Popping up, Casteel skewered anothergrul. “That’s number four.” He jerked his sword free. “Which makes it nineteen.”
“Shut up,” I snapped, spinning as agrulreached for me.
“Don’t be mad.” Casteel rammed his sword through agrul’sskull. “Maybe next time.” He shook the gore from his blade before flashing me a grin. “Is it wrong of me to take this moment to remind you how incredibly arousing I find your sword skills?”
“Probably,” I replied, feeling my cheeks warm. “So, you should keep that to yourself.”
Casteel smirked. “No promises.”
Shaking my head, I sidestepped agruland twisted, jabbing up with my sword. The blade impaled thegrulunder its chin as Casteel rolled his shoulders and spun on agrul.Another lunged from the left, grasping my arm. Unlike the older one, it didn’t attempt to bite, opting instead to pull with shocking strength—because thisgrulbarely reached my waist.
My boots skidded over stone until I dug in my heels. “Gods, this feels wrong,” I muttered, swiping down with my sword to cleave off an arm. Thegruldidn’t even make a sound as it reached for me with its other arm. Turning to the side, I drew back my leg and kicked out, slamming my boot into its chest and knocking it back several feet. Casteel turned, his gaze flickering from the pint-sizedgrulto me before plunging his sword into thegrul’s neck.
I felt something yank the side of my robe before a hand clamped down on my arm. Tearing myself free, I swung thesword, getting it across the neck as the clouds thickened overhead.
That screeching sound came again, jerking my attention to the roof. The oldergrulwas still up there.
As I pressed my lips together, the shriek ended in that eerie chattering sound again. I stepped back, wiping something wet from my face that I refused to think about. My gaze flicked to the street as the sound of glass shattering pierced the growls. Several moregrulsjoined, about eight or nine more running out from between the homes.
Unless they were multiplying, there were definitely more than we had originally thought.
Something wasn’t right.
Thegrulswent at Casteel, the intent of their snapping jaws clear: They wanted his flesh. But they weren’t doing that to me.
“Behind you!” Casteel shouted.
I turned just as agrullunged for my back. Before it could reach me, Casteel’s sword punched through its skull from behind.
“Are you noticing anything strange?” I asked, the sound of pounding feet echoing down the street.
“If them trying to eat me,” he said, kicking a limp body aside, “while getting handsy with you is what you’re referencing?” His jaw flexed, and he slashed upward as Delano darted behind thegrul, leaping on another stalking toward me. “Then, yes.”
Casteel grunted and drove his sword through a snarlinggrulbefore wrenching the blade free. “I don’t like this.”
Naill appeared, hacking through bone. Emil was with him, his sword slicing through the night sky. I caught flashes of gold armor as I spun at the sound of Delano’s yelp. My heart lodged in my throat as thegrulgrabbed fistfuls of his fur.
“Delano!” Perry shouted over the snarls.
Eather built inside me. This time, when I moved, I knew how fast I was going.
I reached thegrulbefore Perry could, grasped the back of its gown, and yanked it off Delano as I shoved the blade through the back of its skull. Tossing it aside, I reached out to Delano through thenotam.You okay?
Yes.Delano rose and shook his head.It didn’t get me.
Agrulrushed at me as another went at Perry. The growl that came from Delano almost made me think twice about placing my face near his as I drew my sword back.
“What in the fuck?” Emil spat, his head tilting back.
The elderlygrulhad jumped from the roof.
I swore I heard snapping bones, but through the falling bodies, and the mist of blackish blood, I saw her rise.
A hand clamped down on my arm. Shock flooded me as thegrultwisted my wrist. That was the main reason my hand opened, and I dropped the sword. Outside of grabbing me, thegrulshad seemed mindless, but that was a very precise act. My wide eyes lifted to the malegrul. Deep wrinkles creased the skin at the corners of his eyes and across his forehead, and I saw it again. A quick flash in the milky-white eyes—
Somethingglinting.
Inhaling sharply, I barely felt myself as I pulled on the essence. It rose swiftly, flooding my veins and turning my vision silver. Swirls of silver appeared on my hand, quickly followed by shadows. The essence spread, crackling and spitting. It rolled out from me as I saw Casteel spin, then washed over the twogruls. Flesh sizzled as eather lit up thegruls’ veins.
