Page 24 of Rescued By the Beast
The bird attacks the Wendigo from behind, with a battle cry he pierces the creature with his claws and sharp beak.
The Wendigo lets out a cry of pain, black blood spurting from its head.
With a sudden movement, it spins around and, with a single blow, cuts off one of Keelan's wings, tearing it as if it were paper.
"No, damn it!" Anger explodes in my voice as magic forms in my hands, casting a protective barrier around Keelan, I push him away from the battlefield.
There is no time to hesitate.
Every fibre of my body screams for revenge, my muscles moving with relentless precision, propelling me forward with speed and fury.
Then I strike.
With a guttural growl, I lunge at the Wendigo, sinking my claws into the monster's rotten flesh. The impact is like thunder, the ground seems to shake beneath us. The monster loses its balance, and as it falls, it opens its jaws with lethal speed, its teeth cutting through the air with a chilling sound.
I dodge the attack and grab his shoulders, pushing his body to the ground with beastly strength. He struggles, his muscles twisting, trying to break free from under me, but I am stronger. I hold him down, combining my strength and power, which wraps around his torso like an invisible rope.
The rotten, damp flesh beneath my claws resists for a second, but soon tears like fragile fabric. The Wendigo screams, his legs kicking beneath me, his hands trying to reach me with his sharp claws. But it's a futil . My power surrounds his wrists and legs, but I miscalculated; I should have secured a barrier around his neck as well.
His head rises and his teeth sink deep into my arm, I grunt, but I don't back down.
With a fierce movement, I pull my arm upwards. The flesh tears under his bite, and blood gushes out, but the pain is brief; my skin repairs itself quickly, and my patience runs out.
My claws dig into his shoulders to the bone, and I rip his arms from his body, hearing the horrible sound of flesh tearing, bones and tendons being torn apart. A scream of agony echoes from his monstrous mouth, the Wendigo writhes, trying to break free, but remains trapped.
With a fierce hand, I pin his head to the ground, my claws sinking into his scalp, forcing him to remain still. The sound of his skull shattering under my strength is the last thing I hear before I open my mouth and sink my fangs into his neck.
The taste is unbearable, but my thirst for revenge replaces it.
My jaw closes with brutality. I rip his head from his body with a pull so brutal that I can almost feel the impact reverberating through my bones.
The violence, the struggle, it all disappears for a moment.
He is dead.
Silence falls around me like a cloak. An ephemeral peace takes hold of me, but soon nausea rises, fierce, like a demon.
The taste of the Wendigo's rotten blood invades my mouth, acidic and unbearable.
The revulsion is instantaneous, and in one abrupt movement, I return to human form. The transition is quick, my essence charged with magic, bringing me back with my clothes intact — something quite different from ordinary shape-shifters.
Before I can control it, I am already kneeling on the ground, vomiting in front of the mutilated carcass.
Keelan appears at my side, his feathers torn and marks from the fight evident. When he returns to human form, he is completely naked, with one arm bleeding, moaning in pain.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and stare at him.
"You shouldn't have attacked the Wendigo," I say through gritted teeth. "I was in control, for fuck's sake!"
He shudders at my words, his eyes darting to the floor for a moment before he replies.
"I'm sorry, but he was distracted, Beast. I saw an opening and acted."
I shake my head, irritation still throbbing in my words.
"You put yourself in unnecessary danger, Keelan. Next time, don't disobey orders."
He swallows hard but murmurs in a low voice,
