A deafening bellow drowned out the sudden screams of pain.
"It’s charging!"
"Move! Get out of the way!"
The ground trembled under Eva. Alarmed, Eva turned to face the red back. It barreled toward her, spittle flying in long strands from its gaping mouth.
Eva's mind froze. Her body too.
For such a big beast, the red back was astonishingly fast, Eva noted absently.
Time slowed as the red back closed in on her. The beast loomed large as her hands clenched on her dagger. She tried to remember the things Caden had shown her about using a knife, but her mind was a blank. The only tidbit of advice she could remember was to aim the pointy end at her enemy.
Following that thought was the knowledge that she'd never outrun the beast. Her only option was to face the red back and hope death wasn't here for her.
At least she'd gotten one last time with Caden.
ten
The ground trembled under the red back's charge.
The world went quiet, its sounds muted and hushed. The Trateri's shouts fading along with the red back's roar.
All that remained was Eva and the red back, looming larger with every second. They were the only two. Alone in a battle to the death.
The red back was all she could see. The female's rage and madness. The pain from her mate's loss. The sharp teeth that promised to savage Eva's flesh.
Humans liked to say animals were incapable of the same emotions as them, but Eva had never believed that.
She'd seen their pain and fear. Their love and joy. She'd watched them mourn when one of their own had fallen.
It was why the red back's grief held her immobile for those few seconds it took the red back to reach Eva.
The red back half lifted, mouth open as one giant paw came up to swipe at Eva's head.
Even knowing it was futile, Eva stepped forward, dagger already thrusting. If she was going down, she'd do it fighting.
Eva had a brief moment of regret. To wish she'd made different choices upon exiting the tent. That she'd headed immediately for the herd instead of taking the time to assess the situation.
Faces flashed in her mind. Caden, who would take her death hard. He'd blame himself even though he shouldn't.
Her friends. Ollie and Jason. Sebastian and Caia.
Last, her sister. Eva wished she'd gotten to see her one last time. To tell her there was more than their little village. That they didn't need to hide their light to make other people comfortable.
Underneath it all was a soul deep desire to live. Unfortunately, life didn't always follow a person's wishes.
The red back's muzzle descended, those long teeth eclipsing Eva's vision.
Arms closed around Eva as a hard force slammed into her side. Caden's tackle carried her out of the red back's reach, those lethal claws missing her by inches.
Eva crashed to the ground, her teeth clicking together. Caden was already up and on his feet, while Eva was still coming to terms with the fact that she was still alive. That all of her insides were exactly where they belonged—inside of her.
Survival instincts kicked in. The pain spreading along the hip and shoulder that had taken the brunt of the fall was thrown to the back of her mind as Eva scrambled up.
Caden grabbed the collar of her shirt, his implacable grip almost lifting her off her feet as he pulled her further from the red back.
Good thing too because in the chaos Eva had lost track of the danger.
