Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors #8) - Anna Hackett Page 0,10
creature slunk closer and snarled.
Thane charged it.
He was fearless. She sucked in a breath. God, he was something. She could watch him fight all day.
He slashed at the creature, leaping high and attacking again.
There was a growl behind her and she spun.
A smaller, leaner bear-wolf was stalking her. It snarled. She guessed it was a juvenile.
She spun her sword in her hand, getting a better grip. The beast charged, its mouth open, showing its huge teeth.
Hell. Kaira dodged, almost tripping on some loose rocks.
The creature spun and lunged at her.
She dropped low and it sailed over her head. Its skin was black like ink. Jumping up, she sprinted away. She needed room to maneuver.
She heard it coming after her. She dived to the side and rolled.
Ignoring the hard impact with the ground, the rocks biting into her, she leaped back to her feet.
The bear-wolf bore down on her.
She rocked on the balls of her feet. Come on, then.
“Kaira!”
Thane, sword dripping with blood, sprinted toward her.
She blocked him out and focused on the alien creature.
It raced closer and roared.
Kaira ran…straight at it.
She jumped and grabbed a handful of loose skin on its neck. She leaped onto the creature’s back, giving a thousand mental thank yous for her horseback riding lessons as a kid.
She clenched her legs onto the animal, holding tight. It bucked and spun, then dashed away.
Toward the outcrop.
It required all her strength to hold on. Her bones rattled, and the bear-wolf leaped into the air. She leaned forward.
It skidded to a stop and she almost flew off.
It turned in an agitated circle.
The rocks loomed above them. When she glanced back, she saw Thane sprinting toward her, the rest of the pack chasing him.
The bear-wolf she was riding reared, bucking her off.
Shit. Kaira landed hard, the wind knocked out of her. She rolled onto her hands and knees.
And saw the bear-wolf running at her.
Oh, fuck. She rolled.
It almost trampled her. It reared up, and slammed its paws down, missing her by inches.
Her heart was pounding like an out-of-control jackhammer, the beast’s low growl was loud in her ears. It slashed out and caught her shoulder. It burned.
The bear-wolf reared again and she rolled the other way. Paws slammed into the rock right beside her head.
“Hey!”
Thane’s shout made the creature lift its head. Thane attacked it.
“Go, Kaira,” he yelled.
She rolled away.
“Climb the outcrop. I’ll be right behind you.”
She saw the rest of the pack running at them. Fast.
Shit.
She ran to the rock wall, gripped a crack, and started climbing.
High. She needed to go high. She was pretty sure the bear-wolves could jump a reasonable distance.
She wedged her foot into another crack, gripped the small ledge, and hauled herself upward. Then she slipped. Crap. She caught herself, gritted her teeth, and kept going.
Finally, she pulled herself onto a flat rock outcrop. Panting, she looked over the edge.
“Thane!”
Her throat closed. The wounded creature was still attacking him. The others were getting closer.
What if he got hurt? Killed? “Thane, now!”
He stabbed the alien beast, and its back legs collapsed. Then he sprinted toward the outcrop.
The other creatures were gaining.
“Come on, warrior,” she whispered, her heart in her throat.
He leaped, and hit the rock face. Then he climbed.
The closest creature was readying to leap. Kaira grabbed a loose rock, lifted it, and heaved it.
It flew past Thane and hit the bear-wolf’s head. It dropped to the ground with a yelp.
Thane reached her, and she grabbed his arm and helped him over the edge.
Thank God.
The creatures milled down below. Contemplating them.
Thane stood, breathing heavily. Then, the first bear-wolf leaped, trying to climb up the wall.
“Oh, shit,” Kaira said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Thane lifted his arm. His sword was gone and a large blaster formed.
Wow. She needed to work out how to do that.
He aimed. A ball of green energy hit the climbing beast.
It fell backward and crashed to the ground.
Thane fired again and again. The creatures scattered, bounding away.
“Thank God.” Kaira pressed against Thane and he wrapped an arm around her.
Thane’s blood still pumped wildly through his veins. He sat on the rocky outcrop, holding Kaira close to his side.
They were safe. For now.
“Jesus.” Kaira scraped a hand over her face. “That was intense.”
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He suspected that was just a small taste of what this planet would offer them. He spotted a scratch on her armor. Through the tear, he glimpsed the skin on her shoulder and blood.
“Your shoulder.” He leaned over and touched it.
She winced. “I don’t think it’s