“Aren’t you interesting?” Camille sneered. “Did Shane ever mention that we were to be mates? That he took The Oath? Oh, I’m sure he has shared we are lovers, right?”
“I know everything about you,” Samantha said, her voice calm. “Apparently, he didn’t want you enough to go through with it, did he?”
“Bitch!” Camille yelled. “He is mine, and he always will be! You’re only his playmate, just like the others. Look at you. You’re pathetic. You can’t satisfy his needs like I can. He’s wild in bed, and somebody as timid as you can never bring him to ecstasy.” She then grabbed Samantha and made her face Shane. “Tell her, darling, tell her what we used to do in bed. Tell her how I had you begging for more.”
“Let her go, Camille,” Shane commanded, now back on his feet. “You can do whatever you please with me. Your beef is with me, not her.”
“No, Shane, you will watch your little human infatuation die.” Slowly, she began to tighten her arms around Samantha’s torso.
As he watched Samantha grimace in pain, Shane knew it was a matter of minutes before Camille crushed all of her bones. Desperate, he pulled the bow gun out. “All I have to do is squeeze this trigger. My aim is good enough, so you know I won’t miss. This arrow is pointed right to your head. It may not kill you, but it’ll hurt like a bitch.”
“You dare threaten me?” Camille threw Samantha across the rugged terrain.
Shane wanted to run to Samantha to make sure she was okay since it seemed like she’d lost consciousness. Instead, he kept his aim on Camille, not faltering his gaze.
“How dare you! I gave you my heart!” she yelled.
When she lunged toward him, Shane squeezed the trigger and the metal arrow flew toward Camille. Although he had it aimed at her heart, she shifted at the last second and it scraped her wing. Camille screamed, but she continued to charge at Shane. There was no time to shoot another arrow, and trying to outrun her was out of the question. Shane pulled his dagger out, preparing himself for the fight. Within seconds, Camille was on top of him, claws and teeth out. Shane struck with the dagger, but he only got her shoulder.
Shrieking in pain, Camille leaped off him, and yanking the dagger out of her, she threw it across the ground. “You will die, Shane!”
As she charged him again, Shane quickly tried to use his bow and arrow. He knew it was useless, though, because Camille would be on top of him before he’d even be able to load it. His one foot was already out death’s door, and whereas he had no fear of dying, his only regret was Samantha.
Camille’s eyes were red with fury. Shane prepared himself to battle her. Although he wouldn’t be able to beat her, he certainly was not going to go down without a fight. As soon as she leaped toward him, he swung with his fists and kicked with his legs. Camille landed on top of him, pinning him down. Her arm swung to strike him with her claws, but he grabbed her wrist with both of his hands, trying to hold her back.
Releasing something that sounded like a mixture of laughter and scream, Camille’s other arm rose to strike. Shane prepared himself for the inevitable since both of his hands were still holding her other arm. But before she could strike the fatal blow, Camille squealed in pain, her eyes widening in disbelief. Taking advantage of it, Shane kicked hard, rolling out from under her and retreating back to create distance between them.
Shocked to see an arrow embedded on Camille’s back, Shane’s eyes found Samantha. She stood with the bow in her hand, her eyes intense and focused. As small as she was, she looked more powerful than anybody he had ever seen. Before he could process anything further, Samantha sprinted toward Camille, her dagger in her hand.
Although Camille was staggering in pain, Samantha was no match for her. Afraid she would get hurt, Shane ran toward them as well. Before he could reach them, Samantha had already leaped toward Camille, landing on top of her. The force must have thrown Camille off balance because she was flat on her back with Samantha on top of her. As the arrow dug deeper into Camille, Samantha struck the blade into Camille’s heart without hesitation. Camille released one last scream right before her heart stopped beating.
Completely taken aback by what he had just witnessed, Shane reached Samantha and pulled her off Camille. As if shocked herself, Samantha tried to wrench herself out of his hold.
“Shh, it’s me, Sammy. Look at me.” He turned her face toward him, and soon the blaze in her eyes slowly diminished as recognition set in.
“Is she dead?” she whispered.
“Yes, she is. We have to go.”
“I’ve never killed anybody before.” Samantha’s voice quivered as tears gathered in her eyes. Shane knew she was shaken up, but he also knew it was dangerous to remain there.
“You did what you had to do. You were brave, Sammy. Let’s go. We have to get out of here.” Shane took her hand and grabbed his dagger before running from Camille’s corpse. Even with their past history, Shane didn’t feel an ounce of sorrow over Camille’s death, knowing she had always been manipulative and evil.
His focus was to keep Samantha alive. They couldn’t afford to run into Camille’s brothers. Although he was completely in awe of what Samantha had done, he simply had no time to make any sense of the events. After they ran for another twenty minutes, both were breathless. He stopped to give Samantha some water, and looked around to see where they could hide out.
“How much longer before sunrise do you think?” Samantha asked again, trying to catch her breath.
“Maybe an hour? Maybe two?” Shane said. “Tell me, Sammy, how did you do that back there? You need a lot of strength and precision to operate that bow and arrow. Besides that, to actually pierce through a gargoyle’s skin with a knife is almost impossible for a human.”
“You did it with a rock to Jared,” Samantha answered, avoiding eye contact.
“He was human at that time, though. I wouldn’t have been able to if he was in his gargoyle form.”
Samantha shook her head, and her eyes seemed troubled. “I have no idea what happened back there, Shane. I know I had never been that furious…ever. And something just took over. Something happened inside me. I can’t really explain it, but I just reacted.”
Seeing her shaken up from just talking about it, Shane said, “It’s okay. We don’t need to discuss this right now. But hey, thanks for saving my ass from that crazy bitch.”
That made Samantha laugh. “She was pretty crazy. Like I said, you sure know how to pick them.”
Shane cringed. “Please don’t remind me. Come on, I think maybe we need to hideout in a tree. They may not think of looking for us in a tree. They’ll be searching for us on the ground. Can you climb one?”
“After battling that psycho back there, I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”
Chuckling under his breath, Shane found a tall tree with plenty of branches and leaves to keep them concealed. “You first, my powerful warrior,” he teased as he began to help her up. “Remind me never to piss you off.” He had no explanation for what Samantha had done, but his heart filled with pride. She was no helpless, pathetic girl. His Sammy was courageous, passionate, and fierce. Maybe they had a chance of making it through the rest of the night after all.
But, just as Samantha reached one of the lower branches, Shane heard a noise behind him. He swung around to see Luther, Jared, and Marco standing before him.
“Do you think you had killed me?” Jared sneered, his eyes furious.
Shane pulled his bow and arrow out, aiming at him. Even if he was able to take Jared out, there was no way he could fight the other two brothers at the same time. He was happy that Samantha was hidden in the tree, but knowing her, she also had her bow and arrow aimed at the brothers.
“Why have you kept me alive all this time? You had plenty of opportunities to kill me in that cave, but you didn’t. What is it that you want? And why do you have so many weapons in that tent?” Shane demanded.
“We see that you found our toys. We have big plans, Shane. Oh, and your little thr
eat is not going to work. You seem to forget, you’re a human now and no match for three gargoyles,” Luther said, stepping toward him.
“I was able to kill your sister,” Shane replied, taking the blame for her death. “I may not be able to take all three of you out, but I promise you, I will take at least one of you with me.”
The brothers seemed shocked as Shane announced Camille’s death.
“No,” Jared said. “Impossible! Don’t believe him. He’s a liar.”
“Nope, not lying. Camille’s dead. Can you even feel her anymore?” That was a sure way for them to know he was telling the truth. “I know all three of you love your lives. And you know I can take your life with this bow and arrow. The question is, which one? Since none of you would be willing to sacrifice your life, I suggest we call it a truce and go our separate ways.” Shane made one last attempt to avoid the fatal battle.
The three gargoyles flew in air, diving toward him. Shane was just about to shoot the arrow aimed for Jared, but before he could react, the brothers were tackled in mid-flight. As the powerful beings came tumbling down, Shane noticed Damien and his clan brothers were his saviors. His brother and Rennik landed on either side of Shane as the rest continued the fight.
“Glad to see you’re still alive, bro. Is Sammy safe?” Damien asked.
Shane nodded. “About time you got here.”
“We wouldn’t fail you, my brother,” Rennik chimed in. “Now, watch us kick some ass.” With that, they flew back into the battle zone.
Shane watched them with envy. What he wouldn’t do to shift into his gargoyle form and fight alongside his brothers. Instead, he drew his bow and arrow, ready to assist as needed.
Although Camille’s brothers fought with all their might, nothing could stop Damien’s fury. For the first time in a long time, Shane released a sigh of relief, seeing there were five gargoyles against three. This battle would be over soon.
Unfortunately, as soon as that thought came to him, more gargoyles arrived to join the battle. This time, they were from Jared’s clan, and to Shane’s dismay, there were eight more gargoyles attacking Damien and his clan brothers. Shane began shooting his arrow, praying Samantha would stay hidden. Before long, though, she was standing next to him, bow and arrow in her hand.
“You’ll have to tell me who the bad guys are,” she said.
Shane shot an arrow and brought one of the gargoyles down. “The gargoyles with a bit of tan and brown skin coloring are my clan brothers. The ones with the bluish tint like Jared and Camille are the bad guys.”
Samantha loaded an arrow and squeezed the trigger. Another gargoyle came down. Once they were injured, it was easier for Damien and the crew to finish them off.
The battle cries from the mighty beings boomed into the deathly still of the night as each fought fiercely. At one point, Damien tackled one of the gargoyles while in midair and brought him down. He crushed his head, and with his claws, sliced through his skin and snatched the gargoyle’s heart out. Raising it up, he released a roar of victory. His energy was contagious because the rest of his clan brothers fought even harder. It didn’t matter that they were outnumbered. They had the will and the brotherhood to keep them going. Neither would turn his back on the other; they fought for each other.
Shane was able to pierce the arrows through two gargoyles’ hearts, bringing them down. Soon, there were only five gargoyles alive from the opposite clan, including the three brothers.
Just when Shane thought they had the upper hand, a howl ricocheted in the night sky, piercing their ears. When Shane saw Camille’s father, Master Roman, he knew they were in trouble. Instinctively, he loaded another arrow, aiming it at the mighty gargoyle and hoping to take him out before any more damage could be done. But he was unable to accomplish it because in an instant, he was frozen at his spot. The rest of his clan brothers seemed to have suffered the same fate, as they also had the look of terror in their eyes and were unable to move.
“Enough!” Master Roman yelled. “You will pay for what you’ve done.”
Although Shane was not able to move, he was still able to speak. “You are not allowed to get involved. You are breaking the law, Master Roman.”
Master Roman laughed as he landed right in the middle of the battlefield. “I learned long ago not to follow the rules nor the laws.”
“You will pay for your actions. The Council will find out. I will make sure of it,” Damien said.
Turning his attention to Damien, Master Roman said, “Really? How will they ever find out if you’re all dead? You see, this was all part of the plan. Do you remember killing a gargoyle named Gaston?”
Damien blinked in surprise. “That was a very long time ago. That gargoyle killed our mother.”
“It’s interesting how you think you can take the law into your own hands. Gaston should have been brought to The Council and tried properly. Instead, you, your brother, and your father decided to take matters in your own hands and get your revenge. All three of you ganged up on him. He had no chance.”
“Our mother had no chance,” Shane yelled. “Justice was served.”
“Justice will be served now. The Council did nothing to you. As a matter of fact, your father was promoted to be a Master Gargoyle. Do you know who that gargoyle was that you killed? It was my brother. I have been planning this for years. My ancestors had built that underground cave in secret centuries ago. I thought it was a perfect place to draw you there. The plan was to wait for you with our weapons. But no matter, we are still prepared for you. I will end this here and now. I will have my revenge. I will finally take everything away from your father—everything that he has ever held dear to his heart. And I will watch him suffer.”
“We have more clan brothers coming,” Damien said. “You will be caught and The Council will find out.”
Shane wished that were true, but he had a feeling Damien was trying everything in his power to stall.
“Nobody will find out because nobody will ever know who killed you,” Master Roman continued.
“Let the rest go. If you want your revenge, then take it out on Shane and me. The rest had nothing to do with your brother’s death,” Damien said.
“The day they decided to join your fight was the day they signed their death certificates. You will all die. As a matter of fact, we will start with you as the eldest brother and the leader of the group. My son, Luther, will do the honor.”
Luther headed toward Damien with a dagger in his hand.
“No!” Shane yelled. “Don’t you dare touch him. I swear to God I’ll kill you.”
Luther laughed and circled Damien, twirling the knife in his hand. Shane’s eyes found Damien’s, and there was a silent message. A message that he was proud of Shane. A message that begged his little brother to watch over his wife and children. A message to tell them that he will always love them. And a message to tell them their daddy was brave and fought hard.
Shane thundered with rage, giving everything he had to make his body move. But, Master Roman’s powers were too strong. Shane held his breath as the knife was lifted for the fatal blow. Just as Luther was about to strike Damien’s heart with the sharp blade, an arrow shot into his back. Screaming in agony, Luther dropped the dagger. Before Shane could understand what had happened, another arrow flew, aimed at Master Roman. He was too quick, though, and easily caught the arrow in his hand.
Ignoring his son as Luther continued to screech in pain, Master Roman said, “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”
Shane’s heart sank when he realized it must have been Samantha who shot the arrows. Somehow, she was still able to move. He wanted to order her to run and not look back. Samantha, however, continued to stand next to him, holding her ground.
As Master Roman approached her, he said, “Interesting, my powers don’t work on you.”
“Leave her alone. She’s an innocent human being. At least follow our number one law to protect the humans,” Shane said. He glanced over at Damien, relie
ved that his brother was still standing in one piece. Somehow, his Sammy had saved Damien’s life, but Shane feared it might have cost her own.
Ignoring Shane, Master Roman continued to examine Samantha. “You know I could crush you in a second, child. But no, I’m suddenly curious about you. You may be of use to me.” Turning his attention to the rest, he ordered, “Finish them all off. I’ll handle the human girl.”
As the gargoyles charged toward them, Samantha tried to put her body in front of Shane to protect him. He panicked, not wanting her to witness the brutal massacre that was about to take place.
“I don’t want you here. Run, Sammy, please!” Shane begged.
She refused to budge, though, focused on fighting off anybody who would dare approach him. When Shane heard a thunderous sound from the sky, he was sure the ground shook. Just that quickly, he was able to move. Wrapping his arms around Samantha, he pulled her down to the ground, shielding her with his body. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he knew he had to protect her.
“This battle is over! You will die today, Roman.” The powerful voice filled the forest.
Instantly, Shane recognized his father’s voice. Jumping back up, he saw Master Sebastian, flying high above them.
“I’m glad you could join the party, Sebastian. Now I can finally go after my brother’s real killer,” Master Roman yelled and flew up into the sky toward him.
Both fierce beings clashed into a vicious battle, making the heavens tremble. Shane tried to see what was happening, but the Master Gargoyles were moving too fast. There was no way he or any gargoyle could help his father. They were way too powerful, and he only hoped his father was still the ferocious warrior he once knew.
As Shane looked around him, he braced himself for another battle. Jared was charging toward them, his claws out. Shane shoved Samantha behind him, and he pulled his dagger out. Right before Jared dove for him, Shane flung the blade, striking Jared in the stomach.
Howling in pain, Jared stopped in his tracks and pulled the dagger out. More furious than ever, Jared attacked Shane, landing on top of him. Samantha had shifted out of the way and jumped on Jared’s back, striking him with her own knife in the back of his neck. Again, Jared screamed in rage and threw Samantha off him. Shane watched in horror as Samantha slid across the ground, scraping up her body.
Fate's Roar (Fate Series Book 2) Page 17
