. Swaying, the minotaur suddenly stumbles, falls to its knees, and then drops forward, pinning me to the ground under its body.
I know the exact moment it takes its final breath, a long exhale rattling from its chest before it becomes completely still above me. Dead, it’s dead, and I killed it. Warm blood soaks into my clothes, though it quickly begins to cool.
“Get it off,” I say, my voice hoarse. I attempt to hold back my panic now that the immediate danger is over, but I’m not successful. “Get it off! Get it off!”
A fully naked Syn appears at my side, cursing as he takes in the position I’m in. My eyes sting with tears. I killed the creature in self-defence, but that doesn’t stop the guilt I feel, especially now that its dead body is draped over me.
“I’ve got you, Laelia. I’ve got you,” Syn assures me as he grabs the creature’s horn and heaves, dragging the minotaur’s body off me bit by bit. Strain shows on his face, and his muscles bulge as he drags the huge corpse. Star grabs one of the creature’s arms in her jaws and helps, jerking backwards.
Once most of the weight is off me, I crawl out from underneath the corpse, yanking on my leg which is still trapped. With a mighty heave, I’m finally free, and I scurry away on my hands and knees, not strong enough to stand yet. I close my eyes and work on pushing back my panic.
Once I feel grounded, I open my eyes to find Syn staring down at me. Star is sniffing around the minotaur’s body, but as soon as she sees that I’m lucid, she trots over and sits at my side, resting her chin on my lap. Smiling softly, I rub between her ears.
My cheek is pounding, and I tentatively reach up and probe the whole right side of my face. The pain begins just beneath my eye, and my entire cheek is swollen. There are a few grazes, but nothing seems to be actively bleeding, which is a blessing. I’m most concerned about the blinding pain in my jaw as I press against it, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Running my tongue along my teeth, I let out a sigh of relief when I find them all still in place.
Guilt suddenly makes me wince as I remember the reason I jumped at the minotaur in the first place. Sitting up, I look around, but I can’t see him, so I turn to Syn. “Is Scott okay?”
Glancing over the minotaur’s body, Syn looks at what I assume is Scott, nods slowly, and returns his attention to me. “He’ll be okay once he’s shifted. He’s just exhausted.”
Concern makes me wince, but I nod my head slowly. I hate to do this, but if he’s able to walk, then we need to move. We can’t wait around any longer. “We’ve wasted too much time. We need to go.”
Huffing out a breath, I climb to my knees, attempting to stand, but a wave of dizziness washes over me, making my head spin and my jaw pulse with pain. Nausea rises within me, and for a moment, I think I’m going to throw up, my body shaking now that the adrenaline has left my veins.
Kneeling in front of me, Syn places his hands on my shoulders and steadies me. I won’t admit it aloud, but if he hadn’t, I might have fallen face-first into the dirt. However, he always seems to be able to read me, seeing straight through my mask.
“Just rest for a moment. You look like you’re about to break.”
This was probably the worst thing he could have said to me, because it only makes me want to prove him wrong. I know I look dainty, and I may not be as physically strong as them, but strength comes in different forms. “I’m fine,” I say with indignation as I frown and pull away from him.
He lowers his arms, but he doesn’t move from his position in front of me. Raising a brow, he gives me a deadpan look, his eyes trailing over my injured face. “No, you’re not.”
The air shifts, indicating that someone has just shifted forms, and I glance over just in time to hear Scott’s pained groan. Sitting up, he lowers his head into his hands, taking deep breaths.
“Scott,” I call, concern making my voice tight. Gathering my strength and using Star to steady me, I stumble to my feet.
Lifting his head at the sound of my voice, he glances over, and some of the tension in his face leaves when he sees that I’m okay. “I’m fine,” he says before I can say anything, and then he slowly stands with a hiss of pain, pressing his hand against his side. “Just a couple of broken ribs. They’ll heal with a couple of shifts.”
I wince at the idea of shifting with broken ribs, but the process always helps speed up healing. He already seems to be recovering though, the colour returning to his cheeks as he walks over to meet us, snarling down at the minotaur’s body as he passes it.
Taking one look at me, he grimaces and gently brushes a finger over my bruised and swollen cheek. “Shit, your face.” He doesn’t ask if I’m okay, and for that, I’m grateful. I can just imagine how Joel is going to react when he sees my injury, and I just have to hope that some of the swelling will go down before I see him again.
“You still have the artifact?” Scott asks, pulling my focus back to the task at hand.
Mentally scolding myself, I reach into my pocket, and relief fills me as I feel the shape of the ring. After climbing trees, fighting, and scrabbling around on the ground, there was a good chance I could have lost it, but thank the goddess it’s still safe. I suppose I better hold on to it seeing as neither of them currently have pockets. Biting my lip to hold in my giggle at my joke, I glance away from them. I’ve suddenly found myself surrounded by naked males—very attractive naked males—and I’m blaming the fact that I’ve just been through a life-threatening situation for the reason why I check both of them out when they are not looking.
“Did you want me to pose for you, or can you see enough of me with your hidden glances?” Syn teases, and to my surprise, Scott laughs. It’s a pain-filled laugh that ends on a groan, but even so, it’s good to see a smile on his face.
