Dark Shadow (Book 1 in DARKNESS DUOLOGY)

Forty-Five: ... A Queen Will Rise

Never have I been more grateful for having advanced agility. The moment I realized who Nigel was challenging, I took off, ignoring Iota and Vicky’s calls for me. I couldn’t stop. Not when Ridge was in trouble.

My feet pounded heavily on the asphalt once I leapt over the bushes surrounding the park. I panted out through grit teeth, “Please… please… please…” while pumping my arms to make me run faster.

Everything around me was a blur and I scowled, determined to put an end to this damn fight once and for all! There was no way that I would allow any more harm come to Carmel. To the only place that had been my home.

The fire already consuming parts of the town was spreading. Its orange-yellow flames making a trail in different directions. As I ran past, all I could feel was the heat of it against my skin. My nostrils filled with the smoke.

My feet screeched to a halt when a tree crashed down in front of me. The bark was starting to catch flames that had already eaten up the tree’s leaves. I grunted from the spark of embers spouting at me and lifted an arm to block them from my face.

The stupid tree blocked me in.

On one side of me was a shop of some sort and the reflection of the fire was crackling in the windows while on the other side was a turned over vehicle with its windows smashed in.

Biting my lip, I scanned my surroundings for some sort of way to get through. The sudden unison pounding of paws drumming against the floor made me look straight ahead. Through the hazy flames and the through the tree’s burning leaves, I could see the two packs were standing opposite the other.

And at the very front of their packs was Nigel and Ridge. Both of them staring the other down. The other wolves behind them snarled at each other.

“Shit!” I huffed.

This wasn’t helping that I was just standing here! And this Goddamn tree is in my way!

I growled in frustration, giving my attention to the vehicle again. Huffing out a breath, I stomped over to give a quick once over then backed up a good distance before bouncing a little in preparation for my jump. Keeping my gaze on the vehicle and calculating my precise moment when I needed to push off my feet, I rolled my shoulders back.

My name was called from some ways behind me, but I didn’t let it distract me. Instead, I pushed forward and counted under my breath down from eight until I hit one; then jumped at an angle where my hands caught the edge of the vehicle. I used it as leverage when my bottom half of my body started to flip over. When my legs were straight over my head, I let go to fall backwards before landing with my knees bent.

Blinking a few times, I lowered a brow as I straightened and looked at the vehicle again. Being impressed with myself was short lived though and I went back to sprinting through the street.

A fight with the two males just broke out. The two men ran forward, tackling the other, but it was Nigel who had the upper-hand of getting Ridge slammed onto his back. He managed to strike hit after hit into Ridge’s face.

Nigel growled, standing up and shouted, “Get up!”

Ridge rolled onto his side, panting heavily. He growled as he stood. He turned around but Nigel swung his leg around and knocked the alpha to the floor again.

The alpha slowly pushed himself up before lifting his head. He turned around, narrowing his eyes while Nigel grinned down at him that for an alpha, Ridge wasn’t so mighty.

“Makes me wonder how it was fucking possible the Spirit World gave you a Quail Wolf as a mate!” Nigel sneered, “Whatever they saw in you is shit!”