Page 41 of Ancient Promises

Diem moved slowly to the entrance of the unit and looked up. She could see the spark as the two swords stuck, but she couldn’t tell who was who up in the dark sky. Her beasts let out a warning in her head, and she had only a heartbeat to see that the handful of males remaining on the ground had turned their attention from the battle in the sky to her.

Oh shit.

She was not a fighter. Not really. Her dad had taught her to defend herself when she was younger and to hunt in her shift, but she’d never really had to fight. She hadn’t even thrown a punch in her life.

There was no way she could fight off so many males.

The only thing she could do was outsmart them.

Leaning back, she leaped up and grabbed the edge of the door, slamming it down to the ground. Then she stripped and shifted as fast as she could, pushing her beasts to the forefront. Ducking into the shelves, she backed into a hiding spot and stared at the door. It was dark inside the unit, but her phone had fallen face down so the flashlight illuminated a little space.

The door opened abruptly, slamming up and rattling the entire unit.

“Come out, come out,” one of the males said. The others chuckled.

“You can’t hide in here for long,” another one called.

She crouched, her muscles twitching as she readied herself.

A dragon cry sounded above them, as if one of the males was hurt. Was Eivross okay? She needed to get free of these males and help him.

Somehow.

Waiting until most of the males were inside the unit and looking for her, she sprang forward, slashing her claws along the backs of their knees until she was safely out of the unit, twisting upward and catching the door with her teeth so she could use her body weight to close the door. Two males lunged through the lowering door and grabbed her, one at her back legs and one around her neck.

She let out a furious roar, a combination of her wolf and lion, and clawed the nearest male, her claws sinking into his leg as he howled and released her. The door slid upward again, and she kicked back at the male holding her, slamming herself against the door with her shoulder, bending the metal slats and freezing it in place. The males inside shouted angrily and beat on the door, but it wouldn’t open more than it had already, leaving about a foot of open space.

They would get through it, but maybe not before she could figure out how to help her mate.

She was dragged backward by her tail. She tried to sink her claws into the concrete but couldn’t get purchase. The male pulled her toward him, his claws digging into her hips and jerking her against him.

Wings flapped and she felt herself being lifted off the ground.

Holy shit!

She kicked and arched against him, managing to bite his forearm hard enough so he loosened his grip. She landed on the concrete and rolled out of reach.

“Bitch!”

She looked up at the sky and saw the darker shadows of her mate and his brother as they fought, the moonlight shining on their wings.

Glancing at the male cradling his arm and two other males struggling to get underneath the opening of the unit’s door, she made a quick decision. She reached into the very deepest part of herself and raised her head, letting out the loudest howl and roar combination to call for help. They were pretty far from Cider Falls, but it was the only thing she could think to do.

Hopefully someone would hear their call.

Chapter Seventeen

Eivross heard Diem’s howl, but it wasn’t quite a wolf howl, more a roar combined with a howl, deep and threatening. He glanced down to see she’d shifted and was battling a male, another one on the ground bleeding from an obvious wound in his leg. He wasn’t sure where the others were.

“Fuck!” Zihndyr’s sword sliced through Eivross’s arm and he dropped his sword. Pressing his wings to his back, he dove for it, catching it as it tumbled to the ground. He shouldn’t have gotten distracted, but he had to make sure his mate was safe.

He heard a distant train horn.

Eivross faced his brother once more, blood dripping down his arm, his dragon furious that they had to defend themselves this way. “You should have left me alone,” he said.

“You’ll never be free,” Zihndyr said, brandishing the sword. “Look at her down there, fighting for her life. You’ll never be able to keep her safe. But don’t worry, brother. I will definitely keep her safe.”

Eivross roared in fury. “I should have killed you when you murdered my father.”