The chupacabra hopped forward, likely planning to give me some more of that damage.
I had to hope my knives would pierce its green-gray scales. But first, I needed to see how fast it was.
I slipped one of my throwing knives free of its sheath on my utility belt and threw.
The chupacabra dodged to the right and let out a shriek of rage. Red eyes glowed with fury as it bared a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Fast. That was my answer. It was fucking fast.
I was pressed up against the tree still, and I needed room to move.
I threw another knife, resisting the urge to slam my hands over my ears as it shrieked again. This time, I came closer to hitting it, and the chupacabra crouched, muscles trembling as it prepared to lunge.
I had to time this perfectly.
The chupacabra launched itself at me, its powerful back legs propelling it through the air. I ducked and rolled beneath it, pushing myself back to my feet. I was in the middle of the clearing now. It would have to do.
It didn’t waste any time. The creature jumped toward me again, this time staying low. It had learned its lesson.
Time slowed to a crawl. I dropped, my back flat against the ground. My legs came up, and I slashed at its vulnerable underbelly.
I could suddenly feel Samael, but he was silent, obviously unwilling to distract me. His presence helped though, and I drove my Nim Cub further up into its gut as its thick, black blood poured onto my stomach.
The chupacabra’s breath was hot on my face as it leaned over me. It stunk of rotting meat as it shrieked, now attempting to escape my blade. It reared back, then struck, its teeth aiming for my face. I lifted my left hand as I almost lost my grip on the Nim Cub with my right. The chupacabra’s blood was making the hilt slippery.
Its teeth clamped onto my left arm, and this time, I was the one to scream. Samael’s fury engulfed me, cutting through the pain.
The chupacabra was bleeding out. I just had to hold on. I twisted the knife, and it shrieked again, almost blowing out my ears. It was trying to escape now. Its hind legs scrabbled at the dirt, kicking into my legs. I gritted my teeth and hung on.
It slumped against me, weakened by blood loss. I heaved, but the angle was wrong, and it was heavy.
Not to mention, my left arm was almost useless. I needed to wrap it up. Hopefully, it didn’t need stitches.
Great. I was trapped beneath its body. Awesome.
“Need some help, my love?”
“Don’t even think about it, Samael.”
The last thing I wanted was for him to give me any of his energy.
The chupacabra gasped out its last breath, and I gagged as the scent of rot washed over me.
I wasn’t allowed to use my power in my task, but surely I could use it for this?
I blew out a breath. I couldn’t risk it. I managed to wiggle my right leg higher up and pushed against the chupacabra, using it as leverage as I wiggled out.
Thick, black blood warred with the mud and dirt covering my clothes.
The world swam around me as I sat in the clearing. I needed to get moving. All the blood was likely drawing more predators.
I reached for the flask and gulped more water, sighing as it alleviated the dryness in my mouth. Then I pulled my t-shirt off. I was wearing a sports bra, and it would have to do.
Enough procrastinating. I took a deep breath and looked at my arm.
Shit.
It felt like the chupacabra still had its teeth in my arm and was gnawing away at it. The wound bled steadily, and I rummaged in my utility belt for some clean bandages. I slapped them on, wrapped my arm in my t-shirt, and after a moment of indecision, I reached for the last low-level pain charm Samael had slipped into my utility belt when he’d replaced it.
