Chapter 35: Griffin

35

GRIFFIN

T ime stands still as I watch Kali, still frail after her ordeal at Serena's hands, pull out a bloody knife with chilling efficiency from the body lying at her feet, and then stand tall to face Jed. Despite everything she's been through, she's still so strong.

As he charges for her, she assumes a fighting stance, knife held out in front of her, determination shining in her eyes. She's not backing down. Which is admirable, but he's too big, and she's too fragile.

I use my jaws to snap the leg of the beast below me, breaking the bone, and then stand to my full height as he howls in agony. Spinning and twisting, I get the other beast off my back using my explosive strength to throw him across the clearing, enjoying the dull thud as he hits a nearby boulder. My teeth take a chunk of skin and fur away as he goes, which I promptly spit out onto the bloodied earth.

His anguished yelp doesn't even register in my frenzied mind as I sprint toward my mate.

With a sharp bark, I catch her attention. She meets my gaze briefly, trying to keep her focus on Jed. I jerk my head toward the trees behind her, hoping she'll listen. She can't fight him off, so she needs to get out of here. And I'll be right behind her.

Kali shifts surprisingly quickly considering what she's been through, her beautiful tawny coat glistening in the sunlight, as her beast erupts from her body.

After one last furious snarl at Jed, she turns and runs for cover, darting into the dense forest without a backward glance. The first time we met, I was stunned by how fast and agile she was. Hopefully, that's still the case, even though she's still recovering.

One beast lies dead, and Red is lame, for now, with a broken leg. That leaves two.

Jed takes off, and Eddie breaks from chasing me to follow Kali instead.

Kali is their main target now. It could also be about revenge for their fallen friend. Or maybe, they've decided that getting rid of her is the most efficient way to end the prophecy. Who knows. The only thing I do know is that I'm not going to allow it to happen.

Ignoring the stinging claw marks down my back, I race after them with everything I have, my paws pounding the ground with each step. I empty my mind of all else, forcing the tension from my body, a single-minded focus on getting to my mate before anyone else does.

I swing out to one side, picking up the pace, leaping over some rocks and a downed tree. It's as if Kali can read my intentions, because when I close in on the trailing beast, Eddie, almost running alongside him now, Kali suddenly changes direction.

He follows suit, eyes on the prize and foaming at the mouth at the scent of her fear. His eagerness will be his downfall, however, as he blindly runs straight into my path, and I crash into him with a sickening whack.

A sharp pain in my side tells me I've definitely broken a rib or two, but I don't have time to worry about that now. I raise my hind legs up between me and the beast, and while gripping his neck to keep him in place, drag them down, cutting his soft belly wide open.

Blood coats the two of us as he howls, curling into himself to protect his vulnerable underside, but it's too late. The wound is gaping, so he's not going to be a danger to Kali any time soon. Spitting out a mouthful of skin and fur, I roll to my paws, taking up the chase again.

A second's pause feels like hours as I pinpoint their exact location. They've already covered a good distance.

Kali's using every ounce of her remaining energy to keep out of Jed's grasp.

I dig deep, pushing my aching limbs to catch up. Jed's lust-filled scent acts like an adrenaline shot to my battered and weary body. I can't let him get his hands on her. He's enjoying hunting her way too much.

Deciding to take a risk, I veer off course and take a higher path, legs burning as I scale the steep slope to the top. When I get there, I'm thankful when it's easier terrain, and my elevated position gives me a clear view of Kali with Jed in pursuit. He's gaining on her with his snapping jaws, hot on her heels.

Again, as if she can sense my plans, Kali moves closer and closer to the bank I'm running along. At the end, she runs past before skidding to a stop and doubling back, putting her head down and sprinting up the steep hill as fast as she can before Jed can figure out what she's doing. Paws scrambling on the loose shale, she slips, almost losing her grip and tumbling back, before launching herself with one last push, up and over the crest.

Collapsing on the ground, I'm breathing hard and completely spent when Kali locks eyes with me. She's done. She can't run any more, flattening herself as low as she can go, and hiding herself from view.

My lungs burn as I push myself to make it to her before Jed does. Just as he hits the top of the hill, I leap, sailing over Kali's prone body, and bowl into him, sending the two of us rolling back down the hill. I hit the ground hard, grunting as the air is knocked from my body, and we end up in a tangled heap on the ground.

Kali. Kali's exhausted and unprotected. I need to get her out of here.

Further away, I hear pounding feet as Eddie picks himself up and then comes in search.

Deciding Jed is the biggest threat for now, I lunge for him while we're still clambering back to our feet. I grip his shoulder hard, shaking my head and tearing a lump of flesh from his body, before diving back in for another bite.

Eddie crashes through the trees and charges at us.

I duck, but he snags my ear between his teeth and tugs hard, forcing me to let go of Jed. I feel the skin tear, and burning pain makes my vision flicker.

Jed grabs hold of my neck, and I curse myself for leaving my defences open, all because of a little pain and tiredness. My mate deserves better.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

All three of us stop our brawling and turn to the far side of the clearing, where Ben stands, arms folded across his chest, surveying the carnage in front of him.

"I was tracking you to the hunting cabin when I saw the flare and thought I better check it out. This is the very last thing I expected to find. Some lost idiot hikers maybe, not three men wrestling in the mud." His tone is intrigued, not scared, as he surveys the three battered and bloodied animals before him.

Ben thinks he's stumbled across some kind of brawl, and he doesn't seem too concerned about it. But his amusement vanishes the moment Kali's scent hits him. His eyes dart to the top of the ridge where she's hiding. Ben can't see her, but he can smell her fear and her blood. His gaze slides back to me, and he's not happy.

"I fucking knew something didn't add up. It's going to be okay, Kali," he murmurs softly, before re-examining the scene in front of him with a much harder expression. Speaking louder this time, he addresses my mate again. "Tell me, Kali, which side are we on here?"

His body is tense, and every muscle is prepared for the shift as he crouches low, eyes narrowed, just waiting for my mate's instructions.

If Kali tells him I kidnapped her, I'm done for. He'll join these two in ripping me to shreds.

"Griffin. Griffin is my mate." Kali's voice is weak, but confident.

It feels fucking good to hear her say she's mine, and Ben's relief is clear. He knows I wasn't lying to him about that part. I'm sure he'll have something to say about the rest, but that's for another day.

Rubbing his hands together, a creepy smile spreads across his face. "Right. Let's do this then."

In the blink of an eye, Ben's already massive human frame morphs into that of a huge beast. I'm big, but as Jed releases his hold on me and backs up, it's clear that Ben is a different prospect altogether. His charming facade is gone. This beast looks vicious, and they're worried, doubting their ability to go up against him and survive.

Ben steps forward, eager to get this over and done with, while I block their route to Kali and try to catch my breath. Bleeding and running on adrenaline, I'm lucky to still be standing.

Instead of taking on the two of us, Jed, ever the coward, uses his friend as a distraction and then tries to rush past me to Kali.

The anger coursing through my veins is all that's keeping me going as I launch myself through the air, leaving Eddie to Ben, unnatural sounds passing my lips, as I clumsily collide with Jed. We both fall with a loud crunch as my shoulder connects with his chest.

Momentarily stunned, he's slow to protect himself.

My black claws slash down the side of his neck, narrowly missing his exposed veins, and he rolls away from me, seeking to put some distance between us while he gets his breath back.

The urge to end his miserable life is there, but then I hear another beast approaching. Red could be healed and ready to join in again. I can't be down here if he tracks her to the top of the hill.

One look at Ben, with his opponent pinned under him, jowls pulled back to reveal a row of lethal teeth, and it looks like he's got this covered.

I race up the hill toward Kali's tiny curled-up form, then my beast allows me to shift back and sink down on my knees beside her in the dirt. I cradle the back of her head as I lift her to a sitting position, cursing when my fingers come away coated in blood. My mate is hurt again.

Running my fingers gently through her hair, I check the small, deep wound with a lump that's starting to swell beneath my fingers. It's nothing too serious, perhaps a branch or a claw, but it's another injury she doesn't deserve.

Leaning over the edge, I watch as Jed rolls over onto his side, spitting blood into the dirt. The low growl he's emitting tells me he's not done yet. On the far side of the open space, Red enters the clearing, eyes finding mine with a hard glare. He's pissed off, and the still warm body of his friend and his injured leg are fuelling his anger.

Shielding Kali with my body, I'm just about to shift back to my animal, ready to start round two, when another low rumble catches my attention.

Ben. With a shallow dip of his head, he tells me he's got this. He has the slow, graceful steps of a true predator, moving to block their path and put himself between these men and us once more, two people he barely knows.

Amused, I watch Red do a double take, spotting the gigantic dark mass of muscle and sinew that is Ben. He might have liked their odds of taking me and Kali down before, but not anymore.

When Ben's animal re-focuses on Jed, attempting to drag himself back toward his friends, Ben growls. Stalking closer as Jed tries to hurry away, Ben tracks him, looming over his retreating form until he stops. When he rests one massive paw on Jed's back and dips his head to growl into his ear, I freeze.

Is he really going to do it? Killing someone, even if you know they deserve it, is no mean feat. Especially when it's not your fight. They came for me and my mate. I know Kali's family, but they didn't come for him.

Ben tilts his head toward where I'm still protecting Kali and chuffs, his eyes darting toward the slope behind us. He's telling me it's time to leave. Kali's flare may have brought Ben here to help, but there could be more like Jed on their way here, and we're in no position to fight them all. Not out in the open like this.

"Thank you."

Ben's muzzle lowers, before he lets out a growl, telling me to get a move on.

Gathering Kali into my arms, I run as fast and as hard as I can. We're leaving a bloody trail behind us that will be easy to follow if Ben can't hold them off on his own. I can't do anything about that.

"Griffin?" Kali murmurs, her fingers clinging to my neck and tangling in the ends of my hair. Her scent is a balm to my frantic soul, but the smell of her blood has my beast pushing for control once more. If Kali wasn't too weak to walk on her own, he'd force the shift.

"Shh, baby. I've got you," I whisper as I hold her tightly, thanking the gods that Ben appeared in the nick of time. We're going to owe him one after this. More than one. Hopefully, he's clever enough to get the hell out of there when things get dicey. He won't be able to take them all.

My beast's memory is better than mine, and he steers us straight to the exact place we want to go: the spot on the map that Ben showed me. We've been there before. I don't remember, but he does. It's less than ideal, but it's the only option we have right now that's close and provides some shelter.

Twisting Kali around so she's at my front, legs locked around my waist, I scramble down the sheer slope, praying the surface under my feet holds. With one last leap, holding my precious cargo tight, I make it to the rock ledge and sigh in relief.

Inside, I'm relieved to see the same small stash of supplies that were here the last time. A sleeping bag, a blanket, and an oil lamp. It's not exactly luxurious, but it's something.

As I set Kali down gently, her fingers dig into my skin, nails biting, and she whimpers, not wanting to be away from me. Stroking her hair, I whisper against her cheek as I tug a blanket loose and wrap it around her shoulders.

"It's okay, Kali. They won't get you. Do you hear me? I'm not going to leave you."