15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Wolves ran wild in the streets. The Citizens had unleashed twenty-five infected beasts this time, and the group that'd been sent to round them up was struggling. Nero had called for backup several minutes ago, but reinforcements had yet to arrive.

Jeremiah, struggling with an air shield around the half mile radius, was also concentrating on maintaining the optical illusion that rendered them all invisible.

A savage snarl yanked Nero's attention back to the current fight with a grey wolf, her jaws frothing with the incurable disease. Whispering an apology, he snapped her neck with his bare hands.

Another one down.

Just a few feet away, Zeke had one in a strangle hold, attempting to keep the wolf alive. A mere glance into the animal's emotional state told Nero it would be impossible to save him.

"He's gone, Zeke," came the command. "End his misery."

Anger tightened the other sovereign's features, but he complied. A savage snap sounded moments later. The wolf slid to the ground, his pain finally over.

"We have to assist the others." Nero jerked his chin toward the street. "Aidan is in pain, and Jeremiah is struggling to hold the optical illusion over such a broad area."

They passed the corpses of three slain wolves, dead before Nero had even teleported in. Kane, Aidan, and Riaz, having more experience with rogue and rabid werewolves, were cornering a larger group, picking them off as they attempted to stray.

"Over there, Nero!"

Jeremiah's voice caught the attention of two wolves that'd come out of another alleyway and had locked their sights on the Elemental. Paws sprinting over wet cement, the snarling animals bared razor-sharp teeth in preparation.

The teleport took seconds, placing Nero directly in front of Jeremiah.

One set of teeth connected with Nero's defensive arm, and the other, with his shoulder. Grunting as fangs lodged in his flesh, he braced himself when agony burned down his arm and his knees met pavement.

The wolf hadn't only sunk teeth into the meaty part of his shoulder, but was scouring deep gouges with its claws in his side. The muscle beneath the animal's teeth shredded, his arm becoming near useless as a result of torn tendons and severed muscle.

Though Nero was nearly indestructible, the pressure from the vice-like jaws would be enough to break his bones if he didn't resort to extreme measures.

He let loose his panther's unholy roar, vocalized from a human throat. It temporarily made the wolves freeze, all he needed to gain the upper hand.

Though the beasts had taken him to his knees, it didn't matter. Nero's right fist pummeled into the wolf who'd locked onto his shoulder, one blow effectively shattering its cranial bones. His enemy collapsed, unmoving.

The second wolf grew wise.

Doubling down on the effort before Nero could react, the feral creature snapped the bones in his right forearm, and a wave of agony reverberated through him. It was trying to render Nero entirely defenseless. Blood gushed from his wounds, coating the wolf's grey muzzle crimson red.

A shout registered, and then the pressure on Nero's arm disappeared. He opened his eyes to confirm the wolf had been taken care of, belatedly registering that someone was gripping both of his shoulders.

Red hair. Jeremiah.

The Elemental was in front of him, his mouth moving, but no sound reached his ears. Dizziness swam through him, shifting his balance so that he teetered even though he was on his knees. He was losing too much blood in too little time, the consequences of the fight written in the rapidly growing pool below him.

Jeremiah was shouting now, and a blast of the Elemental's panic tore into Nero's psychic radar.

"I'm fine , Jer'miah," Nero slurred, trying to raise his arm to grip his clan mate. He couldn't drum up enough energy to be worried about it when he failed. "Just—just tired."

Unconsciousness pulled him under, and Nero surrendered to it with one last word.

"Eden."