Page 83 of Never Tamed
The sounds of rabid wolves clashing in the tunnels beyond echo from the stone. The air reeks of blood and sewage.
Get her somewhere safer and preferablycleaner.
Our next steps slosh through too many inches of water discolored with too many unmentionable, disgusting things. It didn’t matter so much getting down here. I followed the scent knowing what had to be done.
Now I know, but the details are clearer. The bodies we thread through, the ceiling pressing down on us, the reek I feel in my soul. The stench seeps into my skin.
Andras kept our people down here like rats packed into cages in a lab.
I’m going to break him. I’m going to make him pay for this.
“I can’t—Ren—” Flora stops and her eyes roll up, lips trembling. “I can’t stop the contractions. It hurts too much. But I can’t have my baby here.”
I nod. “You won’t. I promise.”
Another contraction tears through her, bending her body against mine. She screams this time, and I flinch.
Torin swears behind me while he rips through another lock. “Ren. Get her topside. We’ll hold the tunnel.”
“Got it.” My grip stays iron-strong around Flora.
Shadows peel from the walls as more of the Blood Moons rush us in both forms. Mathis growls out an apology before dropping his hold to launch at them.
Flora’s entire weight rests on me as I start to half-drag her through the darkness. My vision sharpens, but there’s no way Ican move as fast as I need to, not with Flora stumbling every other step and me trying to avoid the chaos.
Her lungs work like bellows, her body trembling.
Bodies lie everywhere. The stench of death and sewage thick enough to make me choke. Dax is a nightmare ahead of us in his golden wolf form, carving us a path. His snarls are vicious and blood sprays as he adds more dead wolves to his ever-growing collection.
Flora freezes suddenly, another scream tearing from her as her stomach heaves.
Fuck this.
“Hold on,” I tell her and scoop the back of her legs up.
To my surprise, she’s so small, lifting her up isn’t hard at all. This werewolf thing really has its perks sometimes. It’s no worse than hauling a couple bags of groceries inside at the same time and I used to be a master at that.
The imagery helps. It takes some of the urgency from the moment and sharpens my thoughts.
Her head lolls against my shoulder, her breath shallow.
“Just a little further,” I say softly. “It’s going to be all right. I’m getting you out of here.”
She grits her teeth and forces a nod. “I can do this.”
The look on her face says otherwise and her worry is another scent in the air. I taste it, fear tingling my tongue. If something is wrong then I can’t help her. I can only try to get her out where there’s more breathing room.
The tunnels are a blur of violence and desperation.
Pitfalls gape where the stone floor has collapsed, slick with filth and slime. Twice I nearly go down, my feet slipping, but I’m able to catch myself before we both plummet.
She’s in enough pain.
The contractions come faster and each time she screams, the sound pierces my eardrums. My heart races faster than it ever has and skips over beats to leave me swimmy.
We got here in time. It has to be enough.
She’s okay. We weren’t too late. She’s alive.
