Page 92 of A Court So Dark
Bile rose up my throat, and it was all I could do to keep an inviting expression on my face. My hands raced toward his neck. If I could touch him there before his lips reached mine, the sacrifice of kissing this monster would not be necessary.
My fingers were only an inch from his neck when a deafening thunderclap resonated through the forest.
CHAPTER 36
KALYLL
Meltingintoshadows,Islithered over the ground, dodging Varamede’s attack. The bolt hit the ground, sent a spray of dirt into the air, and set a nearby tree on fire.
“Where did he go?” Cardian demanded. “There!”
Varamede released another bolt of lightning. This time, getting away was far easier as I was already nothing but shadows. I didn’t know if such an attack could harm me in this state, but I wasn’t going to risk finding out.
“Get him!” Cardian ordered.
Another bolt exploded a few inches behind me. A dry shrub ignited with awhoosh.
Heading in Varamede’s direction, I zigzagged along the ground.
“You’re too slow,” Cardian barked, his horse backing away and rearing its head.
I sensed anger from the thunderlord, but not toward me… toward Cardian. It couldn’t be easy receiving orders from someone so useless. But he had chosen this path, and in so doing, he’d meddled with the wrong person. The moment he attacked my mate, he signed his death sentence.
My shadowy form slid over the ground at a prodigious speed. Varamede tried to back away as he shot multiple bursts of lightning at the ground, filling the air with dust and the smell of ozone.
When I was a couple of feet from him, he finally realized his powers were nothing against me in this form. Whirling on his heel, he ran, but it was a useless attempt. I was much faster, and when I reached him—my shadows coalescing around his feet—I dismissed the darkness and invited the beast.
I rose from the ground, the shadows forming an insubstantial body that quickly solidified. Releasing a powerful roar, I reached out with a clawed hand and took hold of Varamede’s shoulder. Yanking him back, I slammed him against the ground and pounced on him. His eyes went wide as I opened my maw and let out a second roar.
My hand tightened around his neck, claws digging into his flesh. In response, he electrified his entire body, doing his best to repel me. As the current hit me, my limbs spasmed, but it wasn’t to his advantage. Instead, my hold grew tighter, and warm blood spilled from his neck as my claws punctured an artery. He opened his mouth, making a gurgling sound, feet thrashing behind me.
My teeth were clenched of their own accord, and I bore down on him even as his electric power coursed through me, singeing my hair, and filling the air with its burnt scent. As the thunderlord’s life dimmed from his eyes, I was vaguely aware of hooves pounding the ground in retreat.
By degrees, Varamede’s power diminished as did my body spasms. We remained locked for a few more beats until he went utterly still and his power released me. My tensed muscles and joints unhinged. I rolled off him and hit the ground.
I stared at the quickly darkening sky through a gap between the thick leaves overhead. The beast’s senses were sharper than my own, and the sound of Cardian’s retreating horse still pounded in my ears.
—Get up!A deep voice, Wölfe’s voice, echoed in my head.Go after him.
I rolled over and got on hands and knees. I had morphed into a shape close to my own, but to reach him I would be better served by a proper wolf.
Lunging into the air, I took off after my brother. As I sailed forward, I morphed once more. Large paws hit the ground running, my sensitive ears pointed at the retreating sounds. As trees rushed by, I passed a couple of hunters from Mythorne’s party. Thinking it good sport to kill the biggest beast, they gave chase.
Arrowszingedby me and embedded themselves in the ground. I weaved through the trees to make their job harder, all the while focused on my target. I could see Cardian now. He was forty yards ahead, glancing back over his shoulder as he mercilessly beat his horse with his crop, demanding more speed.
—There is no beast fast enough that can save you from me, little brother.
My claws tore the ground, sending chunks flying back. A spearthwackedmere inches from me and stabbed a patch of grass. I veered left around a thick tree with low branches. One of the riders behind me didn’t think much of my path choice, never considering that I was a creature capable of making intelligent decisions. Too late, he realized his mistake. A quick glance over my shoulder showed me the male attempting to duck and failing. A branch knocked him clean off his horse, and as he fell, his head smashed against a rock with a satisfying crunch.
I was closer to Cardian now, and I could see the desperation on his face every time he glanced back. He knew who was after him, and the reckoning that was coming his way.
No, we will not kill him.
—He deserves to die.
Death will be too swift a punishment.
—You will not trick me into offering him any sort of mercy but that which my teeth and claws can offer.
