Page 87 of Blood of a Huntsman

Shit.

"Seth!"

Julia was irrelevant now. They needed to stop the slayers from destroying everything in their territory.

Her brother nodded and rode his lightning bolt, appearing on the other side of the ravine, taking those who attempted to breach the eastern front.

But he wasn't enough.

Cat wished she could rush to help, but there were five ancients left, and only she and Bash were here to fight them. Even with the witches’ help, they were outmatched.

Block, feint, run, roll, leap, kick, miss. Again and again. Stay alive. That was all that mattered now. Taking the next breath. Cat was tired, though, her limbs becoming heavier with every second. Bash was also slowing down.

From the corner of her eye, she saw wings. White wings. Cat glanced back long enough to see their second nephilim taking the other flank. Between Jack and Seth, the enemies soon stopped attempting to pass through their side, focusing instead on the center. On their witches.

Shit. This didn't look good at all.

"Pretty girl!" Bash yelled over the chaos.

"What?"

"I think I might just love you. You know."

What the hell? She glanced at him, a mistake that earned her a kick in the shin.

Cat moved away from Denningway to avoid another hit, and held her fists up in a defensive stance. The witches were getting tired, too, but someone gave her a window. As her muscles burned, Cat called to her storm, hitting the bitch with a zap right on her head. A little hit, but it was enough to give her a moment to slit her throat.

Then she turned to Bash. "Now? Now you go all mushy?"

He was on the ground, wrestling one of the ancients she didn't recognize. The man's fangs were bared, and he was closing in on Bash's throat. As she was too far away to jump in, she threw her sword, thankfully hitting the right target. Not fatally, but Bash managed to get to his feet.

Only now, the elder had a sword.

Shit.

"It doesn't look like I'll get another chance," Bash replied, eyes on his opponent.

Cat had another ancient on her right then.

With every passing moment, their luck decreased and the likelihood of them both making it out alive dwindled. The people who could truly rival any of those ancients were concentrating on Chloe. Cat got it. Chloe was everything to Levi, and everyone else deferred to him.

But with their ancients elsewhere, and their witches weakening, she and Sebastian might actually die.

The vampires were getting close to them now. Greer had erected shields around them, but strong as she was, how long would they last?

So she said it. What did it matter, anyway?

"Yeah. I guess I might love you, too."

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