Page 27 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

“Actually, I think there’s only one way to smother all the sass.” He tapped his index finger against my lips. “And it has to do with these.”

Just as his soft lips brushed mine, a bloodcurdling yell followed by a thundering growl came from behind us.

Declan’s body tensed. More shouts arose from the guards on duty, and the clang of metal swords clamored against the wind.

He quickly turned around, arms out to shield me from whatever had made that growl in the distance.

However, nothing could shield me from seeing the mammoth beast that drew closer to us.

The beast before us was twice the size of any wolf I had ever laid eyes on.

Its paws were enormous, probably the size of my head.

Each claw looked like it could rip us to shreds with one swipe.

Blood coated its snout. A guard’s body lay lifeless beneath it.

Black sludge also oozed from its fur. If that wasn’t enough to make me go pale with terror, I was staring into two dark voids where eyes should have been.

The beast roared ferociously this time, causing me to jump.

As it arched its neck back, its mouth hung wide open, displaying its sharp, yellowing teeth.

The smell of death and decay clouded around us, and it took everything I had in me to not lose my dinner in the bushes.

I swallowed deeply, cautiously bending down to grab my dagger from my boot.

As soon as I rose to my feet, the beast began its sprint towards us.

“RUN!” Declan growled, unleashing his shadows and all the darkness along with it.

“No!” I pushed around him and threw my dagger straight towards the beast’s head.

The dagger found its target, but the beast didn’t flinch or stop its charge towards us.

All my muscles tightened with fear. My heart was racing uncontrollably, and my feet felt frozen to the ground.

This feeling was all too familiar. I’d felt it once before—the night fear froze me in the doorway of our home as I watched my mother being murdered before me.

The beast snarled as some of the guards began to use their dynamis. As it turned its sights on them, Declan grabbed a hold of my arm and tugged me behind him.

More screams pealed from behind us before the chill of silence replaced them. Our feet slid over the mud, but Declan dug in his heels and continued to run for the thick cover of trees ahead of us.

Behind me, I could hear muffled shouts and the sound of padded feet as they rumbled against the ground.

When I risked a look over my shoulder, my foot rolled over a rock, sending me barreling into the mud.

Waves of anger, panic, and desperation crashed into me as they slipped out from under Declan’s ward.

My hands kept slipping against his arms as he tried to lift me up.

Forgoing my arms altogether, he threaded his hands under my armpits and lifted me up.

In another burst, he tossed me behind him and launched his dynamis.

He threw everything he had at the beast. His shadows struck, ripped and tore.

Bits of flesh and sludge flung through the air.

Shadows wrapped around the beast’s body, weaving tightly to slowing it in its tracks.

This was no ordinary animal. This was something darker.

It felt like something made of pure evil.

“Go now, Elena!” he rasped through gritted teeth. “Listen to me for once, please !”

Declan’s muscles visibly shook, and I knew he couldn’t hold on for much longer. As death stared me in the face, I couldn’t just stand by and watch again.

No longer would I stay frozen.

I was never going to lose anyone because of my fears again.

I let a deep pull of air wash through me.

My eyelids slammed closed, shutting out the world.

As I did, I imagined myself extending my hands towards Declan, needing to pull more emotions.

My dynamis was already bubbling under the surface.

Maybe the more emotions I pulled, the more of a blast of air I could create when I pushed them out of me.

Desperate, I grasped for whatever I could. It seemed to work, as I felt emotions crashing into me like rocks. Combining them with my own fear and rage, I funneled it down to the dynamis that was collecting deep in the center of my body. Now, I just had to figure out how to use it.

Taking a chance, I opened one eye to see Declan staggering bac, creating more space between him and the beast. Time was up. I just had to make a run for it.

I bolted forward. The power inside of me thrummed.

Warmth spread through me, and I began to see its familiar glow bathe my body.

I could hear the prince yelling my name and the sounds of others approaching to help.

Arrows, shards of ice and blasts of fire whisked through the air, dancing all around me as I ran faster.

Some hit the beast, causing it to sway. However, nothing seemed to stop it.

The beast swung its head, its void eyes locked on my own as it roared, heading straight towards me. All sounds muffled around me, but I could feel Declan zephyr over to me.

My power had other plans and unleashed on its own. A powerful gust of wind tossed him into the air, sending him flying back somewhere behind me. I was just inches away from the beast, and my skin burned from the dynamis I withheld beneath it.

Leaping into the air, I flew over the beast as it charged. I gripped the dagger still embedded into the beast, and together we crashed to the ground. The force of the fall dislodged the dagger from its head and I pulled it with me.

Just as I rolled onto my back, the beast leapt onto me, its teeth chomping into my shoulder and its claw slicing through my side.

Screaming out in agony, I slammed my dagger into its thick neck over and over again.

Each time my dagger hit flesh, black sludge spilled into my mouth.

It reeked of decay, and I gagged as I tried to spit it out.

Thick claws sliced again, this time over my chest. Tears streamed down my face mixing with the blood that pooled around me.

Fueled by pure rage to save those around me, I rolled on top of the animal and slammed my dagger straight through its neck.

The beast let out a guttural howl, and I screamed so loud my body shook.

In that moment, I erupted.

Blinding white light exploded from me, creating a circle around me.

The burn of white-hot flame followed. It streamed through my fingertips, right into the beast that continued to shriek in pain as flames engulfed its body.

The smell of burning flesh overwhelmed me.

My entire body writhed in pain, but I continued to unleash my dynamis.

When nothing was left but a pool of sludge and bones beneath me, I let my body fall back and hit the ground. I cradled my body, trying to stop the warm blood from escaping. My eyelids began to grow heavy, and the thoughts in my brain began to grow hazy.

They were safe. Alive. There wouldn’t be another lost soul haunting my nightmares tonight.

Muffled shouts burst around me, along with the sound of boots rapidly approaching. Arms scooped me up and cradled me close.

“Damn it! Why, Elena?” Declan roared over me, but I didn’t have anything left in me to open my eyes or respond.

“Dec, she’s losing blood too fast! There’s no way she’ll be able to heal herself fast enough. You need to get her to Clara, now!” shouted Killian.

“We’ve got things here, Dec. GO!” bellowed Liam.

“Hang on, Lena. Please, just hang on a little longer,” Declan whispered, pulling me closer as the winds gusted around us and I collapsed into darkness.