The Savage Grace
Page 88
I scrambled to my feet, ready to charge at Caleb. Two Gelals grabbed me by the right arm, and two Ahks grabbed my left.
“Where is he?” I seethed at Caleb. “Where is James? I came; I’ve fought. Just like you wanted. You said you’d bring him! Now where is he?”
Caleb leaned in close. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
I screamed and tried to smash my head into Caleb’s face, but the demons holding my arms yanked me back. They pulled so hard it felt like they were attempting to rip me in half.
Caleb snorted. “You think you’re strong enough to take me on?”
I grunted with pain. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? That’s why you wanted me in the ring, so you could fight me yourself?”
“I wanted you in the ring so I could destroy you myself. One way or the other.” He licked his lips. “You came into my house. You stole some of my boys. You made me have to leave my place. And now you will pay. I’ll kill you myself, and then Daniel, in front of everyone. And all will know that Caleb Kalbi is the strongest Urbat.”
Caleb’s own words confirmed what I’d suspected all along. We’d humiliated him in his house, in front of his pack, and now he wanted the ultimate payback, in the most public form possible. To save face in front of the Urbat world.
That’s why he didn’t kill us when he attacked in the night. He’d allowed us—at least in his eyes—to live until this moment. I was shocked his message hadn’t demanded that Talbot also be in the ring—since his former beta was one of his biggest betrayers. But maybe Talbot’s fighting had already been a given in Caleb’s mind. Like Daniel being in the ring was.
My thoughts flitted to my friends. I had no idea what was happening to them outside the circle of demons that surrounded Caleb and me.
Caleb snapped his fingers. The Akhs and Gelals yanked on my arms in opposite directions again. I screamed.
Caleb frowned at me with disappointment. “You’re too weak,” he said, circling me. “You’re taking the enjoyment out of this for me. You’re too human. Not enough fight. Not enough power. You should let your wolf come out and play.” He smiled wide and evil. “Then we could really have some fun.”
The mention of my inner wolf made it go crazy inside my head. It wanted nothing more than to take Caleb on. Let me out! it shrieked. Embrace me.
My body convulsed, and I looked up at the moon. Half of its surface was stained a bright bloodred now, its power increasing. I felt like it was crashing in on me. I tried to concentrate on the moonstones in my ears. But their pulse felt so faint compared to the screams of the wolf in my head, compared to the power of the eclipse.
Let me free!
I thought about what Talbot had said about channeling the power of the eclipse. I arched my head back toward the moon, soaking in its rays.
“Stop fighting it,” Caleb said. “I can see it in your eyes. You want to. Embrace the power.”
“I’ll show you power,” I said, concentrating energy into my arms. I bent them in and then flung them out. Sending the Ahks and Gelals who’d been holding me soaring into the air. They crashed outside of the ring, and two of the guardsmen went after them with their spears. Caleb barked an order, and the rest of his demons came at me. I lunged for one of the tiki torches, yanked it from the ground, and staked it through three of the demons at once. The two Gelals and the black wolf that remained shrieked and ran from the battlefield, disappearing into the corn maze beyond the challenging ring.
Caleb stood alone, no longer surrounded by his demon followers. He roared and threw himself to the ground, almost as if in a tantrum, but instead of kicking and screaming, he shifted into a colossal tan-and-gray wolf. He clawed at the ground with his massive paws as he pushed himself up with his front legs. He stood on all fours, his body seething with power, as he glowered down at me. His jaws opened, and he growled, revealing teeth as long as my thumbs.
I took a step back.
Oh. Freaking. Crap.
Caleb sent a clawed paw swiping at me. I spun out of the way, grabbed another tiki torch, and jumped on top of the hulking wolf’s back before he could turn his body around. I hit him over the head with the torch, but all it did was shatter into thin strips of bamboo. The wolf reared and bucked, trying to throw me off, as he spun around. I caught flashes of my friends as the beast turned, still grappling in their own battles with giant wolves.
The wolf finally flipped me off, and I went sailing over his head and slammed into the wood platform at the epicenter of the ring. I felt my right leg crack in at least three different places as it smacked against the edge.
I heard a shout and saw Jude go running at Caleb. He’d found my broadsword and swung it at Caleb, only to be swatted away by one of Caleb’s clawed paws. Jude flew several yards and landed on his side.
The tan-and-gray wolf charged at the platform. I heard running footsteps behind me. I glanced back and saw Daniel rushing at the back of the platform. The wolf lunged into the air, just as Daniel jumped at the edge of the platform and used it to launch himself right at the wolf. The two collided several feet above me, and Daniel sent several kicks and punches into the wolf, propelling him forward in the air. The wolf wrapped his paws around Daniel, and the two went crashing to the ground. The wolf let go on impact, and Daniel rolled away. He stood, his body in a stance to take another attack from the tan-and-gray wolf.
I heard a scream of rage and saw Talbot run his sword into a large black wolf near the barn. He pulled the bloody blade from its body and came sailing in our direction, swinging his sword above him with a battle cry.
The tan-and-gray wolf lunged at Daniel again. Daniel did an aerial side flip—like a cartwheel in midair—and as he twisted around, he caught the wolf’s neck between his feet. He flipped the wolf around in the air by his head. Daniel let go and miraculously landed on his feet as the wolf was sent spinning away. It slammed into the ground right in Talbot’s path.
Talbot thrust his sword down at the wolf’s chest.
“No!” Daniel shouted at Talbot. “Caleb is mine!”
The tan-and-gray wolf rolled away and Talbot’s sword drove deep into the ground. “Caleb killed my parents!” Talbot shouted, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.” He let go the sword and flung himself at the wolf, pummeling at it with his bare fists.
“Where is he?” I seethed at Caleb. “Where is James? I came; I’ve fought. Just like you wanted. You said you’d bring him! Now where is he?”
Caleb leaned in close. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
I screamed and tried to smash my head into Caleb’s face, but the demons holding my arms yanked me back. They pulled so hard it felt like they were attempting to rip me in half.
Caleb snorted. “You think you’re strong enough to take me on?”
I grunted with pain. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? That’s why you wanted me in the ring, so you could fight me yourself?”
“I wanted you in the ring so I could destroy you myself. One way or the other.” He licked his lips. “You came into my house. You stole some of my boys. You made me have to leave my place. And now you will pay. I’ll kill you myself, and then Daniel, in front of everyone. And all will know that Caleb Kalbi is the strongest Urbat.”
Caleb’s own words confirmed what I’d suspected all along. We’d humiliated him in his house, in front of his pack, and now he wanted the ultimate payback, in the most public form possible. To save face in front of the Urbat world.
That’s why he didn’t kill us when he attacked in the night. He’d allowed us—at least in his eyes—to live until this moment. I was shocked his message hadn’t demanded that Talbot also be in the ring—since his former beta was one of his biggest betrayers. But maybe Talbot’s fighting had already been a given in Caleb’s mind. Like Daniel being in the ring was.
My thoughts flitted to my friends. I had no idea what was happening to them outside the circle of demons that surrounded Caleb and me.
Caleb snapped his fingers. The Akhs and Gelals yanked on my arms in opposite directions again. I screamed.
Caleb frowned at me with disappointment. “You’re too weak,” he said, circling me. “You’re taking the enjoyment out of this for me. You’re too human. Not enough fight. Not enough power. You should let your wolf come out and play.” He smiled wide and evil. “Then we could really have some fun.”
The mention of my inner wolf made it go crazy inside my head. It wanted nothing more than to take Caleb on. Let me out! it shrieked. Embrace me.
My body convulsed, and I looked up at the moon. Half of its surface was stained a bright bloodred now, its power increasing. I felt like it was crashing in on me. I tried to concentrate on the moonstones in my ears. But their pulse felt so faint compared to the screams of the wolf in my head, compared to the power of the eclipse.
Let me free!
I thought about what Talbot had said about channeling the power of the eclipse. I arched my head back toward the moon, soaking in its rays.
“Stop fighting it,” Caleb said. “I can see it in your eyes. You want to. Embrace the power.”
“I’ll show you power,” I said, concentrating energy into my arms. I bent them in and then flung them out. Sending the Ahks and Gelals who’d been holding me soaring into the air. They crashed outside of the ring, and two of the guardsmen went after them with their spears. Caleb barked an order, and the rest of his demons came at me. I lunged for one of the tiki torches, yanked it from the ground, and staked it through three of the demons at once. The two Gelals and the black wolf that remained shrieked and ran from the battlefield, disappearing into the corn maze beyond the challenging ring.
Caleb stood alone, no longer surrounded by his demon followers. He roared and threw himself to the ground, almost as if in a tantrum, but instead of kicking and screaming, he shifted into a colossal tan-and-gray wolf. He clawed at the ground with his massive paws as he pushed himself up with his front legs. He stood on all fours, his body seething with power, as he glowered down at me. His jaws opened, and he growled, revealing teeth as long as my thumbs.
I took a step back.
Oh. Freaking. Crap.
Caleb sent a clawed paw swiping at me. I spun out of the way, grabbed another tiki torch, and jumped on top of the hulking wolf’s back before he could turn his body around. I hit him over the head with the torch, but all it did was shatter into thin strips of bamboo. The wolf reared and bucked, trying to throw me off, as he spun around. I caught flashes of my friends as the beast turned, still grappling in their own battles with giant wolves.
The wolf finally flipped me off, and I went sailing over his head and slammed into the wood platform at the epicenter of the ring. I felt my right leg crack in at least three different places as it smacked against the edge.
I heard a shout and saw Jude go running at Caleb. He’d found my broadsword and swung it at Caleb, only to be swatted away by one of Caleb’s clawed paws. Jude flew several yards and landed on his side.
The tan-and-gray wolf charged at the platform. I heard running footsteps behind me. I glanced back and saw Daniel rushing at the back of the platform. The wolf lunged into the air, just as Daniel jumped at the edge of the platform and used it to launch himself right at the wolf. The two collided several feet above me, and Daniel sent several kicks and punches into the wolf, propelling him forward in the air. The wolf wrapped his paws around Daniel, and the two went crashing to the ground. The wolf let go on impact, and Daniel rolled away. He stood, his body in a stance to take another attack from the tan-and-gray wolf.
I heard a scream of rage and saw Talbot run his sword into a large black wolf near the barn. He pulled the bloody blade from its body and came sailing in our direction, swinging his sword above him with a battle cry.
The tan-and-gray wolf lunged at Daniel again. Daniel did an aerial side flip—like a cartwheel in midair—and as he twisted around, he caught the wolf’s neck between his feet. He flipped the wolf around in the air by his head. Daniel let go and miraculously landed on his feet as the wolf was sent spinning away. It slammed into the ground right in Talbot’s path.
Talbot thrust his sword down at the wolf’s chest.
“No!” Daniel shouted at Talbot. “Caleb is mine!”
The tan-and-gray wolf rolled away and Talbot’s sword drove deep into the ground. “Caleb killed my parents!” Talbot shouted, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.” He let go the sword and flung himself at the wolf, pummeling at it with his bare fists.
