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The othervarulvhowl in fury for their fallen mate. One leaps against the truck, trying to break the glass. I cover my head,certain he's going to smash through the window into the vehicle with us.
Malachi curses up a storm beside me.
A second later, the varulv yelps.
"Got the bastard!" Malachi cheers.
I spread my fingers apart to see Dax holding the giant wolf. He tosses him, sending him careening into a tree. Leaves and branches shower down, but it doesn't slow the demon dog any. He's on his feet again in seconds, leaping at Dax's back.
Dax spins with his lyststål raised, slicing through the animal's throat. Blood splatters everywhere as the animal falls backward. He doesn't get up again.
Two others flank Reaper, trying to attack from both sides. The beautiful warrior doesn't even look tired as he whirls his lyststål overhead, ready to launch it at whichever of the two try him first. The smile on his face is sinister, deadly. He's enjoying this.
I think they both are.
Dax shakes off the blood of thevarulvhe just killed, stepping up beside Reaper. "Stop playing with your meal, brother. It's not nice."
"Meal?" Reaper scoffs. "These pups aren't even big enough to count as a snack. Letting mylystståltaste their blood is almost offensive."
Dax chuckles as thevarulvclosest to him snarls as if he understands the warriors' mocking. "Then let's be done with this and find a more fitting prize to play with."
"Ja," Reaper agrees.
They move so quickly I'm not even sure I see them move at all. One minute, they're standing still, talking smack. The next, they're five steps closer to the varulv, their lyststål whirling so fast they blur. The varulv leap at them, snarling and howling. Reaper was right, though. They aren't even a match for thewarriors. Within seconds, the demon dogs are dead, their lifeless bodies falling to the ground.
Dax grins at Reaper, releasing his hold on hislyststål.
Reaper grins back, nudging one of thevarulvwith his foot. "That almost wasn't worth the effort. Either they've gotten slower over the centuries, or they were new blood."
Dax grunts his agreement. "Let's go melt this ice so we can get out of here before we have to find out one way or another. They weren't the only four in this forest. I hear the others out there still."
"Ja." Reaper jogs toward the bridge ahead, stepping over the bodies of the demon dogs.
"What happens to them?" I ask Malachi. "Will someone stumble across them?"
"Nah," Malachi answers. "Within hours, their bodies will desiccate. After that happens, a stiff enough wind will take care of what's left."
My stomach turns at his explanation, but it settles my mind too. At least no one will stumble across them and end up hurting themselves messing with something they don't understand. Humanity is good at that. We're told not to touch, and we can't resist doing exactly that.
I yawn, laying my head against the seatback as I watch Dax and Reaper slowly melting through the ice covering the bridge we need to cross. My eyelids droop, exhaustion trying to drag me under. I float in that void between wakefulness and sleep, my gaze locked on Reaper's lyststål as he sweeps it over the ice in careful passes.
A shadow moves in the dark. For a moment, my mind doesn't register it as anything more than the wind rustling through the trees. And then it comes again. I shift my gaze from Reaper, hunting down the shadow.
"Dax!" I scream, flinging myself out of the truck. "Varulv!"
Dozens of them slip out of the woods on soundless paws, coming from every direction.
Dax spins toward me, his lyststål in his hands. As soon as he sees what I do, horror overtakes his expression. There are too many to fight for them to fight this time. Already, they cut in between the truck and the bridge, cutting off their only route to safety. Cutting us off from one another.
"Get back in the truck!" Dax roars.
"I'm not leaving you!" I cry, tears rolling down my face. What was it he said? A person can't survive with half a soul. He's right. I can't survive with only half of mine. I don't get a chance to tell him that. I don't get a chance to say anything else.
The varulv attack as one mighty force, their howls rending the air.
They advance on Dax and Reaper, snarling and snapping at the air. There are so many of them I lose track of Dax as he rushes into battle, trying to defend himself and his brother.
"Get in the truck, Valkyrie," Malachi says, hislyststålblazing as he races around the side of the truck. "Drive through them if you have to do it. Drive through us if you must. But don't get out of the truck no matter what. No matter what happens, the Forsaken cannot take you."
