A minute later, Koda calls back to us, “The fissure is up ahead!”
His voice is filled with relief.
Just as he swings back to the narrowing tunnel, a new shadow surges along the path.
I catch a glimpse of scales, hundreds of talons, and the end of a very long body as a creature scurries up the side of the tunnel, across the ceiling, and down again.
Koda is right in its path.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Ibarely have time to scream. “Look out!”
Koda leaps to the side, out of the creature’s path. At the same time, Roman hurls a sapphire rune at the beast, lighting up the shadows in a burst of energy.
“It’s a centripod!” Roman shouts, and I can see why the creature has that name. It’s like a giant fucking centipede with sharp claws and pincers that look strong enough to slice right through a person’s neck. “Stand back! Let the demon wolves fight it!”
Trusting that Roman knows what he’s doing, I scream for my wolves. “Ahlek!”Attack.
They don’t need to be told twice, racing forward as a group. Their bodies are a blur of movement in the dim light, with Ace and Ruby at the front, and I feel a burn of satisfaction that the ruby-eyed wolf followed my command.
She’s fighting with us now.
A new member of our pack.
Taniya and Malia pull up sharply behind me, safe where they are, but they shift back into their human forms, quickly returning their armor to their bodies as they take up attack formation beside me.
Up ahead, Koda presses to the tunnel wall to give my wolves space. As they charge past him, he calls, “Whatever you do, don’t—”
His cry cuts short when a second creature appears out of the shadows on the tunnel ceiling. It runs down the side of the rock wall and tears right into him.
“No!” My demon energy bursts through my chest and into my hands.
I release it without a thought, flinging my power across the distance and into the creature’s body as I run toward Koda, my claws extended, ready to tear the centripod to shreds.
Knocked to the ground, Koda fights back, gripping the creature’s head to keep it from ripping into his face.
My power blasts its body into two in a spray of sickly, green blood.
I’m vaguely aware of Roman shouting behind me, but I’m more horrified by what’s happening in front of me as I skid to a stop.
The separated pieces of the creature’s body seal up at their broken ends. And now there’s a third beast.
Damn!Cutting them makes them multiply.
The new creature races toward me, veering up and over the ceiling and then down to the ground, scuttling so fast that I can hardly follow it even with my wolf’s instincts and my demon vision.
I brace for impact, prepared to defend myself by whatever means necessary. Ahead of me, Koda has managed to turn on the centripod that attacked him now that it doesn’t have the benefit of a longer body.
Just as the creature leaps for me, a black-furred body crashes into it. I catch a glimpse of ruby eyes before the newest member of our pack closes her jaws over the centripod’s head, dragging it down to the ground and savaging it.
My focus snaps to Koda, where Temple’s growls fill the air. She’s dragging that centripod backward while Blitz and Luca are feasting on the remains of the first creature.
Ace sits on his haunches nearby, practically grinning at Ruby, who snarls as her jaws crunch into the creature she killed. Her snarl turns into a low, muffled whine, and he pads over to her to join the feast.
I stare from one demon wolf to the next.
They took the centripods down with a single bite and I’m speechless. “How…?”
