Chapter 43 #2
The creature emerged slowly, dragging itself on all fours with jerky, unnatural movements.
Its body was hunched and contorted, and every limb was wrong in shape and rhythm.
Blackened skin stretched over its frame like scorched leather, and long, curling claws scraped against the stone with each step.
Filthy fangs jutted from its mouth, slick with something dark and wet.
Though its body resembled a human’s, its face was a twisted mockery—bat-like, with shriveled nostrils and gleaming, soulless eyes.
It was hideous and monstrous. It should not have existed.
Its empty black eyes locked onto her.
Evelyne’s breath caught in her throat. Her hands flew to the daggers at her belt, muscles tensing as instinct took over.
The creature lunged without warning.
It moved with terrifying speed, its claws outstretched. Evelyne barely managed to dive to the side, the sound of its claws raking against stone shrieking in her ears. The stench of rot and decay choked her, and its putrid breath burned hot against her skin.
But she didn’t let herself freeze. Couldn’t.
With a sharp inhale, she shifted her weight and sprang forward, dragging one of her daggers across the creature’s exposed gut.
A bloodcurdling squeal wrenched from its throat, the sound so high and shrill it made her ears ring.
Heidara, who had been knocked down during the chaos, pushed herself upright. Her legs wobbled beneath her at first, but she steadied. With a snarl, she charged—a warrior to her core. A fighter born of discipline and survival. And together, they faced the nightmare.
The beast twisted with unnatural speed, black blood oozing from the gash in its side. It whirled toward Heidara with eyes wild and feral, then struck with its razor-sharp claws. Heidara ducked beneath the first blow. Another swipe came, and she turned away, her body moving with practiced precision.
Slash. Dodge. Counter. Her blades sliced through the air in a blur of silver and fury.
But the creature didn’t slow; it was relentless, driven by something sinister and vicious.
In a sudden burst of motion, it lunged for Heidara, and before she could react, its fangs sank deep into her neck, drawing a sharp gasp from her lips.
A frantic scream burst from Evelyne’s throat, echoing through the tunnel.
On the other side of the collapsed wall, voices exploded.
Kaldrek, Holden, and the others began shouting and trying to dig through the rubble.
But the noise was distant, muffled by Evelyne’s fear, as if the world had narrowed to nothing but the chaos before her.
Something inside her snapped. A white-hot rage surged through her, burning away the panic with a terrifying clarity.
With a scream, she lunged, dagger gripped tight, and plunged it into the creature’s neck—once, twice, again, and again.
It convulsed violently, black blood splattering the stone, but still, she didn’t stop.
Heidara lay unmoving, and Evelyne couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. She just kept striking, blood coating her arms, her hands slick and trembling, until the beast finally crumpled, lifeless at her feet.
She stood over the creature, chest rising and falling, as the world slowly came back into focus. The rush of blood in her ears slipped away, replaced by the urgent sound of her name being called.
“Evelyne!” Kaldrek shouted frantically. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, breathless, then louder, “Yes, but—”
Her heart plummeted as her gaze landed on Heidara’s limp body.
No, no, no—
Evelyne tore at her shirt, pressing the fabric hard against Heidara’s throat, desperate to stop the bleeding. To keep her here. Wolves healed faster than humans, but even her magic couldn’t mend the wound fast enough.
A low snarl echoed through the tunnel.
Evelyne’s head snapped up just in time for her to see another demon crawl from the hole in the rock.
“Kaldrek! There’s another one!” she shouted, rising to her feet with measured movements, careful not to draw its gaze too soon.
“You have to hold it off, Evelyne!”
She had no other choice. Gripping her daggers, she planted her feet, raised her arms, and focused.
Breathe. Watch. Move fast.
Evelyne braced herself. The creature lunged first, claws slashing through the air, but she was faster. She pivoted to the side and struck, her dagger slicing across its chest in a clean arc. The wound barely slowed it.
“That’s it,” Kaldrek’s voice rang out from behind the rubble. “Keep moving!”
The beast charged again, and Evelyne ducked low, driving her blade toward its ribs. A brutal kick met her stomach and sent her crashing to the ground, the breath ripped from her lungs.
“No, no. Get up,” she whispered to herself, wheezing.
“You’ve got this,” Kaldrek called again.
“Remember to breathe. Assess, then react.”
She exhaled, and rolled just as claws tore into the dirt where her head had been. She forced herself upright. Then came a hot flash of pain across her cheek as the creature’s claw raked her face. She hissed loudly as blood trickled down her skin, but she got back into a defensive stance.
“You’re all right. Pain means you’re alive,” Kaldrek shouted. “Eyes up, Evelyne.”
She could just make out the frantic scrape of claws against stone as the wolves slashed through the rubble. Above it all, Kaldrek’s voice cut through, cursing and shouting for them to move faster.
The creature paused, its gaze drawn to the blood on her cheek.
The moment passed in a blink before it lunged straight at her.
Evelyne screamed as she drove her dagger upward, the blade sinking deep into its abdomen.
But the force of its body crashed into hers, slamming her to the ground.
Her limbs trembled under its weight, every muscle straining as its rancid breath burned against her throat, fangs poised just inches from her skin.
“Don’t give it a chance,” Kaldrek growled from the other side. “Do not give up!”
Her vision swam, limbs shaking with effort, but his voice anchored her.
It pulled her back to every morning on the training grounds, every bruise and blister earned beneath his unyielding guidance.
She remembered the sting of failure, the heat of frustration, the helplessness she’d once felt within another man’s grasp.
She had trained to take that power back.
He had prepared her for this very moment.
Gritting her teeth, Evelyne drove the blade deeper.
The wall trapping her and Heidara shattered as stone exploded outward, and Kaldrek charged through, a storm of fury made flesh. With a snarl, he seized the creature and tore it off her with his bare hands, rage pouring from him in raw, lethal waves. He didn’t shift. He didn’t need to.
He tore into the creature with relentless savagery, ripping and breaking its limbs with brutal force.
It screamed and writhed beneath him, but he didn’t stop.
Not even when it stopped fighting, or when its body lay twitching in the dirt.
Evelyne had never seen fury like this. This wasn’t just anger; it was something darker, a man completely unhinged.
Crouching low, he gripped his dagger and slit the creature’s throat before tearing its head clean from its body. Black blood splattered across his face, leaving him looking wild.
Panting, he turned to her. “You’re bleeding.
” His voice shook with urgency as he scanned her from head to toe, desperate to find the source.
And that was when she understood: it wasn’t just anger that pushed him past the edge.
It was fear… for her. Because that thing had laid its hands on her, pinned her, and hurt her. And that was enough to unmake him.
Evelyne reached out and gently touched his face, and he leaned into her palm and let out a long exhale. Her gaze shifted down the tunnel, where Holden knelt with Heidara in his arms, pressing against the wound as she clung to breath.
Alaric burst through the rubble, eyes wide with panic as he looked between Evelyne and Heidara, clearly torn between two people he cared for and unsure who needed him more.
“Holy hells,” he breathed. “What do I do?” He looked to Evelyne, who nodded over to Heidara. A silent command to help her friend, and he didn’t hesitate.
“Kaldrek, what was that?” Evelyne asked quietly.
His eyes began to warm to dark brown as he searched her face.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen something like that.
It must have emerged from the bloodroot veins, or…
” He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know, but it’s nothing natural.
I can feel it. Those creatures were derived from blood magic and have probably been living within this tunnel for years.
Growing. Feeding off of anything that dares enter this path. ”
He returned to his alpha stance.
“We need to keep moving. We pack up now. And Holden?” Holden turned to look at Kaldrek, still holding his sister. “Get her to Lorena.”
Holden nodded and swiftly took off in search of the healer.
When the tunnel was finally cleared and declared safe, Kaldrek returned to Evelyne’s side, lowering himself beside her and pressing his forehead softly to hers. She’d never seen him so shaken.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
His hands framed her face. “I thought I was going to lose you. I tried, but I couldn’t get to you fast enough.” He pulled her into a fierce kiss. When he finally broke away, his eyes searched hers, full of awe and something deeper.
“You’re so strong. Do you even realize that?”
A rush of pride filled her as Kaldrek gathered her into his arms. No one had ever truly believed she could take care of herself. But he was looking at her like he did. Like he knew she could handle anything.
She smiled softly, rested her head against his chest, and murmured, “Thank you.”