Page 47 of Her Silent Knight

Chapter Thirteen

THE CREATURES WEREN’Tas dumb as he’d thought.

They were still stupid as fuck. They were also relentless once they had their eyes on their prey. They hissed louder as he neared them. Their gazes displayed their wariness to being near his flames.

The drool dripping from the corner of their mouths displayed the hunger they wouldn’t be able to ignore. For most creatures, hunger trumped fear every time. The largest one opened his mouth and spat in Kaede’s direction.

Kaede stepped to the side, dodging the poisonous stream of saliva. Both creatures opened their mouths. So, this was their tactic – use their poisonous venom to extinguish his flames.

Their saliva won’t be able to stop us from flaming back up.

Indeed. Kaede ducked and dodge their spit attacks. They kept them coming. Fuck, he was too slow. One wad of saliva landed on his shoulder and dripped down his chest. His flesh sizzled as the venom burned every inch of skin it touched.

The temperature of his body rose to fight off the venom. Fire no longer burned on the parts of him affected by the venom and wouldn’t burn again until his heat fought off the poison on his skin.

Already, he could feel the skin healing as he rushed forward, leaning left and then right to avoid the venom spraying his way. Claws ready, he swiped at their mouths when he reached them.

His claws ripped through skin and clinked against their sharp teeth. He twisted his body left to avoid their hands. He swiped again, this time downward, ripping their lips from their face.

None of that would stop the spray of venom. Yet, it would cause them enough pain for them to think twice about spitting again. They grabbed at him. He moved to the left and punched the larger one in the jaw repeatedly until the creature dropped to its knees.

“Fuck.”

The other shredder landed another wad of venom on Kaede’s stomach, just as the venom on his chest had finished healing. He squared up with the second shredder. He could hear the others in the kitchen.

Why they weren’t attacking, he had no idea. The creature spat. Kaede ducked. The venom landed on his back, stinging his flesh. He rushed the creature, forcing it back against the wall.

He could hear the larger one behind him. It was rising to its feet. Which meant he only had a few seconds to finish this one. He dug his claws into the creature’s stomach while leaning his head back as the shredder gnashed its teeth at him.

Even its breath smelled rotten. Kaede pulled his hands back. He didn’t bother shaking off the blood and guts that clung to his claws. He attacked again. This time wrapping his arms around the creature and sinking his claws into the shredder’s back.

Nails planted inside the shredder, he pulled the creature close. It struggled to get away from his fire. There was no escaping it. Kaede’s flames engulfed it. It’s high pitch screech filled the room as flames burned its body.

It thrashed violently. Kaede released it and watched it race from the room and stumbled down the steps of the porch onto the snow. The snow falling from the sky begin to extinguish the flames as the creature writhed on the ground.

Even once the fire was put out, the shredder was done for. Kaede turned around. Claws swiped across his face. Before he could retaliate, claws swiped across his abdomen. Kaede gasped at the pain.

His eyes widened as he stared at the creatures in front of him. The entire pack. And they were carrying fucking buckets of water and ice. So that’s what they’d been doing in the kitchen. Not as fucking dumb as he’d thought. Kaede took two steps back. The creatures dossed him with the contents of their buckets.

“Flame up,”Kaede yelled to his beast.

I’m trying. It’s cold. So, fucking cold.

The creatures hissed. Spit landed in his eyes, blurring his vision. Kaede stumbled backward. He felt himself falling. He landed on the snow-covered ground. The shredders descended on him, sinking their claws and teeth into his flesh.

His dragon roared. Kaede’s temperature was rising, trying to burn off the poison. It was just so much. Too fucking much. Kaede swung blindly. His fist connected with one of the being’s face, possibly its jaw.

He didn’t know. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been at such a disadvantage. Claws and razor-sharp teeth sank into his skin, tearing away flesh. His fire was completely extinguished.

Kaede refused to cry out from the pain. He was an alpha. Alphas didn’t cry. Alphas got shit done. Alphas didn’t allow bitch ass shredders to get the best of them. Alphas fucked shit up. That’s what alphas did.

“Shift,”Kaede ordered his dragon.

I’m trying. Poison... slowing... me down.

A punch to his jaw caused him to taste blood and caused his ears to ring. But over the ringing of his ears, he could’ve sworn he heard the sound of snowmobiles. Boney fingers wrapped around his ankle and began dragging his body through the snow.

Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus his gaze on his surroundings. A gray film over his eyes prevented him from seeing anything. Fucking poison. Kaede strained to reach for the hand tugging him.