Page 24 of Savage Bond

The creature lunges, a blur of motion, its massive form slicing through the dim light. I barely react in time. It crashes into me, slamming me against the wall. Pain erupts in my side—sharp and hot—as claws rake across my skin. I grunt, forcing myself to focus.

“Get out!” Ava screams, her voice raw with urgency.

I shove the pain aside and retaliate. I twist, using its momentum against it, and throw an elbow into its snout. The creature staggers back, momentarily dazed. It shakes off the impact with a guttural growl, eyes burning with rage as it circles like a predator playing with its prey.

My muscles coil tight, every nerve screaming for action. I can’t let it take her—can’t let it win. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, I charge forward again. My fist connects with its jaw, but it hardly budges. Instead, it retaliates faster than I anticipate.

It slashes at my shoulder with bladed claws that bite deep, dragging down my arm in a frenzy of fury. Blood wells up;warmth trickles down my side. A low growl escapes my throat as I shift my weight to absorb the pain.

The creature rears back, anticipating my next move. It feints to the left; I instinctively follow but quickly pivot right—just in time to evade another strike aimed at my throat.

Ava’s desperate cries urge me on.

“Stop fucking around, you arrogant prick!”

Of course, that's the encouragement I get.

Her voice fuels something primal within me—a fire igniting deeper than mere survival instinct. I push through the fatigue and sheer brutality of this fight; every muscle screams for respite but there’s no time for weakness.

With a roar that echoes through the cavern like thunder, I dive low and sweep beneath its legs before rising fast enough to bring my fist down hard on its skull. The impact reverberates through me—a sickening crack rings out as bone shatters beneath my force.

It collapses forward like a rag doll, lifeless and grotesque.

Panting heavily, I stand over the creature's lifeless body, the remnants of our brutal encounter pooling around me, bloodied and slick with sweat. The adrenaline thrums through my veins, a fierce and electric pulse that feels sharper now in the aftermath of the fight, almost intoxicating. I can't quite shake the rush of victory, that primal satisfaction that comes from having survived such a deadly confrontation.

Turning my attention to Ava, I find my gaze roaming over her, taking in every curve and angle of her compact frame, every freckle dotting her sun-kissed skin like constellations against a backdrop of dusk. She’s beautiful in a way that unnerves me, the kind of beauty that sparks something deep and instinctual within—a flicker of desire mingled with something darker, more feral.

With each step I take closer, my heart pounds louder in my chest, a drumbeat urging me forward. My hunger sharpens, a primal urge urging me to close the distance between us, to breathe in the scent of her sweat and courage, to feel that electric connection. But I can’t—no, I shouldn’t.

With a swift motion, I cut the ropes binding her wrists. The blade slices cleanly through the fibers, and she drops like a stone, hitting the ground hard with a grunt.

I don’t catch her; I let her fall. She lands awkwardly, sprawled on the cold stone floor—vulnerable. For an instant, my resolve wavers as I watch her struggle to regain her composure.

But then I turn away, the weight of indecision pressing down like lead.

“Get up,” I say tersely over my shoulder as I walk deeper into the cavern. “We have to move.”

CHAPTER 14

AVA

Icough, the taste of blood and dirt clinging to my throat. My body aches from the impact, but I scramble to my feet, fighting against the dizziness clouding my vision. Kairon stands just outside the cave opening, a silhouette against the dim light filtering through the trees. He stares at me like I’m a problem he doesn’t want to solve.

“You took your time,” I mutter, trying to mask my weakness.

His sneer is sharp enough to cut through the tension. “You’re pathetic. Can’t even stay alive without me.”

The words slice deeper than his blade ever could, hitting a nerve I didn’t want exposed, a truth I’ve buried beneath layers of ambition and denial. I can feel the heat of shame creeping up my neck, my cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. I push the feeling down, forcing myself to breathe steadily, focusing on the rhythm of my inhalations and exhalations, trying to center myself amidst the chaos surrounding us.

With a scowl etched firmly on my face, I unwillingly follow him out into the suffocating embrace of the jungle. The thick foliage looms overhead like a canopy of despair, heavy and oppressive, as I begin the arduous climb up the steep slopeleading from the cave. Each step sends jolts of pain through my weary muscles; my body protests, sending sharp reminders of my limitations, but I ignore it, pushing through the discomfort with sheer willpower. I can’t afford to show weakness, not now.

Kairon moves ahead with an ease that feels infuriating, each of his strides purposeful and confident. He’s built for this—an apex predator in his natural habitat—while I struggle with each uneven rock and twisted root, my feet stumbling over the obstacles that seem to conspire against me. The heat of the jungle clings to my skin, the humidity wrapping around me like a wet blanket, making my muscles feel heavier, as if they’re laden with the weight of my own inadequacies.

I catch a glimpse of him ahead, his towering figure cutting through the dense underbrush effortlessly, and the sight only fuels the fire of frustration within me. I grit my teeth, forcing my legs to keep moving, each labored breath a reminder that I’m still alive, still fighting. But with every painful step, I can’t shake the nagging thought: Kairon is right, and that realization gnaws at me like a relentless predator, waiting for the perfect moment to strike again.

“Slow down,” I snap, trying to keep pace.

He glances back at me, irritation etched into his features. “Keep up or get left behind.”

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