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He walked toward me slowly, and I scrambled backward across the freezing floor. Getting to my feet, I stumbled deeper into the freezer and looked around in vain for a way out. The only exit was the thick steel door at the front of the room, and he was blocking it, his cleaver raised high.
My skin was rapidly rising in goosebumps from both fear and cold. I forced myself to stagger toward one of the tables and picked up a frozen lamb leg, holding it as firmly as I could with both hands at the skinny end. The freezing meat was heavy, already numbing my palms, the ice stinging, but maybe I could bash him over the head with it and somehow escape this nightmare.
He pointed at my makeshift weapon and laughed, actually stopping in his tracks to hold his ribs he was laughing so hard. “What are you gonna do with that?”
“I—I’ll bash your brains in. This is heavy as a club.” My threat sounded empty.
The look in his eyes told me he felt the same. Lowering his weapon, he walked forward slowly and leaned his forehead far out, presenting it to me. “Go on then. Give me your best shot.”
It seemed hopeless. At the very least though, maybe I could buy some time until the guys found me. I could only pray they’d find me in time, or that Timon and Reccared would recover and come storming through the door.
The will to survive surging through me, I swung the lamb leg backward first, then hammered him over his forehead with it.
Completely unphased, he nodded slowly, lips pursed, as if giving his approval. “Not bad, not bad. Though you will have to break through the Fae magical barrier across my body. So, only a thousand more hits like that and you might manage to make me feel something.”
He pointed to my clothes. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Undress, right now. Or”—he raised his cleaver again, turning it in his hand—“I’ll slice them off. And I might not be too careful when I do it.” Puffs of cold air wisped from his lips as he spoke.
Still clutching the frozen meat club, my teeth chattered. “I’m not undressing for you! You sick pervert.”
He chuckled from deep within his belly. “Good. It’s much more fun the hard way.”
He raced forward, knocking the lamb leg from my hands with ease, slapping me hard across the face. I yelped, the intense cold mixed with the crack of his palm radiating pain through my jaw. Before I could blink, he started slicing away.
I fought him as best I could, my arms and hands knocking into his cleaver. Every nick and slice into my flesh burned as he shredded my clothes off, leaving me standing in my bra and underwear. My body was now near to convulsing from the cold and pain.
The unnatural depth of his strength was too much. I’d only delayed him. And one of the cuts on my arm was deep, the skin flayed wide open.
“You’ve got no chance, my weak lamb.” He pointed a backward thumb toward the freezer door. “My friend filled me with enough power to kill ten paranormals like the two you brought with you. What chance has a skinny little human like you got?”
Brown ropes snaked from his fingertips, some sort of earth magic, and coiled around my body, until I was trussed up and unable to move. Rapidly freezing, with nobody to help me, I sank to my knees, then collapsed fully into a ball on the floor, my eyes filled with tears. Was my time in this world about to end? When I hadn’t even told all my guys I loved them?
His cleaver’s cutting edge was smeared in my blood. He began lapping at it softly, seemingly savoring the taste. I started screaming, uncontrollably. “Help! Please! Somebody, help!”
Stooping low, his grotesque face hovering around my ear, he hissed, “Save it, lamb. There are no more heroes left in this world—”
The freezer door battered open. Osric stood in the doorway, a large, gleaming emerald dagger, covered in glowing runes, clasped in his hand. His eyes darted around the room and found me, sweeping over my mostly naked body. His gaze lingered on where I was tied up and on the worst cut on my arm. He looked pained and then his face shifted into a mask of unbridled fury. His words were venomous as he pointed the tip of his blade at Jack 2. “And to think I was going to kill you quick.”
Xander charged in behind Osric, grasping a large switchblade, his eyes pooling in hatred as he took in the situation.
Jack 2 stood, gripped his cleaver harder, and smiled. “Now, this looks like a worthy challenge. Which one of you wants to die first?”
Cecilia
Osric strode into the room, taking purposeful steps toward Jack 2 as he kept his magical blade pointed forward, his face not showing one shred of fear. “You touched my Ceci. You’re going to die screaming.” Osric’s words were icier than the freezer we were stuck in.
Xander said nothing, the jagged blade he clasped held low at his side, as he prowled sideways, as if trying to circle around and attack from the side.
Jack seemed to sense this, and began stepping slowly backward at an angle, his eyes flitting between Osric and Xander, until he stood between two huge hanging cow carcasses. The first two in a long line of frozen meat that stretched far back. “You fools. You want to die for some wretched little human? Is her pussy that tasty?”
Osric flinched, then shook it off. “You’re the only one who’s going to die.” He looked at me, his words softening. “This’ll all be over soon.”
Jack looked over at me, taking in my body collapsed on the floor, his smirk callous and cold. “He’s right about that.”
Then, with immense strength, Jack slammed the two frozen cow carcasses, sending them whizzing along on the rails holding their hooked flesh. Just as quickly, Osric let fly with a furious backhand, slicing his blade across the beef. His glowing dagger cut the frozen block in two like butter, leaving one half thudding at his feet and the other swinging around his head, which he easily dodged.
Xander blurred and reappeared beside me, retracting his blade, kneeling and taking off his jacket to wrap round my shivering body.
Osric charged at Jack. Jack lashed out with his cleaver, their blades clashing in furious chimes.
