AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Erik proved faster. Jumping with all the power of his vampiric legs, his hands grabbed the creature by the shoulders, forcing it back to the ground. He wrapped one arm around its neck, grabbing it under its chin as the monster thrashed, and then with one swift jerk, he snapped its neck. The body shook, and as he let it drop it writhed turning to ash before his eyes.
Mina’s scent grew stronger, and he took off once more in her direction. As he came around the final drop before the border, he saw her, pinned to the ground, blades discarded near her feet.
She had the creature by the underside of its jaw, and shoulder, barely holding it bay. He could see she’d been cut on the forehead, and arm, but other than that she appeared unharmed, and she was still safely inside the mist.
Rushing forward, he hooked his arm around the wraith’s chest and threw it off her. A second wraith leapt from the trees onto his back, closing its teeth around his shoulder. Erik hissed, as pain radiated through his back, and with one hand he reached back, ripping the beast away from him. A third wraith came scrambling over the branches, but before it could attack, a large black werewolf leapt from the bushes and met its claws in the air.
Alaric. His jaws closed on the wraith’s neck, and he swung it around slamming the creature against a tree with a sickening crack. Erik caught the first wraith that had pinned Mina and broke its jaw as it made to bite his arm. He forced the broken bone back up and snapped the creature’s neck.
That left one more wraith. Alaric squared off with it, and Erik’s eyes scanned the ground where Mina had been. She was gone.
A string of curse words tumbled from his lips. He turned the last corner before the border, and there she was, beyond the edge of the mist.
He watched in horror as she stepped into the light, the ground beneath her feet turning gray as the life was drained from it. She pressed a hand to her chest, beginning to cough and he saw the blood splatter from her lips as she choked.
“My King,” Alaric growled. “I will fetch her.”
“No,” Erik said, exhaling a long breath through his nose. “I’ll bring her back.”
“But the sun, you will burn,” he said.
“I’m stronger than I look,” the king answered, walking forward. At the edge of the veil, he hesitated, and then took a step into the light.
The sun burned as if he’d stepped into a bonfire. Surging forward, he saw the ground turn gray beneath his own feet and felt the blood souring in his stomach, but he couldn’t stop. Mina had collapsed to the dirt. She was barely holding herself upright on her hands and knees. She didn’t have long.
“Mina,” he croaked, feeling the liquid bubbling on his lips.
Coughing she looked up at him as he crouched in front of her. Her chin was covered in crimson, and her eyes were bloodshot.
Reaching up with a shaking hand she touched his cheek where the skin was beginning to burn away, and she collapsed.
Erik hissed, and grabbed her by the arm, hoisting her up off the ground. She rocked against his chest and her fingers found their way into the hair at the back of his neck. She was still alive, but weak.
His stomach roiled. The scent of her blood was powerful. If he wasn’t careful, he would bite her, and all of his gentlemanly efforts would be ruined.
He crossed into the mist, and Alaric scratched the ground with his claws. “Your Majesty, what can I do?”
“Send your brother to fetch Lucy. We’ll need a healer,” he grunted.
“I can shift back and carry—”
“No,” Erik hissed. “She’s mine. I will care for her. Just do as you're told and find Harker.”
The wolf gave him a quick bow and then disappeared into the shadows, leaving him to carry Mina at his own pace back to the camp. A risk given the creatures that would surely scent her blood on the wind, but the wolves wouldn’t be far, and knowing Alaric he wouldn’t let a single thing interrupt their progress.
Mina groaned, shifting in his grasp. “Wha-what was that? What have you done to me?”
“I’ll explain everything once you’ve been seen by the healer,” he said, dropping a kiss on her temple. “I promise.”
“I hate you,” she whimpered. “I’ll hate you forever for this. I will….” Whatever else she’d wanted to say was lost in a coughing fit.
Carefully, setting her down on her feet, he let her get it out, and catch her breath, before sweeping her legs out from under her again, to carry her the rest of the way.
“You’ve crossed into the mist, Princess. There is no turning back now.”
