Dane's Storm(71)

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. This could not be happening. Adrenalin spiked through my body and I gripped the weapon tightly in one hand, swiping my arm over my eyes when I felt the cold sting of sweat obscure my vision. Come on, Townsend. Get it together. Now.

Audra caught sight of me, her eyes wide with horror as her gaze beseeched desperately: Help me.

My eyes moved back to the wolves. “Hey!” I yelled and the creatures turned, snarling viciously, their jaws snapping. Oh God, fuck, they’re big. I took several steps toward them, and one lowered his head as if ready to rush me. Audra let out a tiny sob, but it echoed in the stillness of the winter morning, and the second wolf turned back to her, slinking along the ground for one step, two before it leapt into the air, hitting Audra square in the chest.

I heard a deep inhuman yell mixed with Audra’s scream and somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I realized that it was me. I threw myself toward Audra who was now screaming on the ground, the wolf on top of her, yanking his head back and forth as if tearing at her flesh. I released another battle cry as the second wolf attacked me, his jaw snapping just under my chin, a hairsbreadth away from my jugular. With every ounce of strength I had, I brought the piece of metal back and then thrust it forward. The wolf released a piercing yelp, his body jerking as we both went down, me on my back and him sprawled on top of me.

I shouldn’t be able to, but I pushed him off, pulling the weapon from his body on a wet sucking sound. The whole thing was surreal, a horrible fever dream. I rushed to Audra, who was still screaming as she grappled with the wolf. With a yell, I thrust the bloodied metal into the wolf’s flank and it immediately jumped off Audra and came at me, stopping inches from where I stood. I swiped the metal back and forth as it made a whistling sound in the air in front of the wolf, who then backed slowly away.

For a second, I thought it was going to turn and run, but it suddenly turned back toward Audra who, bloody and crying, scrabbled backward at his approach. The growl was something I’d never heard before, and I hoped to God I never heard it again.

And then . . .

It seemed to happen in slow motion. The snow under Audra dropped out from under her and she flailed her bloodied arms as I dove toward her, our fingers brushing as she let out another blood-curdling scream, plunging backward and out of sight.

With a deep, guttural yell, I landed on my stomach, reaching for Audra who was no longer there. Below I heard the sickening oof sound as she hit the ground. I screamed her name, the wolf next to me letting out another low growl. I stood, swinging the metal crazily, connecting with his flank again as he yelped. “You bastard! You fucking bastard!” The wolf backed up, turning and limping away with a horrible, broken gait, glancing back only once before he disappeared into the forest.

I dropped back to my stomach, breathing harshly, filled with blinding terror. On the ground below, Audra lay, one leg bent up unnaturally, her eyes closed as blood darkened the snow around her. “Audra!” I screamed, my voice cracking.

For a horrifying moment, she was completely still, silent, but then a soft moan drifted up to me and I sobbed out an incoherent sound of relief. She isn’t dead. She isn’t dead. Thank God, thank God.

“Audra, honey.” I tried my best to sound steady, calm, but my voice broke as I sucked in a shuddery moan.

Her eyes blinked open and she stared at me as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation. Finally, “Dane?” Her voice was so soft it barely made its way to me where I lay looking at her from a hundred feet above.

I attempted a smile but it felt like my lips stuck to my teeth in what must be a grotesque grimace. “You’re going to be okay, Audra.”

“Dane,” she sobbed, “Dane, I can’t feel my legs.”

Oh God, no. No! This cannot be happening. God, this cannot be happening.

“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” I pulled myself to my knees, the world tilting on its axis for a moment as the adrenalin surge wore off and my body protested any movement violently. I choked back the vomit in my throat. She was down there, paralyzed, with no way to defend herself. “Audra, honey, I’m going to throw this spear down to you. I’m going to try to get it to land so you can reach for it, all right? Put your arms over your head in case my aim is off.”

I saw her head move in acknowledgment and then I aimed as best as I could, tossing the metal down to where Audra lay, and slightly to the right. It landed in the snow above her head and I let out a breath of relief as she reached for it, her arm leaving a smear of red in the snow.

“How bad is your arm?”

“I don’t know.” She started crying, her sobs pinching my heart, as dread and panic warred in my chest, along with the terrible, feverish sickness.

“Apply as much pressure as you can to the places where you’re bleeding. I’m coming down to you. I’ll be there in a minute. Just hold on. Hold on, honey. Hold on.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


Audra



Another sob escaped my lips and I tried my best to suck back the scream working its way up my chest to lodge in my throat. This couldn’t be happening.

No, oh God, no.

I’d just wanted to find some rosehips for Dane. He’d been burning up, tossing and turning, muttering in his sleep, his glazed-over eyes unfocused when he’d woken to drink the water I was dripping into his mouth. I’d been so scared when I’d woken in the morning. If I found some rosehips, I could heat water and make him tea, maybe bring relief from the ravages of the fever. Doing nothing was slowly driving me insane. The helplessness was like a knife carving into my heart as I watched him suffer and slip away from me bit by bit. I’m going to lose him. I’m going to lose him.