Venom (Book I) ✓

Chapter Twenty-Four

Red's voice drew Ulric's attention away from where Eira was crying over Aidan's decapitated form. When he turned he found Red falling with her back turned to him. Before her stood a man with a bloody blade and a look of horrified disbelief on his face.

"Red!" Ulric cried, dread prickling down the back of his neck. He moved to hold her, but a horrible tearing sensation stopped him. However, the pain could not even begin to compare to the agony that hit him hard when he realized what was happening. She had done it, she had really done it. The curse was being broken because she had shed her blood for him. He had never felt so cursed in all his life.

With a terrible roar the beast tore forth, only this time it felt different. He felt suddenly lighter and the tearing sensation abruptly ended as a form shot from his chest. The humans in the room began shouting and Ulric looked up to find a massive black beast looming over them. He felt wholly detached as he watched the creature swipe at the gathered men. Two of them fell, screaming, and Ulric knew that they would not survive the night.

The rest of the men were fighting back, but Ulric instead scrambled toward Red's prone form. She was still breathing and her eyes were wide and glazed. Her blood was everywhere. The crimson cloak she wore was open, miraculously unharmed aside from the blood now staining the once ivory fur lining. Blood still seeped from a clean cut in her chest. The blade had missed her heart, but judging by the blood on her chin and in her mouth it had punctured a lung.

He was moving to kneel beside her when the beast pounced. It knocked him backward and rolled away, bounding back toward Red. Once there, it lowered its head, sniffing curiously at her and finally something inside of Ulric cracked.

"You get away from her." He demanded, his grip tightening around the knife he had almost forgotten about.

The beast eyed him for a moment before once more lowering its head. Ulric knew that it was looking for a new host and he was well aware that in her current state Red was an ideal candidate. He would not let that happen. Not to her.

"I said get away." He growled and drew himself to his feet.

The beast looked up and growled. It was warning him. Were it not for the sight of Red dying he would have laughed. This creature clearly did not understand what dangerous ground it was treading.

"I am going to kill you." He told the creature, his voice low and matter-of-fact. "I am going to kill you and take your venom because that is why she is here."

The remaining men looked on in horror as the shifter advanced on the beast, armed with only a knife. Their interests were conflicted. On one hand they feared the shifter—he was the reason they were at war—but on the other hand the massive wolf-beast posed a much more terrible and immediate threat. As such, they found themselves watching as a battle ensued.

Ulric was acutely aware of every sound and movement Red made as he flew at the beast. She was speaking, he knew, but he could make out precious few words. He wanted to go to her and hear properly what she had to say, knowing that these could well be her last words. However, as he swung at the beast wildly with the knife he clutched he had to admit that now was not a good time to play at being sappy. Now he had to finish what Red had started.