Bloodfire (Blood Destiny 1) - Helen Harper Page 0,70
a furry shape barreled into the thing’s knee, knocking the entire vulnerable spot that I’d been aiming for out of the dagger’s trajectory. My weapon thudded uselessly into the sand. Fucking idiot shifter. Who had half a brain now? Before I could react further, the rest of the creature completely materialized, reaching down with one fell swoop and picking the offending werecougar up, before shaking it violently and flinging its body away. The human hater’s were shape lay broken and still.
Lucy had shifted as well, into her sleek honey badger. She at least had more sense than her buddy, however, and held back, eyes watchful and assessing. I called on my fire and let it seep throughout my veins from my heart to the tips of my fingers. It thudded and flickered in intensity. Bring it on. The thing was completely focused on Lucy and roared at her so loudly that I felt the vibrations on the sand under my feet. It remained stupidly unaware of me at its back, however. She bared her sharp teeth and prepared to attack, giving me a chance to perfect my aim, hopefully without any interruptions this time.
I threw, and knew straight away that I was close to the mark. My shot wasn’t quite swift and true enough however. The dagger embedded itself in the beast’s ankle, just missing the vital Achilles’ heel. Shit. It shuddered in pain though, head whipping around. Involuntarily I took a step back. It only had one huge eye, smack bang in the middle of its face. Christ, a Cyclops. I took in its long dark hair, tied back with a piece of rope and its skin that was swarthy and weathered. A loincloth covered its genitals but other than it was completely naked. I supposed I should be thankful for small mercies. A naked ten foot tall one eyed beast was not at the top of my ‘otherworld neighbours I’d like to meet’ list. Something dangled off the string at its waist but, at this distance, I couldn’t quite make out what it was. It didn’t look large enough to be a scary weapon at least. The Cyclops roared at me and, even from metres away, I felt globules of warm spit on my face combined with the hot rank air of its breath. No, I was not a fan.
It turned back to the front, seemingly dismissing me as unthreatening, so all I was presented with was its lean back. I prepared to attack again whilst Lucy made her own move, rushing the Cyclops, and snapping and biting at the same ankle I’d already injured, but it dodged her teeth and ran past her. And towards Trevathorn.
Chapter Eighteen
I stood for one brief moment, then reacted and took off after it. Lucy joined me, scampering along the sand and yet easily keeping up. I pelted down the beach, feet scuffing the sand as I sprinted in hot pursuit. Alex yelled something behind me but it was indistinct and his words were whipped away in the sea wind.
It was imperative that we stopped it before it reached the village. I dreaded to think what damage it might incur if it got there. Imagining busloads of eager tourists being swept aside by the Cyclops’ long arms, I ran even faster. This was probably not going to turn out well if I didn’t stop its parade fucking fast. Way Directive Twenty-two: Wherever possible, the human world must be shielded from the otherworld.
The Cyclops was an ungainly, clumsy thing, but its long legs enabled it to keep just ahead of the pair of us. It gouged out huge prints in the soft sand as it skewed its way along the edge of the dunes. At one point it leapt over a salt crusted log, stumbling ever so slightly as it landed on the other side. This was our chance. I jumped at it, feet first, and struck it in the back before I fell back onto the sand. It collapsed onto its knees and roared again, and Lucy sprang onto its back and held on with her sharp teeth, ripping into its flesh.
I jumped back up and pulled out my knife, taking advantage of its position to move in front of it and block its path to Trevathorn. I swiped at it a few times but couldn’t quite connect, so I lifted a booted heel and kicked its lowered face with every ounce of power and strength that I had. It groaned and