25. Suni

Chapter 25

Suni

T he second his mate was safe, Suni allowed his blood rage to take over. He had never been in a battle where the stakes were so high. He finally had a mate to protect and a future to look forward to. There was no way he was going to allow evil witches to destroy everything. The line of witches parted, and warriors burst from the trees behind them. His battle cry joined the others' as he raced forward swinging his morning star. Some warriors exploded as they were hit with Jo's magic, while others were pulverized by Ru's hammer. Those who made it past the power duo were met with death by morning star, broadswords, and all other manner of weapons. The thick, metallic stench of blood and burning flesh saturated the air, and fierce shouts became death moans.

Suni yanked the spikes of his morning star from the chest of a felled enemy, then ducked in time to save his head from being separated from his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two witches break through the line and race toward the village gates. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he put on a burst of speed. He didn't bother trying to follow the witches through the gate, but instead leaped over the wall and landed in front of Amma and Shelly. He wanted to turn around and make sure they were still unharmed, but there was no time. The two witches were approaching him. He roared, hoping they would turn and run. He had no defenses against them if they decided to use their magic. They stopped for a second, but continued forward when he stood firm. Suni swung his morning star, taking off the head of one and knocking the other against the opposite wall.

"Stay down!" Suni snarled.

She smiled and shakily climbed to her feet. Suni took one menacing step, and she raced forward. He waited for the right moment and kicked out, breaking her leg. Instead of stopping, she crawled toward his female. Suni swung down with his weapon and buried it in the back of her head. She stopped moving. He looked up and saw Shelly staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. He wished they had forced the calf back to safety with Ru's parents. A battlefield was no place for one so young.

"Shelly, are you harmed?" He asked, with command in his voice. The same commanding tone was used with warriors in training. "Shelly."

Shelly seemed to shake herself before answering stiffly, "We are fine. We have a battle circle around us, and it will keep us safe."

"What about Amma?" Suni eyed his mate, who sat with her eyes closed. The rise and fall of her chest were the only indication that she was living flesh.

"She is checking on our reinforcements," Shelly answered.

Suni gave her a short nod and returned to the fight. He kept his body between his mate and the calf as he continued to kill anyone who dared to approach them. His weapon dripped with the blood from his enemies, and their bones crunched under his feet.

"Suni, stop!" His mate's voice stopped him from stepping backward. "The circle!"

Suni stopped and swung his weapon, taking off the head of some lesser warrior. "My heart," he blew out a breath of relief hearing her voice. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Go fight," Amma answered. "I need you to tell the others that the second wave is going to be upon us in less than five minutes. They have warriors who have been twisted and are no longer minotaur's. Shelly and I will try calming their minds and turning them to our side."

"No," Suni growled, turning to face them. "You both have done enough. The warriors of this village are strong and can take whatever comes."

"This is what my family has been training all our lives to do," his mate said. "The warriors from Ru's home village are also on their way. Stay safe."

Amma's eyes flicked over his shoulder, and out of reflex he swung his morning star back and knocked a female warrior down. She snarled and kicked out, catching him in the chest. He grunted. He had been hit worse before but was getting a little tired after so much combat in one day. He charged forward and slid his good horn into the warrior's belly. The air turned sour with the stink of punctured bowels and she dropped to the ground. He spun and held his arms up in victory, smiling at his mate. His chest puffed up with the pride he saw there.

"When I said stay safe, I didn't mean to show off," Amma said with a smile. "Go fight. We need to get to work."

"I will continue to fight where I can see you." Suni announced. He stepped to the right and barely touched his claws to a warrior's face, almost a caress, and then somehow the enemy's cheekbone was exposed. "No one will get past me."

Amma blew him a kiss and waved him on.

Suni turned back to the fight, and for the first time he was shocked. When Amma had told him the warriors on the way were somehow changed, Suni hadn't really given it much thought. But the warriors coming toward him walked on all four limbs and blood-flecked foam dripped from their mouths. Their eyes rolled in their heads and the noises they made were incoherent. He had never witnessed anything so disturbing in his life. The first one reached him, and he kicked it and slashed its shoulder with his claws. The warrior didn't react. It was like the pain didn't register. Suddenly, two of the mutated warriors froze in place. He didn't have time to figure out why, because one of the others galloped toward his helpless mate with murder in his wild eyes.

Suni bellowed and spun in a circle to give his morning star more momentum. The spiked ball hit the male hard enough to crack his skull. Even as life left the creature's eyes, he continued to try to reach Amma and her cousin. Suni whipped around to confront the rest, but the two who had been frozen were back in motion, ripping their ally to pieces. He glanced at his mate, knowing she had something to do with the turn of events. Still staying as a wall between his mate and the battle, he helped dispatch the remaining invaders. Not one enemy witch remained by the time Ru signaled the end of the battle.