91

I flinched in pain as the wolfsbane stung and burned my fingers, hands, and forearms. Once the rope was saturated enough, I pulled them back out, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain abated to that of a minor sunburn.

My sacrifice was worth it, though. The ropes, laden with water, were looser and easier to stretch. It took nearly five minutes, but I managed to free my wrists. Rubbing them, I basked in my ingenuity for a few seconds before doing the same thing to my ankles. The sensation was equally agonizing, but knowing that it would work eased the sting a bit. In minutes, I was totally free and standing on the rock, letting my body heal. Now, I needed to find a way off this stupid rock.

The moon had already risen, and I could see it reflected in the water as I racked my brain for ideas. It was in the water that I saw the reflection of massive wings gliding silently down from the sky toward me. I frowned, then I registered the shape and knew exactly what was coming. My reflexes kicked in, and I rolled backward out of the way right as the demon’s claws raked the stone.

Scrambling to my feet, I took in the beast in front of me. A massive, grinning slab of muscle and fangs stalked toward me, its leathery wings folded on its back. So, this was one of the mad beings trapped on this island. It looked like it had walked right out of hell itself.

Before I could even try to reason with it, the thing lashed, and its three-inch-long talons slashed the air inches from my face. I stumbled backwards and nearly fell into the water, righting myself just in time. If that had made contact, it would have torn my throat out. This beast was trying to kill me. All right, then. It looked like there would be no discussion.

Jumping forward, I sent a kick into the demon’s ribs. As large as it was, my kick was strong, and it flinched and clutched at its side, moving backwards. Seizing the opportunity, I rolled forward and drove a punch deep into its inner thigh, forcing it to its knees in pain. Before I could get away, he backhanded me, sending me sprawling back on the rock. Roaring, it lunged at me. I rolled to the right as its claws dug thin grooves into the stone.

I wouldn’t have many more chances. It was too big and too strong. There were no weapons or way to flee or give myself more space to work. I needed to end this quickly. Before it could stand back up, I grabbed the thick leathery wings on his back and heaved. I put one leg behind its thighs to trip it, then yanked the beast over, flipping it over my leg. With a screech of rage, it fell into the water.

Ignoring the pain it would cause, I leaped on its back and used my hands to shove its face under. My skin was on fire as the demon thrashed beneath me. Thankfully, it was face down and couldn’t claw at me with its wickedly sharp talons. All it could do was splash and try to get its head out of the water. The rock sloped downward, meaning the demon had no way to get purchase. Its hands slipped over the algae-covered rock.

When its movements finally began to slow and weaken, another idea struck me. I yanked its head up and shook hard.

“Fly me off this rock, asshole. Otherwise, I’ll drown you.”

In the distance, another round of howls, screams, and cackles echoed across the pond. The demon chuckled, a sound like a bucket of rocks being shaken.

“The ferals are coming for you,” the demon growled. “Your best bet is to run for haven—if you know what’s good for you.”

Growling, I shoved his face back underwater. The pain was almost easy to ignore now that I was so fueled with rage. But it wasn’t the pain that was the problem; it was the paralyzing effects of the wolfsbane. With a start, I realized my fingers weren’t gripping his horns as hard as they had been.

The demon must have noticed, too. In a last desperate attempt to free himself, he flapped his great wings, catching me off guard. One wing smacked me in the face, and my hold gave way. The second wing pushed me off his back, and the thing managed to get on all fours before leaping into the air. The thwap-thwap of his wings was the only sound of his departure.

I sat, cradling my hands to my chest. The pain had completely vanished, but I couldn’t even curl my fingers into fists. It would take a few minutes of healing, then I’d be fine, but I might not have that much time.

A group of scraggly, menacing feral wolves came stalking out of the trees, their eyes locked on me like I was a juicy steak. They howled and snapped at me. Even in the distance, they looked terrifying. For a moment, I was happy the pond was poisoned. At least the damn things couldn’t paddle over and try to feast on me.

From behind the ferals, another set of howls echoed from the trees. An instant later, two alphas leaped out and began attacking the ferals. One I knew on sight. Wyatt. His muscular wolf was easy to remember. I wasn’t sure about the other, but I thought it might be Mika. I’d seen him in wolf form earlier at the swamp.

The two new arrivals snapped and bit at the ferals, pushing them farther back from the edge of the pond. The five ferals were doing their best to separate Wyatt and Mika, trying to single them out to make fighting easier.

The feeling was returning to my fingers, and I had my hands clenched into fists, wishing I could join the fight and help them. Three of the wolves snapped at Mika, and he lunged at them, his teeth sinking into a throat. He snapped his head back and forth twice, and even from here, I heard the neck snap. The feral shifter’s body thudded to the ground, and the two others bolted into the jungle. Mika, in a bloodlust, sprinted after them, leaving Wyatt alone to fight the other two.