Vivian #3
“Put him down,” I hissed through my teeth, stretching to grab the knife from the floor against his hold.
“Him? The beast has a gender. You must know it personally.” The freshly-healed prick sounded vindictive, his smooth tone laced with venom. “Perhaps a pet?”
“Put him down!” I shrieked, striking at his face. I could take out his other eye if I was quick.
Dr. Gable’s arms were longer than mine, though, and he held me firmly at a distance.
My clawing hands couldn’t reach their target.
I struggled against his hold, but I was weak—drained from bringing two grown men back from the brink of death.
I’d been seeing stars before my neck was twisted down, and it was only getting worse.
I started sobbing, terrified to think my innocent baby would be harmed.
Over something that had nothing to do with him.
His dilated pupils looked so scared. The panicked noises he made called to every maternal instinct in me.
How would I live with the guilt of knowing I’d accidentally led these killers to his sanctuary?
My little dumpster kitten dying young when I had sworn to give him a safe and happy home.
Another gunshot, this time followed by the heavy thump of a body hitting the floor. Unable to turn my head, my eyes darted around, searching wildly.
Not Theo. Not Theo. Not Theo. Not Theo…
Thank fuck.
Relief washed over me when I saw the scales of the Arielna-Quadmos on the ground in my periphery. Theo stomped down on his skull, the sound of splitting bone announcing his death with finality. My mate was a merciless god, and now he was free to fight.
Theo stepped forward, fully feral, empty black eyes staring at the remaining Hybrid with menacing bloodlust.
“She said… Put. The cat. Down.”
The Hybrid hesitated, then made the mistake of moving a clawed hand toward Nurghle. I would never know what they had intended to do with that hand.
Theo lunged forward, grabbed the shaggy arm suspending Nurghle in the air, and snapped it over the partition wall. Their fingers cramped, dropping Nurghle. My kitty fell, landed on all fours, screeched out a “mreeooowww”, and darted out the open front door.
The two Quadmos were at each other’s throats, both seeking to land a fatal blow.
Theo took a hook to the jaw at the same time he landed a blow into his opponent’s gut.
They threw punches in between attempts to grab the other’s head.
They rotated, the Hybrid’s back to me. I could see painful glimpses of Theo’s furious wince every time he was hit.
“Let’s go,” Dr. Gable hissed, yanking me towards the door by my hair.
“No!” I screamed, pulling back.
We hadn’t lost! This wasn’t over! He could not drag me away like a trophy to be presented to the bystanders outside!
I twisted and thrashed, trying to roll like a damn alligator out of his pinching, taloned clutch.
I stomped my feet and shrieked when it wasn’t working, a grown ass toddler throwing her most violent tantrum.
I’d be the biggest fucking nuisance he’d ever dealt with.
He wouldn’t be able to handle me no matter how hard he tried.
I would stay in this room. I would not let Theo leave my sight again.
We were staying right the fuck here until we won.
As my feet thudded against the ground repeatedly in protest, I had a moment of beautiful, triumphant clarity.
He doesn’t have control over my feet.
No time to think this through. I centered my balance on one leg and lifted the top of my boot directly into whatever type of junk a Thornian has with enough force to bust that shit open.
Dr. Gable screamed, his talons releasing me as he folded over himself, clutching his manhood. I snatched the knife back from the floorboards while he was pathetically distracted.
The Hybrid Theo battled was a moving target, but a large and distracted one with his back to me. I wasted no time rushing forward and plunging the blade into his shoulder, hoping there may be a blackened heart beating somewhere in that vicinity.
The monster snarled and turned to look down at me with piercing, shrunken pupils. My heart raced with all the fear of a rabbit staring into the eyes of a hungry dog. Run run run.
No. Don’t run. You have to fight!
Before I could make my move, Theo struck the four-armed wolf on the side of the head. He collapsed to the ground.
We stood there for a moment, chests heaving as we stared into each other’s eyes. Gable had fled the cabin—retreating like the spineless vermin he was.
We finally had the upper hand, and I wanted nothing more than to jump into Theo’s arms.
“What the fuck is that thing?” A voice sounded outside.
“Nurghle,” I gasped, looking over my shoulder. My body swayed. The heavy magic use had taken its toll, leaving me disoriented.
“Let’s go get him, darling,” Theo said, wrapping a steadying arm around me and shepherding me out of the red-stained cabin with two dead monsters inside. “I’m gonna get you both safe. And then, I’m gonna kill all these bastards.”