65. Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Erik
J anelle screamed—a piercing screech that caused the fenrir to look up in surprise. The distraction only lasted a second, but it was all Gray needed. With a grunt, he rolled to the side, swinging his sword sideways to plunge it between the giant wolf's ribs. The animal whimpered, struggling to rise to its feet, but Erik didn’t allow it to stand up again. With all his strength, he brought the sword down over its neck, severing its head from its body in one fell swoop.
Gray picked up his sword and rushed forward again, Erik close on his heels, but a growl ahead made them freeze. His hair stood on end as he peered through the trees, his heart pounding harder with every second that passed. A line of fenrir spread to block their path, and Erik grabbed Janelle by the arm, shoving her behind him. There were more than he could count, all nearly the size of horses. All of them with their teeth bared and their hair standing on end.
Gray raised his hands in front of him. “Let me through,” he rasped, desperate. “ Please . I don’t want to kill you,” he said, as if the animals could understand him. “But I will—I’ll kill each and every one of you, without hesitation, to get to her. ”
A deep gray fenrir stepped forward, meeting Gray’s eyes for a long moment before raising its head to howl, its body language unmistakable. We will not let you pass, it said.
Erik searched between the enormous wolves, looking for a path of escape as Gray tightened his grip on his sword, lowering his chin. His shadows whipped around him like long trails of vengeance, and Erik followed his lead, calling flames into his hands. His blood whooshed through his head, but even through the roaring in his ears, he could hear Janelle’s heart pounding behind him, a furious rhythm of uncertainty and fear.
“Please,” Erik whispered to Janelle, speaking without turning around, afraid that any sudden movements might make the wolves launch into their attack. “Please, run. Hide,” he begged, allowing his desperation to seep into his voice. He didn’t care. Not if it convinced her to flee. There was no surviving this. They were outnumbered twenty to one, the wolves’ heads lowered in determination and their teeth bared.
Janelle stepped forward, placing her shaking hand into his. “Erik,” she said softly.
“Please,” he begged again, his voice cracking, but he knew it was futile. That she would never leave him, just as he knew there was no way he could dissuade Gray from trying to fight his way through these monsters.
“Together,” Janelle said as the fighting behind them grew closer, the clash of swords suddenly clearer, louder. Erik’s stomach dropped, but he squeezed Janelle’s hand tighter.
“Together,” he replied. “Always.”
“This is your last chance,” Gray said, raising his sword.
The gray fenrir looked up at Gray, its eyes sad, and Erik paused, uneasiness swirling in his stomach. The wolf tilted its head and took a step back, as if trying to communicate with them. We don’t want to fight you, he seemed to say. Don’t make us.
But, why would the fenrir not want to fight them? Why were they here, if not to help Alaric destroy his enemy? And yet it was clear the beasts would find no joy in killing them. From the way they stood statue still, waiting for Gray to make the first move, it was obvious that complete carnage wasn’t their goal. Erik’s mind spun as he searched for their reason, but he didn’t have time to solve the riddle.
Gray sent his shadows forward, bringing eight fenrir to their knees immediately, their eyes bulging from their sockets as he strangled them with darkness. He stalked forward, sword raised in the air as the others launched, teeth bared and claws exposed. Erik kept Janelle at his back, fighting in a circle with her as the fenrir surged upon them.
Wolf after wolf tried to push them back, their eyes pleading as they approached. Don’t kill me. You don’t have to do this… they said.
“Gray,” Erik shouted over the din of battle.
“I know.” Gray said, his eyes pained and his face covered in blood. “I know. But I have to get to her,” he said, stabbing another fenrir through the heart. He didn’t have to say more. Erik knew exactly what he was feeling. What was motivating him. Something was wrong. Nothing was adding up. These animals didn’t want to kill them, and they didn’t deserve to die.
But that didn’t matter. Gray would do anything to get to his mate, even if it killed him. Erik understood, because he would do the same.