“Please, Petal, buy us some time,” I beg, blindly pointing to where I can see Jude’s eyes piercing into my skin. “He just turned everyone against us.”
Ocean appears at my side, resting a hand on her arm as she gulps. “He's right, Elodie. Thorne can protect you, and we can slow them down, please.”
“We need to stay together,” Elodie insists, but her insistence unfortunately costs us valuable time as more bodies approach, bringing us face to facewith the wrath of desperate students ready to take their prize.
Jude, on the other hand, has different ideas. His fangs elongate as his eyes darken, his vampire rising to the surface as the rage he had contained is suddenly unleashed. He reaches for the closest student to him, an oblivious girl from Institute One, and she doesn’t even see it coming. He goes for her throat, crimson staining her skin moments later as her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls to the ground.
Gasps ring out, the air thick with panic, and the wicked grin on his face stretches as he steps toward another random victim. The guy he sets his sights on is more privy than the last target, and he shifts into a wolf instantly, ready to defend himself. It’s futile. Jude moves fast, grappling with the four-legged figure until he’s in a vice-like grip, writhing on the floor before the vampire’s teeth sink into his flesh.
Horror is palpable as Jude rises to his feet, blood dripping down his chin as he smiles menacingly at the audience before him, all while The Sanctum stands frozen in place, doing nothing at all to defend the student body.
“Who’s next? Bring her to me, or it will be you,” he promises, kicking me into motion.
Refocusing, I trust Thorne and Elodie to hold up the rear as Ocean and I turn to face the opposite direction, ready for the onslaught barreling toward us.
Ocean chants under her breath, whispered words I can’t decipher, but I watch as people fall, stumbling over thin air at her command. She’s holding everyone back, so I need to start shredding whoever dares to step too close.
Determined to stay in my human form, I delve deeper and deeper into my wolf strength, too scared to shift and lose sight of my Petal.
My knuckles turn numb as I slam my fist in every direction. I feel in control, but I’m sure I look feral as I slam my hand into the side of someone’s head before offering someone else the same force straight to their gut.
It’s a sea of limbs, and we need to make our way through the bodies if we ever plan to make it out of here.
A knock on the side of my head catches me off guard, sweeping me off my feet, and I tumble to the ground. A vampire hovers above me, long fingers secured around my hands as they pin them abovemy head. Their teeth are elongated, ready to feast, but they picked the wrong wolf.
“Not today,” I snarl, kneeing them in their side and wrapping my legs carefully around their waist, coiling like a snake before I knock them off balance. Pummeling them to the ground, it’s my turn to gain the upper hand, but instead of securing their hands, I pin their arms beneath my thighs and go for their throat.
I squeeze with everything I have, watching their face grow redder with every passing second as my pulse pounds in my ears. But it’s not enough. It needs to be more. Growling, my wolf burns from my knuckles, my hands shifting while I manage to keep the rest of my body at bay, my claws piercing into their flesh effortlessly. Their body grows limp beneath me, but I squeeze for an extra few moments before I release them.
Wiping a hand down my face, red streaks my hands, and I don’t know whether it’s from them or me. Regardless, I’m quickly distracted by the next arrival as I launch to my feet, only to falter at the sight before me.
“Not now, Laurie,” I snarl.
I can’t deal with Professor Drayker and her bullshit right now.
But she ignores the warning in my tone as she takes a step toward me, her intent flashing in her eyes.
“It's time to leave now, Rion,” she murmurs, her voice soft and cajoling as she lifts her hands in the air. “This is not our fight. This is not our war. We must leave,” she repeats, and I shake my head.
Was she always this deranged? Or has it worsened since I pushed her away? I don’t care to know the answer, I just need her to disappear right now.
“Move before I do it for you,” I warn, not even contemplating asking her for help. I don’t trust her anywhere near Elodie.
Not now.
Not ever.
Instead of listening to me, she exhales slowly, plastering a forced smile to her lips. “Rion, don’t make me take your choices away, and don’t disrespect me and everything I have done for you. I will get us out of here and I will keep you safe, even if you can’t see that for yourself right now.”
“You’re not even making any sense,” I snap, ignoring her as a vampire moves on my right.
I move with ease, taking them down with my claws, only for Ocean to slam a blade into theirskull before I can finish them off. Gaping at her in disbelief, my attention is snapped to the ground.
Where the hell are my axes? This would be a hell of a lot easier with them.
I had them when I left the institute, but in the haze since we arrived, I must have dropped them. Who the fuck does that? Panic floods my veins as I scan the area, and
my gaze catches on the worn metal nestled in the grass a few feet away. I snatch them up as quickly as I can, but the second I curl my hands around the hilts, I’m restricted by a boot pressing against my knuckles.
