Page 145 of Craving Carla

Too late. The web hits them both, encasing them instantly. I watch in horror as Amir struggles against the restraint, his powers seemingly nullified. Kade’s magic flickers and dies within the cocoon-like structure, her abilities dampened by whatever substance the web contains.

Within seconds, they’re completely encased in a web-cage, rendered invisible from the outside.

“Now!” I shout, and my army surges forward.

I lead the charge, Damon, right beside me, our vampire speed turning us into blurs as we converge on the monster. My fifty strongest men fan out behind us, creating a perimeter around the creature. Carla’s spider children scramble across buildings and leap from rooftops, attempting to attack from above.

The creature swings one massive leg, knocking three of my men through the front window of a shop. Another leg stamps down, missing Damon by inches as he rolls away, coming up with his fangs bared.

I leap onto the creature’s back, digging my fingers into its exoskeleton, trying to find a weak point. Its hide is tough—unnaturally so—and it bucks beneath me like a wild stallion trying to throw its rider. I hang on, slamming my fist repeatedly against what I hope is a vulnerable spot near its head.

The monster shrieks. It spins, trying to dislodge me, while simultaneously shooting webs at my men. Two more vampires are caught, instantly cocooned and rendered helpless. Another tries to free them, only to become stuck himself.

Tofi scrambles up the creature’s back legs, reaching me in seconds. She sinks her fangs into the monster’s hide. The creature screeches again, this time in pain, and violently jerks to the side. Tofi hangs on, her venom pumping into the beast.

The monster finally manages to reach back with one of its legs, hooking Tofi and flinging her off its back. She sails through the air, her legs flailing.

“Tofi!” I abandon my position, launching myself from the creature’s back and catching her before she can slam into the street. The impact sends us both rolling, and I curl my body around her protectively.

When we come to a stop, I check her over quickly. She’s dazed but alive, already struggling to get back to her feet. One of her legs hangs at an awkward angle—broken.

“Easy, girl,” I murmur, but she’s having none of it. She stands protectively in front of me, facing the monster that’s now turning its attention our way. Despite her injury, she hisses defiantly, her front legs raised in warning.

My gaze shifts to the web cocoon holding Amir and Kade, then back to the sheriff’s station. Carla is in there. My need to protect her wars with my duty to save the king and Kade. I know I should get Carla out of here—take her and run far away from this madness. But if I don’t help free Amir, there might not be anything left to run to.

I look at Damon, who’s taken cover behind a storefront, assessing the situation with the tactical mind that’s kept him alive for centuries. Our eyes meet, and a silent understanding passes between us. He’ll hold the line here while I go for Carla.

“Tofi, get out of here,” I tell her, pushing myself to my feet. “Go to Mommy.”

She doesn’t move, her broken leg trembling as she holds her position. She taps her remaining legs rapidly, sending me a clear image:NO!

“Tofi—”

Before I can finish, the monster charges. I move without thinking, placing myself between Tofi and the oncoming threat. The creature brings one of its legs down, and I brace for impact.

The pain is excruciating as the pointed tip punches through my back and erupts through my chest. Blood floods my mouth as I’m lifted off the ground, impaled like a butterfly pinned to a display case. The monster raises me high, my body dangling helplessly in the air, blood dripping below.

Through the haze of pain, I hear Tofi’s distressed screeching, see Damon’s horrified expression, feel my strength ebbing with every heartbeat that pumps more of my blood out of my body.

“I’ll die for you,” I manage to choke out, looking down at Tofi who’s frantically circling beneath me, her broken leg forgotten in her distress.

Then, a voice—one I’d recognize anywhere.

“LET GO OF MY MAN!”

Carla stands in the middle of the street, her face a mask of fury, her hands clenched at her sides. All of her children immediately turn toward her, even weak, injured Tofi, responding to her call.

The monster pauses, its attention diverted to this new threat. It flings me off its leg with a casual flick, and I crash to the ground, the impact jarring the wound in my chest. Despite the agony, I push myself up on one elbow, desperate to see Carla—to warn her, protect her, something.

But the look on her face stops me cold. This isn’t the Carla who hides in shadows. This isn’t the woman who shrinks from confrontation.

This is a queen.

“I can put up with a lot of shit,” she says, her voice clear over the battlefield the street has become. “And I have, for centuries.”

Her children begin to swirl around her, moving in a pattern similar to when they cast the veil over her that first night in the forest. A pink web-like energy funnel begins to form around her, lifting her feet from the ground.

“I’ve given up my life, my freedom to the shadows because the world won’t accept me,” she continues, her eyes transforming from their usual enchanting green to a brilliant, glowing pink. “But now you want to take the one good thing that’s come to me besides my children?”