Part 16 (1/2)

By the time he managed to push his shaking body up, only one sgath remained. Its jaws were s.h.i.+ning black with the blood of its kin and its glowing eyes fixed on Madoc.

He was too weak to defeat it. He could barely lift his blade.

The thing stalked toward him, its body shaking as if something was wrong. Madoc braced his feet apart and blinked in an effort to clear his fading vision. As he neared it, it lifted its head as if offering itself up as a sacrifice.

He didn't trust what he was seeing. It had to be the poison f.u.c.king up his vision.

Or maybe this was some kind of trick.

Madoc lifted his sword. He'd use every last sc.r.a.p of strength he had defending Nika. It probably wouldn't be enough, but he had to try.

The thing came closer. A deep growl slid from between its teeth, but they stayed clamped shut as if held that way by an invisible muzzle.

It got to within sword range and stopped.

He had no idea why it would do such a thing, but he didn't question his luck. He lifted his sword and lopped off the thing's head in one clean stroke.

The motion knocked Madoc down. He could smell the blood of the sgath mixed with the scent of his own.

It wouldn't be long before they had company.

He reached for his phone, hoping to call for help, but it was gone. He hadn't replaced it.

f.u.c.k.

Madoc peered over the cold ground to where Nika lay. Her hair was the color of the snow surrounding her. Her breath came out in white plumes, proving she was still alive.

He ached to go to her, to curl himself around her body and hold her close. He wanted her to be the last thing he felt before he died.

But he was bleeding, drawing nasties from their dank hidey-holes. He needed to get as far away from Nika as possible.

Madoc pushed himself to his feet, only to fall down again. He was too weak to stand, so he pulled himself over the frozen ground, crawling away. The poison was raging through his system now, making him cold, slowing his limbs, and stealing his thoughts.

But he remembered Nika. Her soft skin only he could touch, her pretty eyes so full of trust, her boundless faith in him. He'd take his memories of her with him. No f.u.c.king poison on earth could steal those from him.

Chapter 10.

Nika almost got trapped inside the dying sgath's mind. She knew she had to stay until the last second and hold it still while Madoc killed it. He was weak and bleeding. Without her help, he would have died.

But the sgath was strong and it fought her hard, nearly winning several times. In staying inside its mind while it died, she'd nearly died, too.

She came back into her frigid body and immediately began to shake. A groggy kind of light-headedness settled over her, and she idly wondered if the effect was from her mental wandering or possible hypothermia.

As soon as she was able to move, she surveyed the area, looking for Madoc. The headlights cast enough of a glow for her to see a trail of red in the snow.

Madoc's blood.

Her world spun in panic, making her dizzy and breathless. Beside her, the truck's engine hummed. Below that was the tinny, distant sound of voices.

Her cell phone. Help.

Nika found the phone in the snow and grabbed it up with clumsy hands. She pressed it to her cheek as she struggled to stand. ”Help,” she said. ”Madoc's hurt.”

”Nika?” It was Nicholas's voice. ”Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

”No. But Madoc is.”

She was still wobbly, but she had to find him. Her legs shook with every step, but she forced them to move and take her to Madoc.

”Help's on the way, Nika. I've called in everyone nearby. The chopper's in the air. Just stay on the line with me, okay?”

Movement caught her eye. She saw Madoc crawling over the ground, pulling himself along on his belly.

She raced to him, slipping in the snow as she went. From here, she could see the wet s.h.i.+ne of blood covering his arm.

She fell to her knees at his side, feeling like her guts were being squeezed. He wasn't supposed to get hurt. He was too strong for that. He was supposed to be invincible.

”Madoc.” His name came out as a whisper of fear.

”Get away. Blood.”

”I don't care. I'm not leaving you alone.”

She grabbed his hand. He tried to pull away but was too weak.

”Go. Please. Can't fight.”

”Help is coming.” She only hoped it would get here in time.

She started to ask Nicholas how much longer it would be when she realized that she'd dropped the phone somewhere along the way. She didn't want to leave Madoc, but she needed to know what to do to save him.

”I'll be right back,” she told him.

She hurried back along the path she'd taken until she found the cell phone. Lying only a few feet away was Madoc's sword.

She very well might need that if the Synestryn came, so she grabbed it up.

The metal was freezing. The weight of it startled her. The way he whipped this thing around, she half expected it to be light.

She didn't know how she was going to swing it if things got bad, but she knew she'd find a way.

By the time she got back to Madoc, he'd crawled another few feet.

”You can't get away from me,” she told him. ”Stop trying.” And to make sure he did, she rolled his heavy body over onto his back.

His face was ashen. His eyes had dilated until only a thin ring of green remained. His body trembled and his breathing was way too fast.