Page 35 of The Death Striker's Partner
“I mean, the royal order for Peacekeeper Tumva to give the death bite should surely put you off, right? So why not turn around and leave. All…” I do a quick count. “…34 of you. The festival hall is wide open so you could just leave.” I see the moment when the Naltik leader drops his gaze to see my hand is squeezing my com-gem. His eyes widen and he snarls with a hand pointing towards me.
“KILL THE HUMAN!” I release my com-gem and brace my weapons ready.
“Fuck.”
Chapter 30
The main event
Tumva
I realise what Hannah has done, and she is very clever, but she has also drawn enemy fire. Now it’s a matter of time before the full force of the Peacekeepers floods the royal palace. We simply have to survive until then. Hannah has made herself a target, so I make a target of anyone who makes an attempt on her. The posturing is over and everyone is out for blood. King Xulei is dying on the floor and being cradled in the arms of Princess Jajana, weeping for his imminent loss.
I know I should be prioritising finding and defending Vrujac, the next in line, but instead I turn to tackle an Eryan as they swung down from an upper ledge toward Hannah. She parries their blade, but he’s so strong she ends up on her ass. Thankfully I reach her in time to strike a swift and fatal bite across his abdomen.
The order has been given, so I hold nothing back. Hannah screams and scrambles back as the Ucfeni slumps to the ground beside her and spasms. His eyes roll back into his skull, his mouth foams, and his body twitches and whines with agony. One swift bite from me can leave him that way for hours, and there is no antidote. If I were to bite him a second time, or prolong the first bite, he would die in seconds.
I am not feeling merciful.
The enemy sees the first of their kin to fall to the death bite of a Death Striker and I taste fear in the air. Even the Rapali look at me warily.
I don’t care.
Hannah has run once more into danger and I chase after her. Again, neglecting what should be my first duty to protect the future King.
But I don’t.
Hannah is magnificent as she throws a mouth muzzling net at a Naltik that stands between her and where the other females cower. She screams with rage and shoves her taster flush against where their pouch would be. I let her give him a world of pain on her own, and I strike at another enemy soldier who tries to attack her from behind. Coward. I chomp clean through his cowl and he howls in pain and horror. At first his pain is only from the chunk of him I’ve removed.
I want to swallow…it tastes so good…the blood seeping into my tongue and the warm, wet weight of in my mouth…but I look at Hannah and then force myself to spit it out. One, I don’t want her to see me as a monster that enjoys the flesh of my own kind. Two, my only priority right now is to protect Hannah. Especially as she insists on charging into danger after her sister. The combatant she has subdued is writhing and cupping his pouch from where she shocked him, and later I’ll laugh with her over that. Right now I hiss and strike at his neck and pump a fatal but agonising dose of venom. I hurry after Hannah and my heart clenches as she’s lifted by her throat and pinned to the wall by yet another Naltik. I rage and collide with his back, wrapping my fangs around his pale shoulder. I look over his shoulder at her as she rasps and struggles against his fist at her throat. Squeezing the life out of her. I pump more venom into him, even as someone slices down my back, I don’t let go.
He sags and I retract my fangs to let the corpse drop to the ground. Blood pours from my mouth and Hannah slides down the wall to look up at me. She lands on her backside, spluttering for air and pawing at her side to take hold of Billie by her right.
She is looking up at the face of death, my face, and she is horrified by it. I want to reach for her and beg her not to look at me like that, but another slice at my back forces me to turn and deal with the pest. I drop low on my tail, swivel around and aim my bloody jaws up at the Ucfeni. We bump jaws, but mine are bigger and I force his shut. I grab his wrists and manage to pierce my fangs into his face even as he thrashes. I release him to fall to the floor and writhe in agony.
“Stay behind me.” I order Hannah. Billie is beside her so I know she’s not going anywhere. I glance over my shoulder quickly and see she’s hugging her sister and begging her to respond.
“Come on Bumblebee. I need you to get up so I can get you out of here.” I hear her heart breaking as she begs her sister to move. I don’t know if she’ll be successful. I am prepared to be a solid wall between her and danger. Even if I must kill every single Ucfeni here. “I know it’s hard, but I need you to listen to my voice. I need you to get up.” She’s crying. I hate that she’s that desperate. She embraced battle like it was as easy as breathing, but now she can’t save her sister she’s falling apart. I cannot comfort her, but I can defend her with my life.
#
Hannah
Billie is shaking and her arms are locked around her knees. My throat hurts from that bastard trying to ring the life out of me. If Tumva hadn’t taken him down when he did I’d be dead. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the hungry look in his black orbs or how glossy wet his scales look with the blood of hisenemies coating them. Those fangs. He didn’t have two like all the other’s I’ve seen snapping at one another. He has two larger ones designed for injecting venom, and an armoury of smaller ones like thin canines for ripping into muscle. I can see how his ancestors were capable of eating other Ucfeni. They have the jaws for devouring flesh.
Right now his back is bleeding from two wounds on his back making a X across his shoulder blades. I’m really hoping he isn’t cut deeply, and absently I worry about infection. They’re susceptible to it, after all.
My main worry is Billie. She’s completely shut down and bodies are flying all around. Every thud of someone hitting the ground makes her whimper and I don’t have the time to coax her out of this.
“I’m sorry Billie but I need you to move. I am not losing you to this bullshit.” I sniffle and do something I’veneverdone before. I get to my feet and grab her shoulders. I drag her to her feet and she screams and thrashes against me. “I’m sorry.” I sob. “I love you bumblebee.” She digs her feet in and tries to drop back down, but I won’t let her. I hold her biceps tightly and I might even be bruising her, but I won’t let her go. “Tumva! The door!” I drag Billie to the right and towards the exit. It’s empty at the moment and I just want to get my sister to safety.
Thud. “Shit! Tumva!” I’m horrified when not one, but two of the soldiers with leather wrappings hiding their faces tackle Tumva. They grab an arm each and pin his upper back to the wall. He his hissing and tries to snap his jaws at either of them, but can’t reach. He slams his tail into the one at the right, but they resist.
Billie thrashes and tries to lower again to the floor but I won’t let her go. I see a third invading Ucfeni snarl and come towards Tumva with a long dagger in his hand. I end up throwing Billie with all my strength towards the exit. I knowshe falls towards safety, at least, and I’m not really thinking anything through anymore. I shoulder barge the third attacker and he doesn’t expect it. I surprise him and yank my taser from my belt to shock him through his back. I snap my head up, my heart racing and my nerves sparking. “Tumva!” I storm back over to my partner, preparing to aim low and taser the guy on the right. The other one is pinning his arm and tail so this guy can try and nail Tumva with a dagger. Not on my damn watch. I jump over their wrestling tails and bring my baton down on his head. He snarls and releases Tumva to cradle his pulsing head. I immediately try to crack the other one in the same way, but he catches my baton and throws me to the ground when I don’t release it.
I look up, my eyes widening as a set of jaws come towards me, but the soldier is quickly restrained in the thick muscular black tail of my partner. Tumva bites him in the shoulder and releases him to froth at the mouth and die slowly. He rolled onto the Solider holding his head and puts him down one a swift bite as well. I look over my shoulder, looking for Billie to check she’s okay during this skirmish. I am beyond relieved when I see Izule. He has her in his arms and he gives me a look, before vanishing down the corridor. Thank God. Now I can just focus on protecting one perso-
-something whips around my waist and I’m hoisted clear off my feet. “Oh shit! TUMVA!” Someone swings me through the air and I hurtle across the platform. I’m feel the sting of friction burns at my arms and legs, and my brain scrambles as I tumble at speed across the hard stone floor. “AAAAH!” I tip over the edge of the platform and scramble to stop myself falling over. three fingers of my right hand jar on the edge and i slam into wall. The impact winds me and I lost my grip. I brace myself for a whole world of pain as I fall to the ground.
