AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The ravine and cliff still block us from fleeing to the east or west, and the fallen tree is now at our backs. None of that matters though. My predatory instinct has taken over and fleeing is not an option. I am the apex predator in these woods, and I don’t fear a pack of mangy worgs.
I smell fear coming from Ariella, spiking my urge to protect and shelter her. Strangely, though, the scent of fear seems to melt, replaced by resolve and determination. Her emotions spur me into action.
I leap forward, attacking the lead worg first. The worg squats, preparing to leap for my throat, razor-sharp teeth glistening within its open maw. The worg makes its leap for my throat, but I twist in the air, raking the bottom of its jaw with my claws. As quick as that, I am behind the worg, making it good as dead. Before it can even think of turning to face me, I grab hold of it and rip its head clean from its neck, blood spurting violently into the air.
The remaining worgs begin to circle me, growling and snapping but not approaching too closely. They are wary now. Good. I leap for the nearest worg with blinding speed, my claws finding its underbelly as it tries to jump away from me. I tear clean through its stomach, spilling its squirming intestines onto the leafy forest floor. The other worgs whimper feebly and dash off into the woods, recognizing me as the superior hunter.
Ariella approaches, putting her hand on my arm and muttering her thanks, seeming a bit shaken. I find myself almost shaking with violent anger. Those wolves could have killed Ariella. An image of her lying there, throat a bloody ruin, worgs consuming her flesh, invades my mind’s eye and I find myself clenching my fists tightly.
I cannot understand why I feel such a connection to this human. I have never felt bloodlust like this, not even for the wicked elves. Am I becoming weak? What is this attachment and what does it mean? Ariella is safe and that is what matters, but why? Why does it matter so much to me? Why doesshematter so much to me?
12
ARIELLA
Killing is effortless for Zyranth.
The other worgs flee from sight, but I’m left shaken and trembling. He doesn’t seem to notice as he leads me back to his cave. I follow numbly, remembering how he dispatched the dark elves when we first met. How he refused to let up when I fled.
That power. That resolve.
That animal savagery.
Lord Everan wouldn’t stand a chance against him if it came down to it. I swallow hard, tracing the hard line of Zyranth’s spine with my gaze. I think I’m learning to trust him, monstrous as he may look.
I’m not worried about the claws or the teeth anymore.
Something in his expression softens when he catches me staring, then hardens again. “What are you looking at?”
I shake my head, then shake it again. “Nothing.”
“You must be careful in the forest.” His voice is near a growl. A warning, even as he strokes a line along my jaw. “I will not lose you.”
I don’t say anything, recalling how I rode his powerful fingers shamelessly last night. It brings a fiery heat to my cheeks. Can I trust a creature that kills with impunity? And craves me in a way I’ve never known?
It’s not like the dark elves of the market.
No, this is different.
Zyranth doesn’t throw his weight around in money and power the way the complacent dark elves do. He takes what he wants.
And what he wants isme.
I break away from him before we’ve made it to the lip of the cave, staring out into the dense underbrush. I don’t feel any eyes on me. Except for Zyranth’s. He is a warmth that encircles me. I couldn’t escape him if I wanted to. Even now, I feel the heat of him at my back. “I don’t want to go back in there.”
A low snarl escapes him.
It sends another shiver through me.
“You won’t.”
My smile is without mirth. “I mean the cave. If the elves come, there is only one way in or out.” I spin around to face all of him, forgetting just how massive he is, with his broad, scaled shoulders and impossible height. The words catch in my throat. “Ifhecomes…”
Zyranth’s golden eyes narrow. “Who?”
I swallow hard, and my voice is barely audible. “I think you know who.”
“Tell me,” he growls, tilting my chin up with two clawed fingers. It would be endearing if it weren’t so threatening. “You’re avoiding the question.”
