Chapter 10

Suddenly, shouts echoed through the air. They were unfamiliar voices, not Damon or Mateus.

Men were hollering to each other, their voices muffled by distance.

Mateus let out another roar, and the men’s shouts grew louder.

A horse let out a terrified scream.

“Stay put,” Silus commanded, his voice strained with tension.

“But Silus!” Lilitha protested, but he had already disappeared into the trees.

Carmella grabbed her arm firmly. “Don’t you dare move.”

“Is this…normal?” Lilitha asked, even though she knew it was a foolish question.

The fear etched on Carmella’s face was answer enough.

Another roar shattered the morning silence, this one from Mateus, sounding more desperate than it should.

“Are they going to be okay?” Carmella didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the trees ahead.

“Are they going to be okay?!” Lilitha repeated, her voice rising in panic.

“They’ll be fine!” Carmella snapped back.

“But how do you know that? How can you be sure?!” Lilitha tried to pull away from Carmella’s grip.

“Enough!” Carmella barked.

Lilitha’s heart skipped a beat as a third roar echoed through the forest.

It took her a moment to recognize it as Silus’s.

Carmella turned to Lilitha, her eyes wide with fear. “Run!”

She pushed Lilitha away from the chaos, pointing toward the slope ahead. “Go! We have to move!”

Lilitha stumbled forward, Carmella close behind, her hand on Lilitha’s back, urging her to move faster.

They both kept glancing back, listening to the roars of the two alphas and Silus’s lesser, but equally terrifying, roar.

The sharp crack of their tails echoed through the air.

At least they were still alive.

“What do you think is happening?” Lilitha gasped.

“It could be a trap. It’s happened before.”

“A trap?” Lilitha’s mind raced.

Could it be Mandalay? Was this his doing? It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Had she ruined everything? Would they die because of her? Damon. Mateus. Silus.

She didn’t realize she was crying until Carmella told her to stop.

The men’s shouts were getting closer. The roars of the Diablons were deafening.

Each time she recognized one—Mateus, Damon, Silus—she said their names out loud, reassuring herself that they were still alive.

Lilitha tripped over a root and fell to the ground.

Carmella pulled her up with a growl. They both turned at the sound of snapping branches.

The humans’ voices were so close now she could make out their words: “Hurry up!” “Stay together!” “Shoot it!” “Leave him, he’s dead!”

Carmella pushed her forward. “Go!”

Lilitha moved quickly, then turned when she didn’t hear Carmella following. “What are you doing?!”

“Go!” Carmella snapped. “Protect yourself and our baby. Run as fast as you can.”

When Lilitha didn’t move, Carmella bared her teeth. “Go, Lilitha, or I swear to God…”

So Lilitha ran. Her heart pounded in her chest. The blood rushed in her ears.

The alphas were still roaring, but she couldn’t hear Carmella. Not yet. She hoped she wouldn’t.

She glanced over her shoulder, her heart leaping at the sound of a terrified scream. A man’s scream.

More screams followed. Desperate shouts. Pleas for help. The humans were calling out to each other.

Damon’s and Mateus’s roars were changing, becoming deeper, more controlled. Another scream.

Then Silus’s triumphant roar echoed through the forest, followed by another sharp crack of a tail.

Lilitha slowed down, clutching her chest as she listened, barely daring to breathe.

She hoped against hope that they were winning. They had to be winning!

She turned at the sound of breaking branches and heavy footsteps. Her heart lurched.

Someone was crashing through the underbrush, heading straight for her.

Lilitha tried to run, but the foliage was too thick.

She turned and screamed at the sight of a Champion, his hair slick with sweat, his tunic splattered with blood, holding his sword as if he was about to impale her.

The blade gleamed in the daylight.

He stopped when he saw her. Their eyes met.

He looked confused for a moment, then his face turned red with rage as he realized who—what—she was.

He charged.

“Damon!” Lilitha screamed as she ran.

A roar echoed in response.

“Damon!” she screamed again, hearing the man gaining ground, slashing through the underbrush.

She could hear his labored breathing.

Another roar, this one closer. Branches snapped. Something heavy hit the ground, shaking the earth.

Footsteps pounded. More branches broke. Behind her, the man’s breaths turned panicked. He stopped. She stopped.

They both turned. Damon burst through the trees, moving so fast he was a blur.

The Champion thrust his sword out in desperation. It flew from his grip.

Suddenly, he was lifted off the ground, blood spraying through the air.

He screamed as Damon drove him backward, slamming him into a tree.

Lilitha watched, her mouth agape, as Damon drove his horns deeper into the man’s chest.

The man choked and coughed up blood, clawing futilely at Damon’s head. His legs kicked spasmodically.

Blood streamed from his nose. His eyes were wide. They locked onto Lilitha’s just as he died, his head slumping, his body still, except for a twitch in his right foot.

With a growl, Damon pulled his horns free. The man dropped to the ground.

Damon turned, covered in blood from head to foot. The only things untouched were his teeth, bared in a snarl, and the whites of his eyes, glaring.

His tail writhed like a snake. His pants were soaked.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Lilitha nodded. It was strange to hear him speak so calmly.

He looked like a demon. Like the Devil himself. Or a monster from a twisted fairytale where the monster wins.

She looked at the body on the ground, then at the blood dripping from Damon’s horn.

“I-I thought you said they were only for show,” she said, her voice numb.

Damon moved swiftly, grabbing her arm. “Stick with me. Where’s Carmella?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. What about Mateus and Silus?” she replied.

“They’re safe,” he assured her.

“What happened?” she asked, as they quickly moved away from the scene.

“It was a setup. The prisoners were actually knights in disguise,” he explained.

“Are you okay?” She gave him a quick once-over, but it was difficult to determine if he was hurt.

“Quit talking. We need to find Carmella,” he said.

He stopped momentarily, closing his eyes and lifting his nose.

Lilitha spun around at the sound of Mateus’s roar.

Instinctively, she was drawn toward the sound, but Damon pulled her in the opposite direction.

They soon found Carmella, unharmed but pale. Her face relaxed in relief when she saw them.

She threw herself into Damon’s arms.

“What about the others?” she asked him.

“They’re okay,” he replied.

They all turned their heads toward the sound of a scream. Mateus roared once more.

“How many are there?” Carmella asked.

“Too many,” Damon responded. “But we’ve got it under control now.”

Carmella took Lilitha’s face in her hands, examining her. “You’re okay?”

Lilitha nodded, unable to speak. Her throat tight with unshed tears.

Damon grabbed both their arms and led them away from the chaos.

They took refuge together. Bright sunlight filtered through the tree canopy.

Damon crouched in front of them, his tail swaying, its spike covered in dried blood as he listened to the sounds below.

Soon, the roaring ceased. There was one final scream before everything fell silent.

It was eerily quiet. So quiet that not even the rustling of small creatures in the underbrush or the calls of birds from the treetops could be heard.

Only the wind whispering through the leaves.

Carmella sat next to Lilitha, their hands intertwined.

As her fear gradually subsided, Lilitha was left with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

One that made her feel distinctly nauseous. This couldn’t just be a coincidence.

She let go of Carmella’s hand and sat back, her knees pulled up to her chest.

Finally, Mateus and Silus arrived. Damon stood up. Carmella followed suit.

Lilitha was slower, rising unsteadily to her feet.

Damon embraced Silus. Mateus gave Damon a hearty slap on the back.

Lilitha felt a sense of relief. They seemed okay. They were even smiling and laughing.

Mateus hugged Carmella so tightly he lifted her off the ground.

Lilitha stumbled as she moved to hug Silus.

He wasn’t as dirty as the others, but there was still blood matted in his hair and beard.

More was smeared across his chest. She noticed a deep gash in his arm. It looked like a sword wound.

Her heart dropped. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s not bad,” he said, grinning like he’d just had the time of his life.

He seemed larger than usual, more imposing. He took her chin and kissed her forehead.

“Lilitha,” Mateus called out in a low growl.

Lilitha’s vision blurred as he pulled her into his arms.

He was covered in blood and gore, but she didn’t care.

“You’re okay,” she gasped, holding him tightly.

“Of course I am.” He lifted her up so she could cling to him.

Lilitha buried her face in his shoulder with a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” he asked.

She didn’t respond. He nuzzled her neck, then set her back down.

“What’s wrong?” He touched her cheek. “You look sad.”

Lilitha forced a smile. “I’m not sad. Just…scared. For you.”

The blood on his skin glistened in the sunlight. His horns were stained red.

“Do you think we got them all?” Damon asked.

“I think so. There might be a few stragglers. Injured ones,” Silus replied.

“We should go back and make sure,” Damon suggested. “The last thing we need is for one of them to find us when we’re vulnerable.”

He looked at Lilitha. Lilitha felt her cheeks heat up.

“Come on.” He took her hand. “I want you girls to stay close. Humans are like rats. They’re hard to kill and they get into everything.”

He looked angry.

Together, they returned to the scene of the massacre.