Page 104 of A Hunt Bound in Blood

I opened my mouth to say the words, to swear myself to her, along with anything else she wanted, when my eye fell on shadows moving in from the direction of the ruin. We stood on the top of yet another hill, and I couldn’t help but thank the Fates this time that we were. The vantage point allowed me to spot the mutts well before they reached us—not that the rapidly closing distance would save us. My heart jumped into my throat at the sheer number of them. More than we’d faced before the mountain. At least three times that number. Hundreds of them. How had my siblings rallied them?

I bared my teeth, passed the pack and my shirt to Glory, and stretched out my wings.

“Mother of gods,” she whispered as stared out at them, hugging the pack against her chest. “There are so many. We’ll never be able to fight them all.”

I glanced over my shoulder towards the harbour. It was still so far. Too far. We wouldn’t make it on foot.

But she was right. We’d barely survived the first fight. Even with Glory able to tap into her full vampiric strength, no longer needing to hide from me, we’d be at too great a disadvantage. We would both fall, Brynna would die, and Soldara would declare war on Golthwaine. One of us needed to get out, and the choice was as clear to me as the fear in Glory’s beautiful hazel eyes.

“Leave the bag,” I said, and without giving her time to prepare, I scooped her up and launched us off the hill. Glory let the pack drop and threw her arms around my neck. The wind caught my wings, and I flew us over the trees, above the rock wall that divided the woods from the harbour. I landed on top of the wall and laid eyes on the waiting ship. Evaniel’s flag waved from the top mast, urging us towards it. I could fly us the last stretch and we’d have reached our goal.

But the mutts would be on us before we were ready to sail. They’d tear the ship and everyone on board apart. Even if half the crew were mages, we weren’t enough to face this onslaught.

Unless their target wasn’t on the ship and stood to face them instead.

Resolve, resignation, and regret warred in my heart, but I didn’t waver.

With a flap of my wings, I inched towards the edge of the wall. “Go down the steps, cross the beach, and board that ship.”

I couldn’t afford to get any closer. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away from her, and I couldn’t go with her.

Glory’s eyes widened as my intentions registered, and she grabbed my arm. “You can’t go back and fight them on your own.”

“They’ve seen us, Buttons. If we both go, they’ll attack before we can get far enough, and with that many of them, they’ll win.” I cupped her face. “You have the amulet, and you need to get it to Evaniel. That’s what matters now. That’s all that matters.”

Anger flared in her eyes. My restraint broke, and I silenced her with a kiss, sending every ounce of my feelings into the press of our lips. I coiled my fingers through her hair, inhaled her scent, tasted her lips. I sealed the memory of her in my mind, savouring these few heartbeats as I would a last meal.

Then I shoved her towards the stairs and, without giving her a chance to argue with me, flexed my wings and launched into the sky. My name rang in my ears as she called after me, and I rolled the flavour of her fear over my palate. My horns burst from my scalp, my tail snaked out of my lower back, my skin thickened, my nails lengthened. I’d never felt stronger, fuelled by her terror—not because she was afraid, but because she was afraid for me. Whatever happened next, I would hold on to that.

Thinking only of her, I veered towards the trees and charged the army of mutts.

Glory

XLVII

I watched Cammon fly away, calling with my entire soul for him to come back, screaming until my lungs burned for lack of air and my vocal cords gave out. But he was gone. My legs trembled, my heart raced, and the world swam in front of me, making me stagger backwards. My foot caught on the edge of the rocky terrain, forcing my attention to my surroundings.

Desperation to help tore at me, and I peered over the steep angle of the wall where Cammon had dropped me, but there was no easy way back. As though he’d known I would try and had cut me off.

I stood near the lighthouse that overlooked the harbour where the ship waited. The only gap in the wall was so far from where I stood that by the time I reached it, even as fast as I could run, the battle would likely be over.

Whatever battle there was.

Hot tears dashed down my cheeks as I stared at that swarming army. So many creatures, their ruined forms becoming more visible the closer they came. I barely made out Cammon where he flew towards them, lost among the mutts who were able to take him on in the sky.

You need to get it to Evaniel.

His words rang in my ears, and I knew he was right. The amulet had to be my priority. Helping Princess Brynna. Avoiding the war. That was why I was here. After everything Cammon and I had survived to get to this point, it would be an insult to our efforts for me to abandon the mission.

I forced myself to turn my back on the fight, grateful they were far enough away that whatever sounds they made were washed out by the roaring wind and the crashing waves. My sanity wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

The pain in my chest ebbed. All sensation left me. I was numb. A husk of a person. Less than I’d been before my first night on the road with Cammon. He had brought me to life, and now he was gone. A light extinguished. One I doubted I would ever relight.

But even if my soul didn’t survive this journey, the amulet would. Princess Brynna would. I was a mage advisor to the throne, and I’d vowed to serve my king and country in any capacity.

I’d thought going on this mission, leaving the comforts of home and facing Tersey’s trials, would be my sacrifice. But maybe what my country required was that I give it everything.

Anchoring myself to that final thought, I entered the lighthouse, descended the steps, and walked across the sand towards my only way home.