“Dammit!” a deep voice exploded, grabbing me in midflight. “When we get out of here, I swear to God I am going to ring your neck,” he graveled in my ear, and then set me on my feet. “We have bigger problems, and I don’t have time to babysit you right now.”
A part of me knew I should have been afraid of his temper, but I just could muster up the emotions, not when I was in the midst of my own rage. He had already removed the knife from his shoulder, but I could see the sticky substance of his blood staining the dark shirt he wore. I felt my head began to spin. There was so many things going on around me, and I felt myself losing touch on reality.
Suddenly he was there, steady hands on my arms. “Don’t even think about it Angel Eyes. I fine. It is just a scratch. Stay with me.”
I heard Emma snort behind me. “Wuss.” She was deliberately trying to get under my skin.
The dizziness passed just in time, thanks to Emma boiling my blood. He flashed her a quick look of annoyance before something else claimed his full attention. The hunters were moving in, surrounding us. Chase’s eyes did the freaking-glowy-thing, fiercely, and his demon took possession fast. I watched him transform in front of my eyes to something lethal and deadly. There was no mercy in his taunt stance.
Then the sounds of chaos erupted through the thick trees.
Hayden and Lexi joined the crowd followed closely by Sierra and Craig. Now that the whole gang was here, the fun stuff was about to begin. I wanted to close my eyes and hide under a pillow. This was not my kind of fun. Fun was playing Skyrim. Fun was hanging out with friends. Fun was eating a chocolate fudge sundae.
I had a feeling that Eric found this fun.
He was a sick bastard.
A body dropped beside me, and I couldn’t stifle the yelp that squeaked from me. I was too afraid to see if they were still breathing, knowing that if I took my eyes off the battle for even a fraction of a second, I could be killed.
They weren’t messy around.
This wasn’t a video game. There was no re-spawning.
This was life or death. Survival of the fittest.
There was a shuffle of feet behind me. Whipping around… I shuddered.
Chase’s voice echoed through the woodsy clearing. “Touch her and I promise to make your death a slow painful experience,” he threatened violently.
My knees began to buckle. Everything that I had gone through during my capture came flooding back. I wasn’t in the woods anymore, but back in that four wall prison with Emma’s dad pressing a knife to my throat. I shook in fear, frozen in place. How had I actually thought I was going to be able to face him? Compel him? I could hardly look at him without cowering in terror.
“Touchy, touchy,” Eric said, giving a dark, humorless chuckle.
At the sound of his voice I felt myself drowning in panic, losing my grip on the plan. He stepped closer to me and Chase growled deep in his chest. In my head I knew what I was supposed to do, but my brain wasn’t cooperating. It was rendered useless at the sight of Eric.
He pulled out a long jagged wicked looking knife, if you could call it that. Damn thing looked more like a sword and he had a bow with a sheath of arrows strapped to his back. “I see you’ve brought my daughter home.”
Chase’s response was a guttural sneer.
I instinctual backed up. “Chase?” My voice was shaky as I pleaded for what I didn’t know.
Strength.
Courage.
Help.
Regardless, the sound of my frightened voice unleashed an animal. Golden eyes filled with wildness. With one smooth motion Chase engaged Eric like he was born to fight. In the background I could hear Sierra sparring with one of the hunters, taunting him with her natural annoyance, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the fight right in front of me.
Chase moved at ungodly speeds, so fast that all I see was the occasional glimmer of gold. He avoided the down swoop of Eric’s blade many times, keeping Eric busy. Chase flickered in and out around him, making Eric’s focus on only him. I screamed as Eric’s blade sliced across Chase’s stomach.
Of course Eric couldn’t resist the chance to taunt me. Hearing the panic in my scream, Eric laughed. “Don’t worry I’ll take good care of him. Piece by piece.”
Enough with the games, Chase blinked behind Eric. Lickety-split. I watched wide-eyed as Chase took Emma’s dad by surprise in a moment of distraction, wrapping his demon-strength hands around his neck.
Our eyes clashed over Eric’s shoulder and I knew in those suspended seconds of time what he was going to do. What he was begging me to understand. His feelings merged with mine. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the screaming, the fighting, and the mixture of every emotion possible. When I opened them again I took a deep breath and held Eric’s gaze in mine. He wasn’t smirking anymore. I gave Chase a short nod, letting him know that I understood.
I got his reasoning, but I was worried at what price.