Davis, Liz - Under His Spell (Siren Publishing Classic) (22 page)

“Don’t you
dare
speak her name!” Takoda’s eyes narrowed into angry slits.

“Ooooh, I see the wound still runs deep.” Nick’s eyes glittered anxiously as he revved up for a fight.

“Coming here was a mistake. You came seeking vengeance for a worthless man. Are you really ready to die for him?”

“He was my brother, and he wasn’t worthless,” Nick snapped.

“He was a spineless coward, and he killed a defenseless female.” Takoda’s eyes darkened from the memory of that fateful day.

A storm was brewing between them, a heated tension which threatened to explode at any moment. Nick was much smaller in stature and in comparison with Takoda, he seemed very weak. Takoda was seven inches taller and most certainly the stronger out of the two, so he couldn’t understand how Nick expected to overpower him. Then suddenly he came to the realization that Nick would never attempt to fight alone, especially not someone as tall and strong as himself. Nick had always been weak, and forever deemed to a lower ranking position. For as long as Takoda had known him, Nick had been nothing more than a runt who followed commands.

No, Nick hadn’t come alone. He’d teamed up with someone else. The only way he knew how to fight was dirty, and the presence of another was strongly sensed by Takoda. The unpleasant scent of this other person was carried along by the wind, filling his nostrils with its stink. It was a scent he keenly remembered, a scent he had wished to never smell again. This was his home, his sanctuary from the rest of the world, and he didn’t appreciate unwelcome visitors in his territory.

There was someone watching him from the treetops above, Takoda could feel it. Roving his eyes upward, Takoda looked into the green canopy of the trees above him as he tried to spot the hidden observer. Although Takoda couldn’t see them, he was already well aware of who they were.

Directing his attention back to Nick, he said, “You never could fight your own battles. Always teaming up with someone else to take another down.” Shaking his head pitifully, Takoda continued, “Do you really think you can overpower me with him?”

Nick didn’t respond, only continued to stare down Takoda. For a few moments there was nothing but silence between the two men, and then all of a sudden, the air was filled with the sound of crows. Loud cawing filled the air, followed by the whisper of their wings as they took off.

Glancing up into the trees, Takoda saw the flock of birds as they flew away, and then all of a sudden he caught sight of something else. It appeared as little more than a black blur, and it was sailing down toward him at top speed.

Taking immediate action, Takoda quickly shifted into his wolf form. Nick shifted into his as well, but his presence was nowhere near as intimidating or majestic as Takoda’s.

Takoda was a much larger wolf, and he had a thick, shiny coat. His chest was narrow but powerful, and his confident stance demanded the upmost respect. Nick appeared smaller, almost scrawny in comparison with Takoda, and he didn’t have nearly the strength that Takoda possessed.

Leaping down from the trees, Dex landed hard on Takoda’s back. This gave Nick the chance to rush toward him, springing up off of his heels to sink his teeth into Takoda’s flesh. Giving a vicious growl, Takoda struggled to throw him off. Dex held on tighter, wrapping his hands around the wolf’s neck, but then he suddenly let go, releasing a loud cry of agony. Something had hit him hard in the back of the head, and there was a searing pain going right through his skull.

Falling to the ground with a whimper of pain, he made an attempt to try and get back onto his feet. His effort was promptly impeded as he was hit again, this time receiving an audible smack in side of the ribs. Yelling sharply, he glowered angrily at the source of his pain. Standing right next to him was Lynn, and both of her hands were wrapped firmly around the handle of a shovel.

She made a move to strike him again, but he proved to be too quick for her, using his inhuman speed to his advantage. In a split second, Dex had his hands wrapped around her throat, holding her captive in his grip. As he slammed her back against a tree, Lynn cried out in pain, momentarily dazed by Dex’s strength.

Baring his fangs, he leaned in to have a drink but was suddenly halted. A cry of pain and anger erupted from his lips as she dug her fingers into his eyes. Releasing her from his hold, he snarled and staggered backward, enraged by the temporary setback. Using his blindness to her advantage, she delivered a sharp kick to his ribs, injuring one of his ribs in the process. Then she ran off quickly, taking off through the forest. Dex growled angrily, enraged that he’d failed to taste her yet again.

Takoda threw himself onto Dex, growling menacingly as he ripped and clawed at his flesh. Expelling a loud hiss, Dex bared his fangs and lashed his fist out, aiming right for the Takoda’s muzzle. The force of it sent Dex’s adversary flying backward, but Takoda was back on his feet in record time. Crouching in preparation to spring forward,Takoda waited until Dex began to advance toward him. Leaping up onto his hind legs, Takoda launched his attack and sailed through the air. Lashing his arm out, Dex delivered a powerful backhand, which knocked Takoda to the ground.

Dex quickly followed up his attack, this time slamming his fist into the back of his enemy’s head. Takoda’s skull exploded with pain, but he pushed on, not willing to give in so easily.

Snarling viciously, Takoda clamped his jaws around Dex’s leg, sinking teeth deep into flesh. He took Dex down, bringing him onto his knees. Gathering his hind legs behind him, Takoda sprang up and onto Dex’s chest. Once Dex was beneath him, he didn’t waste another second. He was just going for Dex’s throat when he felt a sharp pain sear through his underside. Releasing a howl of pain, Takoda struggled to push through it. Dex had stabbed him, that much was apparent from the warm trickle of liquid he felt, but he refused to halt his attack. He was going to protect Lynn, and nothing Dex could do would stop him from it.

The knife had come dangerously close to disemboweling him, and he knew that he had to end this fight, once and for all. Gathering every bit of strength he had, Takoda went for Dex’s throat. As his teeth bit, Takoda heard his enemy release a growl of frustration. Not wasting a minute longer, Takoda tore Dex’s throat out in one swift, skillful movement.

Even as Dex gurgled in defeat beneath him, Takoda didn’t cease his attack. He continued to claw and viciously bite his adversary until the man beneath him was no longer moving. As the last few moments of life ebbed out of Dex’s body, his eyes remained locked into Takoda’s, forever frozen into a permanent stare of hatred.

With his enemy well on his way toward death, Takoda took a glance backwards and saw that neither Lynn nor Nick were anywhere to be seen. Panic overtook him as he realized that Nick had taken off with Lynn. Utilizing the keen senses of his wolf form, Takoda sniffed the air to determine which direction they’d taken.

Lynn’s scent came across strongest to him, and he immediately took off in the direction where it led him. As he travelled along the forest paths, he felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach. It was a deep and looming dread that history was repeating itself. It was happening all over again, playing out just as it had on that fateful day Ehawee had been killed. Takoda been separated from her, just as he was now separated from Lynn. His so-called pack brothers had distracted him, ganging up in a vicious attack so that he wouldn’t be able to protect Ehawee. Now history was proving that it truly did repeat itself, because he’d managed to lose track of Lynn and allow Nick to take off with her. Cursing himself internally, he realized that the fight with Dex had distracted him, and while he should have felt victorious at eradicating Dex from their life, he felt nothing more than failure.

He’d promised to protect Lynn, and now her life was in danger. If anything happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself, and the pain of losing another would completely destroy him. She was his heart and soul and he couldn’t live without her.

After what seemed like an endless amount of time, he finally came upon Nick and Lynn. He saw they were standing at the edge of a pathway, and one of Nick’s arms was wrapped around her waist while the other was curled around her neck in a restraining position. Struggling in his arms, Lynn tried to wrestle out of his grip.

“Get off of me!” She tried to shove Nick off of her, but he only held on tighter.

There was a gleam of silver as Nick placed a knife against her throat. “I’d stop moving if I were you.” As his eyes caught sight of Takoda, Nick’s lips pulled back into a gleeful sneer.

Shifting his form to match Nick’s human one, Takoda quickly advanced toward them.

“Release her. She’s done nothing to you!” His voice was husky and full of emotion.

“I told you I was here for justice, and that’s why I’m not leaving until I get it. You took my brother’s life,” Nick stated.

“Let her free! If you want to kill someone, then kill me instead. You can’t take her away from me, I won’t let you!” Takoda felt powerless and weak, but he was determined to save his love.

“I’m not willing to trade. I’m taking her life, and that’s all there is to it. I watched you kill Aidan, and now you’re going watch her die.”

“No!” Takoda shouted as he watched Nick press the knife more firmly against her skin.

As he ran toward them, Takoda was filled with dread, and all he could focus upon was the knife poised against Lynn’s neck. It seemed he was moving in slow motion, because the faster he tried to run, the harder it seemed to advance. As the tip of the knife pressed into her skin, he saw the fear in her eyes and his heart flooded with anguish. This had to be some sort of terrible dream, because fate couldn’t be this cruel to take another love away from him. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of loud caws, and as two crows dived down from the branches above, Nick’s attention was diverted upwards. One of the crows landed on his head and began to peck furiously at his forehead, causing Nick to release a stunned cry and drop the knife he was holding. The other crow flew in circles around Nick’s head, enhancing the chaos of the moment.

This gave Lynn the chance to escape, and as she freed herself from his clutches, the crows took off, disappearing into the sky as suddenly as they had appeared. Nick’s forehead was smeared with blood and the look in his eyes was one of pure rage. Locking gazes with his adversary, Takoda dared the other man to make the first move. Their eyes locked into a heated battle for a few moments and then they simultaneously shifted, transforming back into the wolf forms.

Menacing snarls filled the air as they bared their teeth, and they each lunged for each other, rearing up on their hind legs as they snarled and snapped their jaws. Aiming for Nick’s shoulder, Takoda grabbed hold of it with his jaws, tearing out bits of fur and flesh as he viciously bit into him. Releasing a howl of pain, Nick dug his claws into Takoda’s muzzle. The pain only fueled Takoda on, causing him to fight more viciously than ever.

Sinking his teeth into Nick’s neck, he pinned him down beneath him and held him flush against the ground.

Nick tried to squirm out from under his opponent and roll his body over so that he could take Takoda down, but his attempts proved largely unsuccessful. There was no way a wolf his size could ever overpower Takoda.

With a swift skill that Nick would never possess, Takoda had pinned Nick beneath him, and soon he was whimpering and squirming dejectedly. The weaker wolf flattened his body beneath Takoda, which expressed defeat and subservience. The tougher wolf had won and both of them knew it, but this wasn’t about winning. It wasn’t even about trying to avenge Ewahee’s death, because that was impossible. It was about protecting the one thing which meant the most to him in this world, and that was Lynn.

Takoda took a moment to glance over at her to make sure she was still safe, but even that moment was too long, because Nick used it to his advantage. Realizing that Nick had been feigning, Takoda could see that his adversary wasn’t quite as weak as he appeared to be, and above all else, he was still a sneaky bastard.

The two wolves battled with each other, claws flying and teeth gnashing as each sought to destroy the other. Each gave and received injuries, trading ferocious bites which grew deadlier by the minute.

Nick’s jaws snapped fiercely, seeking the flesh of Takoda’s throat. As his teeth made contact with Takoda’s neck, they locked in like a vice. As Nick’s teeth sunk in deeper, Takoda desperately sought to free himself. Nick’s teeth were mere inches from slicing through his jugular, so Takoda knew that he had to act quick.

Takoda swiped viciously at Nick’s face, sinking his claws into the flesh on the top of his head. As his claws caught hold of Nick’s ear, Takoda sunk them in and gave a quick swipe downward, removing half of the flesh of his ear. As Nick gave a muffled howl of pain against his neck, Takoda felt his opponents jaw loosen. Free from the clamp of Nick’s teeth, Takoda released a growl of fury and went in for the kill. The wolves became an entangled heap as they growled and bit one another. Both were so engaged in their battle for strength and dominance, that the sudden presence of another was left unknown to them.

As the sound of a gunshot rang through the air, the wolve’s growls changed to a yip of pain, and there was the sound of a body hitting the ground. Realizing that Nick had been shot, Takoda sought out the identity of the shooter, but there wasn’t any time to locate him before a second shot rang out. As the sound of Lynn’s scream pierced the air, Takoda jerked his head toward the sound of his mate. His heart beat furiously and as his eyes landed upon her, he felt a huge sense of relief. She hadn’t been hurt and she was okay, but if she hadn’t been shot then that meant that the shooter was obviously aiming for him. As Takoda glanced at Nick’s wolf form, he saw a pool of blood spreading beneath his body, and he knew that Nick was dead. There wasn’t a doubt in Takoda’s mind that he would surely be next, if he didn’t quickly take action.