I catch a glimpse of fierce reptilian eyes and crimson scales and then we’re tumbling toward the ground.
Chapter 37
My only goal in those awful moments as I tumble through the air is to land on my back.
I have to take the brunt of the fall and protect Galeia’s unconscious body. Not easy when I’m spinning uncontrollably and have no way to control my fall without letting go of her.
Somehow, I manage to hit the ground on my side, sliding across stones and dirt and then grass before coming to a stop facing away from the village. Galeia has remained cradled in my arms, her shallow breaths warm against my neck.
Thank the saints.
Cailey must have landed on her feet because she’s a bright spot in my vision, already sprinting toward me, screaming, “Get up!”
Thud-thud-thud.
A rapid succession of thumps sounds directly behind me, and all it takes is a glance to see three arrows protruding from the ground right at my back. An inch farther toward me, and they would have impaled my back.
But they aren’t the last.
My eyes widen at the thick rain of arrows that are pouring down toward me. If the first three were to gauge the distance, then these ones will hit me.
Fuck!
I roll to my feet, leaping away from the spot where I was lying—a space that seconds later fills with arrows.
I launch myself into a sprint, running as fast as I can, following Cailey’s path while I hold on to Galeia.
There’s suddenly a cacophony of sounds behind me, such a chaotic blend of noises that I can only identify the loudest of them…
The heavy beat of massive wings high in the sky.
The lighter beat of smaller, but no less powerful, wings closing in on me.
Anotherthud, something landing only paces behind me and then a beastly roar that silences everything else.
“Hurt her, and I will rip out your fucking throats!”
I miss a step, dropping to the ground in a crouch before I twist to see the scene behind me.
I gasp for breath, trying to take it all in.
In the sky, a majestic dragon with crimson scales coasts in the air, appearing almost suspended in the sky above us.
In the distance, at least thirty warriors appear on the wall, all of them with arrows nocked and pointed in my direction.
Much closer to me, a woman is in the process of alighting on the ground, her silver wings sweeping inward as she lands.
She is undoubtedly a Valkyrie, but her focus is on the figure standing between her and me.
Erik.
He casts a brutal shadow, every muscle in his body visibly tense, his claws extended, and his warning growl fierce. He’s wearing different clothing, but I don’t miss the blood splatter on the back of his neck.
Why is he here? What happened while I was gone?
As relieved as I am to see him, I don’t have any chance of getting answers right now.
“Step aside, Vandawolf,” the Valkyrie commands him, her hazel eyes flashing with silver that tells me she is accessing her power. “It is not your place to deal with this darkness.”
