Page 76 of Dark Embrace

Aidan growled. I fear no one. But he was elated. His father had dared to fight him in his own body, and that meant, possibly, that Aidan could vanquish him at last.

“I trapped you in a dream, and I can trap you anywhere, anytime, as anything.”

Aidan tensed. Did he mean that he would trap him in the Wolf’s body? It did not matter. He did not care. Die today.

Moray threw the ax as he leapt, roaring.

Aidan meant to deflect it, but the ax sliced through his power. He screamed with pain as the ax pierced through muscle and bone. He landed on Moray, sending him to the ground. Moray’s demonic energy was a huge force, and he fought to get past it, to sink his teeth into the jugular vein. It was as if the energy were a coat of armor and he only scraped skin as the black power finally threw him backward.

He tumbled wildly through the forest. Instantly Aidan leapt up, seeing Moray’s ax flying back into his hand, summoned with impossible power.

A sliver of fear went through him. This time he deflected the hurled ax, which was aimed at his head. It veered, glancing off his chest instead.

Flesh was ripped open. The pain enraged him, and he tackled Moray, shocked when the dagger stabbed up between his ribs. He tore through the wall of energy with claws and fangs, viciously determined to get to Moray’s throat.

From behind, the ax sliced through Aidan’s flank. Pain blinded him, but, aware that he must not stop now, Aidan fought to maul his way through the shield of energy. And suddenly he tasted fresh blood as his teeth sank into flesh and tendon.

Moray’s eyes widened in alarm.

In another second, he would rip Moray’s throat apart, Aidan thought in savage satisfaction.

He sank his teeth deep.

You will never find Ian if you kill me now.

Aidan went still, releasing his jaw, lifting his head.

Moray smiled at him, and his mocking laughter sounded.

It was a lie. Aidan snarled, but before he could rip Moray’s throat into shreds, Moray vanished into time.

For one moment, Aidan crouched over the air and the earth, and then the pain blinded him. Whimpering, he sank to the ground.

In that moment, there was shocking clarity, and he became aware of how badly injured he was. He had been wounded in the chest twice, once with the dagger, which had come terribly close to his heart. The ax had knifed into his shoulder, hip and leg and he was bleeding heavily now.

In spite of the daylight and the army not far from them, the wolves had gathered around him, whimpering.

He was going to die.

But he was supposed to hang.

It was the gods, enjoying themselves at his expense. They had never intended the hanging, he thought. Suddenly he was afraid. He wasn’t ready to die. He had to vanquish Moray. And what about Brianna?

Her beautiful face came to his mind and settled there, bringing sudden comfort. He softened deep within himself. She needed him. He had to protect her. He could not die, not yet.

He tried to stagger to his paws.

Pain blinded him.

He collapsed. He tried to stand again. He could not bear it. Two of his legs were worthless. Instead, he started crawling to her, inch by painful inch.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“HOW CAN WE VANQUISH MORAY?” Brie asked.

She and Allie sat cross-legged on the bed inside Aidan’s tent. The chill from the previous night was finally easing, and Brie guessed that the sun was high in the sky. She had become used to the fact that the only time of day that it wasn’t freezing cold was midday, but they had a kettle fire burning and she was wrapped in one of Aidan’s black plaids.

She had spent the past hour telling Allie just about everything that had happened since she had first heard Aidan’s roars of pain and anguish in New York City. She’d omitted her personal encounters with Aidan, of course. Allie had been wide-eyed and rapt. She had yet to say a word.