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The bondservants react too slowly. Orcs surge forward. One man is sent flying as a club swipes him from his feet. It is like they have forgotten every word I have said.
“NOW!”
As I run toward them at full tilt, the shifters finally shift. Without swords, their power and teeth are the only credible means of attack.
It is fucking messy and chaotic, but they take the first orc down, even as another wades into the mass of defenseless men, smashing two more off their feet. I meet the next orc’s blow, feeling it reverberate the length of my arm. “Get the club!” I holler.
I trade blows with the orc. He is a heavyset bastard and easily twice my weight. A shifter leaps from the side, closing jaws clumsily around his throat.
It is enough. My sword slices, finding the orc’s belly. He crashes to the ground, fingers fumbling for where his body is split, to no avail.
An orc makes a run from the clearing, and three shifters tackle him to the ground.
The fight is ugly and deadly on both sides. Blood flows, and men and orcs fall.
But we fight for our lives and for the lives of those we love, and that is the most powerful motivation.
The Goddess is with us today, and as I stand over the body of a fallen orc, chest heaving, I look around and find most of the men are still miraculously here, and so are all seven shifters.
Orc weapons are gathered. Some men are wounded and hastily tie off or staunch blood as best they can.
I nod. “It’s time.”
ChapterEight
Jasmine
Ihave not seen Doug all night, and I am near faint with worry. Bron comes for me early, looking for word. I shake my head. “He is not here, Bron. He did not return last night.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his lips tighten. Finally, he nods. “We need to go about our business as usual. If anybody asks, say he’s dealing with a few troublesome humans, and he will be along shortly.”
“But what if he isn’t,” I ask.
“Jasmine, you know this is happening, whether Doug is here or not. We are out of options. We are almost upon shifter lands. The battle is coming for us, whether we will it or not. He would not want you to die. He would want you to get to safety. Jacob made him a promise, and the alpha will stand by his word.”
I wring my hands. “Should I pack up the tent?”
“Leave it,” Bron says. “One way or another, you will not be using it again.”
We leave together for Melody’s tent, but we don’t need to get very far into the camp to sense something is amiss.
“Fuck!” Bron mutters gruffly, his eyes shifting to the northern side of the camp. “It’s kicked off already. Stay alert.”
He leaves me at the tent, and I slip inside. Winter is standing close to Bard, tension in both their stances.
“Something is happening in the north of the camp,” I say, before turning to Melody. “Your guards have gone.”
“We’re going on a trip,” Melody chirps.
My stomach churns with all the concern I feel for this sweet fairy lass, for all the trouble that has already come into her life, and for the new troubles that are about to begin again. I do not want to frighten her, but as I share a look with Bard, he knows and hears beyond the words I do not say.
“Get your cloak, Melody,” Bard says.
“Yippee!”
“What—”
“Help her with her cloak, Jasmine.” He interrupts me. I want to tell him about Doug, yet I do not quite dare voice my concerns and hasten to do his bidding.
