Page 95 of Haunted Nightmares
Drusilla hesitates before she starts shouting at Hans, the bastard grinning as he signals the fuckingarcherslaying in wait who fire at will.
“I love you,” I say as I turn to Zephyr, gripping the sides of her neck and forcing her crying eyes on me. “I love you with every fucking cell in my body and I am terrified I will lose you again, but you are my queen, you are a warrior, and you’re a goddamn goddess, so I trust that by the end of this night I will be able to do this and feel your warmth the same as I do now.” I press my lips to hers, kissing my mate hard in case it truly is the last time, then I spin away from her and lead my people the way I have always intended.
Following Aries—my family—I watch him dodge the first few arrows as I bark out our war cry, sending my army to meet the Hollow but the closer he gets to his mate, the harder that becomes.
He takes a hit to the right shoulder as I start to race after him and when he sees me, he points toward Orion instead. “Let me go to him!”
But it’s too late.
Aries' noble sacrifice, his act rooted in love, it was the catalyst to an end I never saw coming.
Hans’ whip comes down against the flank of the horse to his left with a deafening crack, the sound echoing above the clashing of swords and firing of guns.
Thaddeus is the first to go, the boy showing no fear as his head comes clean off his neck, his body slumping forward as the horse runs in fear. My eyes swing to Orion as his left arm tears from his body, using mymyjakto change into my lycan form quicker than I ever have, but again, I am too late.
The other three horses panic at the battle now raging around us, bolting in opposite directions, their riders slain while ripping a male of worth, one I truly considered to be my family, to shreds but his head…Oh, dear gods, no!
Hans mounts the fifth horse tied to the tree, freeing it with one swipe of his sword,draggingwhat is left of our Orion behind it as he charges me.
And I see fucking red.
My vision goes thermal, my mind begins to clear, and Zenlothanai starts chanting all the things I’ve been trying to quiet since my mate returned to me.
Hunt.
Kill.
Drain them all.
Clean their filth, rid the city of all the unclean.
I lunge at Hans as he gallops toward me, his sword piercing my side but I do not stop. My teeth sink into his shoulder as I tackle him to the ground, tearing the flesh and muscle right down to the bone then let his filth fall from my mouth before I go for his throat.
“You will… will not prevail,” he chokes out as he drives his blade into my gut. “She will…”
Tearing out his vocal cords, I look him in the eye as I press my claw tipped fingers over his still beating heart.“She will suffer the way she deserves.”
His heart pops from his chest easily, pumping a few more times in my palm before I stand on my hind legs, tip my head back and crush it over my open jaws.
I clutch my stomach as my body is forced back to my human form, the lycan too hard to hold when I’m injured like this, but I immediately begin searching for my mate.
Scanning the carnage, I watch Declan take on several trolls, Archer covering him from behind as he fights off the goblins.Nate and Ana are surrounded but they appear confident, especially as the goddess very literally laughs in the face of danger.
I squint against the gunfire, little orange sparks emitting each time a trigger is pulled. Lydia screams as she races toward Benji and a group of others as they work with the servicemen to get to the archers and though we seem to be holding our own, none of it will matter if I cannot find Zephyr.
But I must.
I made her promise, one I know she will not break.
Staggering through the battlefield, I glance down to see how badly I’m bleeding, but the world tilts on its side and everything blurs.
Nothing is clear, not one goddamn thing.
But I continue looking for my mate and…there she is.
Zephyr spins as she swings her sickle like a baseball bat, driving the blade into the gut of the troll before she elbows the one behind her in the face and stabs it in the neck.
Incredible.
