But then Kaden’s faelight flickered, and my heart gave a jolt of unease. A cascade of fetid water sent me stumbling back as something dark and scaly leapt from its depths.
Chapter
Twenty
Iwatched in horror as the creature arched out of the water — an amphibious beast with a broad, round forehead, glowing blue eyes, and short, muscular limbs. Webbed feet ended in razor-sharp claws that looked as though they could shred flesh to ribbons, but it was the face — the mouth — that made my insides shrivel.
The creature had a pronounced underbite, and I could see hundreds of pointed yellow teeth jutting out from its jaw.
I screamed Kaden’s name, but it was already too late. Those teeth sank into his broad shoulder, cutting right through his leathers. Kaden staggered as the faelight flickered and went out, thrusting us into total darkness.
For an instant, I could only hear the frantic splash of water as the two of them flailed in the blackness. Panic welled inside me as the scent of blood filled the air —Kaden’sblood.
I didn’t think.
When Kaden’s faelight beamed back to life, I lunged forthe beast and sank my dagger into its slippery gray back. An unearthly shriek echoed through the tunnel as the thing thrashed against my blade. It clung to Kaden with those horrible claws, which seemed to do evenmoredamage as it lashed in pain.
Water surged as Kaden struggled to dislodge the creature’s claws. My heart pounded as I waited for the opportunity to strike, but they were moving too fast.
Finally, Kaden’s back hit the wall. I withdrew my blade from the beast’s back before plunging it in again — centering the tip along where I thought its spine should be.
A nasty squeal rang through the tunnel, and a second later, its limbs stopped thrashing. Kaden threw the creature off him with a grunt, and its carcass sank beneath the murky water.
Panting and shaking, I looked up at Kaden. Blood seeped down his neck and chest where his leathers had torn, but it was the way his face paled when he looked over my shoulder that sent my heart into overdrive.
I whipped around. At least a dozen pairs of those eerie blue eyes beamed through the darkness.
“Run,” Kaden rasped.
But I was already in motion. Water splashed my face and chest as we broke into a sprint. Behind us, high-pitched shrieks echoed off the tunnel walls, and I heard a torrent of loud sloshes as the beasts took chase.
I didn’t like to think what those cries meant. The idea that these monsters might be thinking beings with the ability to strategize turned my blood to ice.
The muscles in my legs burned as I plowed through the thigh-deep water. It dripped down my cheeks and ran into my mouth, carrying the taste of death and decay.
Kaden’s faelight bobbed a few feet ahead of us, banking right just before we reached another T. I had no idea how he knew where he was going or if he even did, but I was grateful in the moment and followed the light without question.
Despite my hunter speed and Kaden’s magic, the things were catching up.
Then he stumbled, and my heart flew into my throat. Kaden’s sword flashed as he whirled, and I saw a shadow moving beneath the water a split second before the beast sank its teeth into Kaden’s thigh.
There was a loud splash and an unearthly screech as Kaden skewered the monster, pinning it to the wall with his sword. I loosed a breath, but then two more leapt from the water, the eerie blue glow of their eyes reflecting off his blade.
Kaden moved before I could react, slashing at one before bludgeoning another with the hilt of his sword. He narrowly avoided a snap of needlelike teeth as one of the beasts rebounded and struck.
Kaden fought the way he danced. Powerful. Commanding. Graceful. Every slash of his sword made it look as though the blade were an extension of his body — another limb with which to dole out death.
I pivoted back in the direction we’d come and saw more of the horrible creatures circling. A few had clawed their way up the tunnel wall, while more blue eyes flashed beneath the water.
I hurtled a dagger at one creeping toward Kaden’s left shoulder, and the creature emitted a strangled squeal as my blade struck home. It still leapt blindly for its target, and Kaden moved out of the way just in time to avoid itsgaping maw.
The beast I’d struck seemed totally unfazed by the blade in its skull. It thrashed through the filthy water like a demented unicorn, snapping its vicious jaws.
Two more were on Kaden in an instant, as though the scent of his blood excited them. He slashed his blade in a vicious pattern, edging farther down the tunnel.
My gaze darted from one monster to another, unsure where to place my next strike. If I couldn’t kill one by piercing its skull . . .
Then I remembered the first one I’d taken down after severing its spine. I whipped another dagger at a beast who was clinging to the tunnel wall. It shrieked and tumbled into the water, though my aim hadn’t been true.
