Chapter 80
Eighty
Rymar
The dogs alerted and then took off, giving me barely enough time to think, let alone react.
Ayla was faster. That woman had her bow in her hand and was firing off shots into the dark while I was still trying to nock my first arrow.
But when a man rushed her, a single sting made sure he couldn't try again.
Then she ran, intent on something. Zasen, Kanik, Lansin, Xav, and Chlo rushed in, crashing into the rest. Demon snarled as he attacked, making a gap around us, but I was trying to find Ayla! She'd vanished into the darkness, forgetting the rest of us couldn't see as well as her.
Then I heard her. She said one word, and it was a growl. "You..."
"Ayla!" I yelled, heading for the sound, but a Mole grabbed me, spinning me around.
He had a knife. I had a tail. Grabbing his wrist, I managed to block his arm, and my stinger went between his ribs.
This close, I could see the man was young, barely more than a boy.
His eyes were the palest blue I'd ever seen, and they went wide.
His mouth parted - and then the venom took control.
Shoving him away, I kept going, trying to find Ayla in this mess.
Zasen and Kanik swore she could handle herself.
They always told me not to worry about her, but I still did.
I always would. That was what happened when you loved someone.
And yes, I felt that. I wouldn't say it yet, but I wanted to make sure I had the chance to do so once she was ready.
Which meant I had to find her.
Holly rushed past me, her brindle coat allowing her to blend in.
Following her, I turned just in time to see Ayla kneeling over a man, punching him hard.
He flipped her over, grabbed her throat - and then Pepper was on him.
The Mole was thrown feet from Ayla, giving her a chance to cough and roll onto her knees.
And Pepper had no intention of letting that man live.
The dog shook, snarling like some feral beast. She was completely intent on her prey, oblivious to the Mole rushing to defend his friend.
I paused, torn between going to Ayla and helping the dog, but Ayla was already on her feet, retrieving her weapons, and not even slowing down.
But the Mole rushing at the dog had a blade and a scowl.
"Pepper!" I cried. "Come!"
That was Ayla's dog. She didn't even like men. I knew she wouldn't listen to me, and yet in the middle of this chaos, she did. The black and tan dog spit out the man's shoulder and raced toward me, darting right past the Mole who'd been intent on killing her.
"Kill!" I snapped, pointing back at him.
Pepper slid, turned, and launched herself. This time, she didn't get the man by the arm. She caught the back of his neck, flinging her weight against him - and I heard the snap.
"Guard Ayla!" I ordered.
She might not know Ayla's name, but it was a risk I was willing to take.
Holly did, and somewhere out here, that dog would be listening too.
But the real thing I needed was a little direction, and Pepper gave me that, running straight toward Ayla like she could somehow see through the shadows and bodies in a way I simply couldn't.
And that was when the first shot rang out.
"Disarm!" Lansin roared.
A moment later, Ayla did the same. "Disarm!"
Then Xav. "Disarm!"
Dogs were moving in every direction. Growls, snarls, and snaps were punctuated by the twang of bowstrings just as I reached Ayla's side, nocked another arrow, and turned to cover her back.
"Gideon!" she screamed.
I turned, following her eyes to find that first man Pepper had attacked. The one Ayla had punched. He was up and running away, clearly wanting to get out of this mess.
"Let him go," I told her.
She spun on me. "That," she growled, "is Meri's husband."
Those words said enough. I didn't think. I didn't even aim. I simply lifted my bow and fired after him - but the arrow impacted harmlessly into one of the many trees around here.
"Ayla, tell them to leave," I hissed. "English, girl. Yell so they can hear you, and make it clear we will kill them all!"
And she cried out, "Go now or die!"
I grabbed her, pulling her back, but she wanted none of it. Ayla pulled out of my hands, surging forward and kept yelling.
"The elders lie! We would teach you to hunt! We would help you survive, but instead you come and try to kill us? But we will win. We will always win, until you realize they're killing you just like you kill your wives. There is no Hell. There are no fires burning!"
"Keep going," I told her, easing her to the side so she wouldn't fight back. "Yell, but get behind a fucking tree, woman!"
That earned me a quick smile, and this time she let me guide her. She also kept screaming. "The Earth is fine. There is food for everyone, but you cannot steal. You cannot kill. Thou shall not murder, and these are people!"
"Retreat!" someone cried.
And from further back, a man was screaming, "Shoot them. Do not listen to the Devil's words."
"I'm not the Devil!" Ayla yelled back. "I'm a righteous woman, Gideon. Just like your wife! All you have to do is put down your guns, and we will help you. Each one of you!"
"Shoot her!" that man roared.
A single pop went off, but mostly the Moles were retreating. To my left, I heard Xav calling Demon back. Ayla must've too, because she grabbed her necklace, lifting it. The dog whistle hung there beside her mother's ring and her signet, but when she blew on it, I didn't hear a thing.
"Pepper, come!" I called.
"She's coming," Ayla promised. "Holly too, but we shouldn't stay here. They've heard us."
So she grabbed my hand and ducked around the other way. Between trees, we moved, but so was the rest of our camp. I saw a few bodies on the ground, but all were in black. When we reached a cluster of evergreens, Ayla yanked me inside it.
Once more, a dog snarled and a man screamed, but then it was over. The footsteps grew softer and further away. A moment later, the branches rustled, but the panting breath kept me from flinching. Ayla crouched, greeting Holly with a hug.
"Pepper?" I asked.
She shoved into the trees from the other side - covered in a mess. This time, I didn't even care. Crouching, I did the same as Ayla, hugging the disgusting animal like my long-lost friend.
"You're a good girl, Pepper. Yes, you saved my partner, hm?"
"Where are the guys?" Ayla asked.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I was a little worried about you."
"And Kanik's the one recovering," she reminded me.
"Ayla, he's fine," I promised. "He's completely healed, and he was smart about it."
"But I don't want to lose him," she said. "Or Zasen..." Letting go of Holly, she shifted over to wrap one arm around my back. "Or you."
"Believe it or not," I said, "I am not helpless. I am the Rose, after all, complete with thorns. Bright as a flower, and not helpless. Zasen's father taught me to hunt too."
"Is that where he learned it?"
"Mhm." I chuckled. "He would take us boys and Jeera out. We'd bring back enough to feed both of our families. Most animals don't see my colors, though. Humans? We do." Then I cupped her face. "I'm also smart enough to stick with someone who'll keep me alive."
Those baby blue eyes of hers found mine, and for a moment she said nothing. She simply looked from one of my eyes to the other as if trying to find the joke in that.
"I will never leave you, Rymar," she swore.
"I know." And I leaned in, pressing my mouth against hers.
I didn't tell her I loved her. I didn't tell her I was proud of her. I didn't even say that she'd surprised me out there. I simply kissed her.
Because now was not the time. This was not the place. We were alive, the Moles had come, and as soon as we stepped out of these trees, I knew the next part would send us in different directions, but I needed this.
I needed her, I needed the family we'd built, and I needed to say something.
Words just wouldn't do, so I took her mouth, kissing her with every unspoken feeling spiraling in my mind, and letting her sort them out for me.
Her lips moved against mine. Her tongue didn't shy away.
When her hand clasped the side of my neck, I could feel it getting sticky, but didn't even care.
Kanik had said it the other night. She saw me. Not the man people wanted me to be, or the one I should've become. This woman accepted my fears, my heart, and my insecurities and somehow made them feel like things I could conquer with her at my side.
"Thank you for protecting me," she whispered before pulling away.
And those words proved it. I felt pride swelling in my chest as I stood. "We're partners." It was the best response I had. "Now let's go find our other partners, hm?"
"Girls, come," Ayla said, pushing through the evergreen branches like she'd done this a million times.
I followed, truly impressed at how far she'd come in such a short time. Once, she'd never seen a tree. Now she moved through them like she'd been doing it her whole life. And the moment we were out of them, she told Holly to find Zasen.
I heard him before we got there. "Xav!" he called. "Lansin! Ayla!"
"Here!" Ayla yelled back, breaking into a jog.
In a few more steps, we found Zasen, Kanik, and Chlo. Kanik was holding cloth against Zasen's arm, trying to wrap a bandage around it while Zasen kept moving. Chlo was dragging a body closer, into a pile they seemed to be making.
That was when Shadow rushed into the area, looking first at Zasen, then Ayla. A moment later, Lansin and Xav followed, but Xav was limping. Lansin had blood on his face, leaking from his hair. In other words, we'd taken a bit of a beating.
"Who's hurt the worst?" Ayla asked.
"Zasen's got a minor cut," Kanik said. "Just needs wrapped, and if he'd stop, that would make it easy."
"I'm good," Chlo said.
"Lansin got his head bashed," Xav told us.
Lansin grunted at that. "Xav twisted his ankle."
"Sit," Ayla ordered, pointing at Xav. "Rymar, press a bandage against Lansin's head until it stops bleeding. Xav, boot off."
"Ayla, I'm fine," Xav grumbled.
Kanik pitched a bag of medical supplies at her. "Wraps are in there."
She nodded, never taking her eyes off Xav. "You will be more fine with a wrap."
But Lansin caught her arm, turning her to face him. "What happened to your neck!"
"Meri's husband," Ayla said. "I was going to kill him, but he's stronger than me." And then she smiled. "But I have dogs."
"Is he dead?" Zasen asked.
Ayla sighed, then bent to dress Xav's ankle. "No."
"But he's hurting," I said. "Pepper nearly pulled his arm out of the socket, and she would've killed him, but someone was going to put a knife in her, so I called her off."
Which made Ayla glance back. "She listened?"
"Yeah."
And Ayla's eyes dropped to my side. "I think she likes you, Rymar."
"Thought she doesn't like men," Kanik teased.
"She doesn't," Lansin said. "Holly hates Moles. Pepper doesn't care about men at all. It's as if we don't exist."
I crouched down to pet the dog again. "Well, Kanik can spoil Holly all he wants. I get to spoil you now, okay? We're going to be good friends, Pepper. All you have to do is save Ayla a lot, and maybe the rest of us a bit, and I'll make sure you end up a very fat and happy puppy, hm?"
The whole time, she looked right at me with her copper eyes, and even wagged her tail.