The Battle

The Diablon recoiled from Lilitha, his snarl echoing through the trees. He swung his massive head around, his gaze piercing the darkness. Lilitha attempted to escape, but he caught her ankle, pulling her back toward him.

He was hunched low, his eyes glaring from beneath his horns. His arousal was evident, swinging between his colossal thighs.

Lilitha’s eyes darted around the trees, her heart pounding. She turned her head at the sound of rustling leaves. Damon’s scent was overpowering, masking the alpha’s.

Then she heard his familiar growl. It was a sound she would recognize anywhere. He was on the move.

The black Diablon was disoriented, his grip on Lilitha’s ankle tightening until it began to lose feeling. Suddenly, a blur crashed into the clearing. The Diablon released Lilitha’s ankle as he jumped to his feet, snorting and snarling.

Lilitha crawled away, seeking refuge behind the nearest tree as the sounds of roaring and snarling intensified. When she dared to look back, she saw blood trickling down the Diablon’s neck and face, claw marks etched into his cheek. He seemed taken aback as he stared at the blood on his hand.

His attacker had vanished.

“Lilitha.” Damon’s voice whispered through the trees.

Lilitha jerked her head up but couldn’t see him.

“Stay put. Don’t move. No matter what happens, don’t ~move~.”

Lilitha nodded in response.

The Diablon spun around with a snarl, just as another blur shot past. Damon moved with the speed of the wind, evading the Diablon’s outstretched fist. He was behind him now, delivering a powerful kick that sent the Diablon sprawling.

Damon was relentless, landing a punch to the Diablon’s throat before attempting to choke him. But the Diablon fought back, biting down hard on Damon’s wrist. Damon yelped, pulling his arm free.

The Diablon staggered but managed to stay upright. Damon was back on him in an instant, landing punch after punch to his stomach. He spun around, his tail whipping out with a crack that made Lilitha jump.

But the Diablon was quick, roaring as he narrowly missed grabbing Damon’s tail. Damon dodged out of the way just in time. Then they charged at each other, their collision so forceful they both fell to the ground.

They wrestled, biting and clawing at each other under the moonlight. Despite Damon’s determination, the Diablon was simply too large. Damon roared as the Diablon bit deep into his shoulder.

“Damon!” Lilitha cried out, ready to intervene. “Anything.”

“Lilitha.”

She turned to see Mateus, his eyes wild and blood smeared across his face.

“Damon told you to stay put.”

Ignoring her protests, Mateus pushed past her, launching himself at the Diablon. The Diablon roared, then began to whimper as both Mateus and Damon attacked him relentlessly.

Finally, Damon managed to pin him to the ground, his horns buried deep in the Diablon’s chest. Mateus picked up a heavy rock, and with a roar, brought it down on the Diablon’s head.

And then, silence.

Lilitha didn’t realize she was covering her face until the quiet fell. She slowly lowered her hands. Damon collapsed to the ground, while Mateus bent over, gasping for breath.

“Lilitha?” Damon called out.

Lilitha stepped into view, her eyes fixed on the Diablon’s crushed head. Mateus staggered, and she rushed over as he dropped to one knee, blood dripping from his mouth.

“Mateus!”

He looked up at her, one eye already swelling shut.

“I’m okay.” He spat on the ground, then wiped his mouth. “You?”

His eyes scanned her body, taking in her injuries. Lilitha could feel the cool breeze stinging her wounds. She pulled his head into her embrace.

Damon sat up, blood smeared across his chest and neck. He glanced at the dead Diablon, his expression thoughtful. Then he rose to his feet and walked over.

“Be careful,” Lilitha warned.

Damon crouched beside the Diablon, his brow furrowed.

“Something’s not right.”

He picked up one of the Diablon’s limp hands, then looked over at Lilitha. He stood, swaying slightly.

“Be careful.”

She released Mateus. Damon took her shoulders, examining her injuries. He touched the wound on her nipple, causing Lilitha to hiss in pain.

“No normal alpha would have done this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Alphas don’t attack females. There are bad ones out there. But this guy…” He winced. “To bite you like that…”

“He’s twisted. Insane,” Mateus spat. “No Diablon grows to that size and strength. No normal Diablon.”

“He couldn’t speak either,” Lilitha added. “He was like…he was like an animal.”

“Inbreeding,” Damon suggested. “It has to be.”

“But how did he survive?” Mateus wondered. “He should have been killed.”

“He could have destroyed the town. Gone on a rampage.” Damon looked at Lilitha. “Killed us. Killed you. Then he would have gone looking for Carmella.”

And Silus.

Lilitha shivered.

“Where is Carmella?”

“Safe,” Damon assured her. “They’re both safe.” He pulled her into his arms.

Lilitha couldn’t hold back her tears. She buried her face in his neck, sobbing. Not out of fear for herself, but for Mateus. And Damon. And Silus. All the things she could have lost. And so soon after losing her father. Their lives always seemed to hang in the balance. One small slip…

Damon was gently massaging her back, whispering soothing words into her ear as she sobbed uncontrollably. Mateus, with a groan, pushed himself to his feet and joined them. He tenderly cupped her face, his expression filled with sorrow as he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

He leaned in to kiss her, once, then again.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she managed to ask through her sobs.

“For this.” His fingers traced the tear-streaked bite mark on her neck, his face contorting in a grimace. Her shoulder was smeared with blood, causing a dull ache to radiate down her arm.

“It’s deep. We need to clean it.” His gaze scanned her arms and torso, his touch feather-light as he examined her bruised breast. He turned to Damon, his voice filled with resolve. “We need to do better.”

“Agreed,” Damon echoed.

As they began to move, Damon and Mateus stayed close to her, their presence a comforting shield. She glanced over her shoulder, a wave of sadness washing over her.

“Why the inbreeding?”

“Because there aren’t many of us left, Lilitha.”

Lilitha reached out to grasp Mateus’s hand as he limped beside her. Damon’s gaze was fixed on her, prompting her to meet his eyes.

“What?”

“Did he ~do~ anything to you?”

“No. You got there just in time.”

“Luckily.” Mateus muttered, his tone laced with irritation.

“He was massive, Mateus,” Lilitha defended.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Lucky for us there’s two of us,” Damon chimed in.

They were still holding hands when they reached the clearing. Carmella let out a cry at their arrival.

Lilitha hurried over, clumsily taking Silus into her arms.

“Thank you for keeping him safe.” Lilitha expressed her gratitude.

Carmella gently touched her cheek. “Thank ~you~ for keeping him safe.” Her eyes filled with concern as she took in Lilitha’s state.

“What did he ~do~ to you? Your precious body.” Her eyes widened in shock as she gently brushed her hand over Lilitha’s injured nipple. “We’re going to have to take care of that.”

Silus was fussing, his little legs kicking as he reached for her breasts. Lilitha adjusted him so he could nurse from her uninjured breast.

Carmella moved to embrace Damon and Mateus, bombarding them with questions as they recounted the events.

Lilitha gazed down at Silus, holding him close as his dark eyes stared back at her. Her lips trembled as she leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on his head.