Chapter 4 Blood Vow

She placed a hand on her chest, feeling blood against skin when she breathed heavily, and strained her ear out to hear a voice in the air through the trees. Each breath felt torn from her lungs, but she didn’t stop. She could not halt. Ash’s breath came shallow against her side. His head lay on her lap, eyes closed, exhausted. The wound in her side, the silver knife, had slowed but not stopped her. Not yet. The distant lamps were coming closer now, the sound of the oncoming vehicles breaking the quiet. Seraphine’s pulse quickened, her heart beating hard behind her ribs as a primal instinct to protect Ash flared to life in her. The reinforcements were getting close, and they damn sure weren’t going to make the same mistake that time. “They’re nearly here,” Ash said hoarsely. "We… we need to go." She held on tighter to the side, her claws digging into the palm of her hand as she attempted to right herself. Her gaze flicked across the trees surrounding them, blackening moment by moment. There was nowhere left to run, nowhere to hide. She knew they would find them, no matter how quickly they ran or how far. The truth was, there was no getting away from what she was. Her beast was stronger than the darkness inside her, too dangerous. And with Ash beside her, the organization would never cease hunting them. They had to end this now. But how? She did not know; and as the minutes went on, it gnawed at her, eating like a parasite as she swept the horizon looking for something, anything, to give her a fighting chance. The trees were thick, the underbrush dense, but the vehicles were quick. They’d be on them in a matter of minutes. Ash closed his hand around hers, his fingers cold and trembling. She peered down at him, and for a moment, their eyes locked. He was feral, burning with a flame she’d never seen. “Seraphine,” he said, his voice resolute even as blood matted his mouth. "There's still a way out. I can help you. Together, we can get through this. The words landed on her like a punch to the chest. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe they could fight their way out of hell, that she could keep him safe and still be safe herself. Yet in her heart, she understood the price of their survival would be far beyond what they could pay. “I’m not going to let them take you,” she rasped, low and wild. Ahs shook his head, his hand grip tightening around hers. "We don't have time to argue. They're coming, Seraphine. They won't stop. But we can fight back. Together." Those words he spoke lingered between them like a pact, a tenuous bond linking their destinies. Seraphine locked her jaw, the weight of the decision made alone too heavy to bear. She didn't do this alone—not anymore. Ash was too much too important to her. “Yes,” she stiffened her determination with a rasp. "I'll fight with you. But stay close. No matter what." Ash nodded, the smile forced, pained, a slow wrench at his lips. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Again, a rumble of engines, louder now, closer. The hair standing on the back of Seraphine now bristled. The operatives were almost at their feet. Seraphine turned her head one last time at Ash, then forced herself on her feet, trembling, again so, so determined. Her senses clicked together as she plunged downwards into herself and dove into that feral power coursing under her flesh. The wolf was ready. It always was. Her talons unfurled, her muscles tense, every body part wound for the fight in front of her. She heard their footsteps, their hearts beating in time together. “They’re here,” she muttered, low and lethal. Ash was standing next to her with a grim but resolute expression on his face. He was holding up well, despite the wounds he’d received. She had to admire his resolve — he was still willing to fight, when he should be lying down, recovering. “We’re not going down easy,” he said, his voice heavy with blood. Seraphine nodded at him, and they both used the clearing to get as close as they could to the edge, letting the anticipation build for a moment before they were forced to reach their goal. The first operative emerged from the shadows, his outline breaking the trees. He was faster than the others, his stride predatory and precise. Before he could say anything, Seraphine was on top of him, claws flying through the air with a deadly pitter-patter. She got him across the chest, raking through his armor, and he howled in pain, staggering backward. Ash leapt as well, his knife shooting through the air, finding a home in the operative's throat. The man wheezed, coughing up his own blood before crumpling on the floor. Another figure came out of the woods, but it was not so easy for Seraphine this time. A bullet tore through her shoulder, the searing agony causing her to stagger. Anger roared inside her, and her body shifted of its own accord, wolf overruling human as she hurtled toward the shooter. The world slowed, her claws shredding flesh and bone, her vision sharpening as she ripped the man apart. Blood sprayed onto the pasture, staining her fur red. But it wasn't enough. The others were closing in. Ash stood beside her, moving with precision, his blade a blur through the air. But even he couldn’t keep up with the operatives, who were coming in from all sides. Seraphine’s heart raced in her chest as she fought, her body moving faster than she ever thought it could. She sensed her strength slipping, her injuries catching up with her. But she refused to stop. The clearing was a battlefield, corpses strewn about and the smell of blood and gunpowder thick in the air. The operatives were well-trained, but they were also losing. And they weren’t ready for this—not this ruthless, savage force that was Seraphine. Among them, there was one female operative with cold, piercing eyes and a wicked smile. "No!" "Seraphine shouted, foaming at the mouth with fury. But it was too late. The woman was shot. The effect was like that part where we slow down, like, everything feels like it slows down, and you hear the crack of a gunshot echo like thunder. Ash jerked back, his face a study of shock. Seraphine’s throat constricted. "No!" she shrieked once more, her voice hoarse with pain. Ash fell, his body crumpling as blood burst from the hole in his chest. Seraphine's heart shattered. She leaped at the woman with a howl, her claws sinking into the operative’s neck. She cared not at all about anything but the lust for revenge, for retribution, to make them pay. The woman fell in a heap, her body twitching before it lay still. But Seraphine didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Her blood rushed in her ears, her vision tinted with red. She had to ensure they didn’t hurt Ash again.” No one would ever get in their way. The sound of sirens filled the air; backup was finally on the way. But for Seraphine, the world had already gone to ash.