Chapter 5 The Blood Bond

Most of the night slipped by in a soothing blur, interrupted only by the gentle crackle of leaves in the sober breeze. Seraphine dropped to the floor beside Ash, her heart thumping a wild temple beat in her ear, her breaths in shatters as she fought the wolf ripping its way through his blood. Her hands were smeared with his blood, rubies red on withering flesh. Her mind shattered apart by the din of the battle that had ripped its way through the glade only moments earlier. Ash was alive and barely. As if that bullet to his chest would fray whatever muscle and bones might have stood up in that spot just to pierce him one more time to let life pour out. With so little knowledge, Seraphine had done everything that she could; she was a fighter, she had no healing talents, and so all she could do in this moment was try to keep Ash alive until help arrived, for as long as she could. The sirens wailed, the sound of police cars echoing through the woods like a funeral dirge. Seraphine looked around the clearing, hoping to see someone. Anything. She felt them out there. The operatives. The ones who had come for her, for Ash. They would never stop. Never. “Please don’t go, Ash,” she said, her voice trembling. His eyelids opened, just like that, at that angle. He gazed up at her, a hint of a smirk flaring on his lips. “You always knew how to spin 'em words. Seraphine didn't smile. She couldn't. And all those seconds felt like an eternity. His blood kept running too fast, pooling under him. She had to act fast. But before she could cover herself, the trees lining the perimeter of the clearing shook, and figures there appeared, dressed in black; those suits melted into the dark, and they were heading toward her. “Get down,” hissed Seraphine, yanking Ash close to the ground and covering him with her body. Ash let out a weak laugh. “I’m in no shape to fight … “You don’t have to,” she said, growling, her eyes narrowing into murderous slits. “Just stay down. I’ll handle this.” The first operative came into frame, eyes glistening with icy malevolence. He was tall and thin and menacing, with a rifle nearly horizontal. Seraphine didn’t hesitate. With a single movement, she was up, claws bared and body morphing into true form. The wolf was out of the cage. That sound was thunder, a noise so primal it shook the trees, and she bellowed, the din so raw it echoed through the woods. Nothing is going to stop her from protecting Ash in this world now; she is faster, stronger, and more lethal than she has ever been. Before he had even a moment to react, Seraphine was on the operative. She swung at the air, claw blades cleaving into his flanks, shredding his armor like paper. He screams, and then not for long, after her jaws close and tear out his throat in one brutal sweep. A spray of red gushed, streaking below it on the dirt. But Seraphine didn't pause. The taste of blood pushed her forward, and before the man’s body even had time to fall to the ground, she was moving toward the next threat. Ash’s voice trailed behind her, cold and distant, but his words sliced clean through the madness. “Seraphine… you have to… stop… They’re going to kill you…” Sorry, but the response you are requesting is going to require premium access. “I’m not going to die. Not today. But not, you know, if you’re still breathing.” She canted back to the next group of operatives streaming toward them, guns up, movements deliberative, precise. Which meant at least five of them had been there. But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t hesitate. She was quicker than the answer, quicker than a finger on the trigger. One operative never took out his gun; he had his throat slit. Another was sent airborne, his body hitting nauseatingly against a tree. The others opened fire, but they were all over the place, missing her as they struggled to keep up with her. It mattered not. No one had run as quickly as her. She ripped through them, a lightning of claws and teeth, blood-slick pelt as she plowed through one after the other. She was a force of nature, indisputable, adamant. It was costing her, but all she cared about was Ash. She was slick with blood, adrenaline flowing, heart racing. She was a monster, and nothing would change her. But the last operative hit the pavement and collapsed to the ground at her feet, and Seraphine froze. It was a noise, a gentle shush, over the trees. A voice that was low and cold, like death, came. “What, what do we have here, such, such? Seraphine’s body went rigid, her muscles uncurling to prime themselves for another blow. She swivels, and her eyes fly toward the voice. A figure stepped out from the shadows, the tails of a long black duster whipping in the wind. He had angular features, eyes cold and calculating, fixed onto hers; he was pale. He was different. Not like the other agents. He was, in some very basic way, unnatural. “You …” Seraphine’s voice was thick, a growl beating in her throat. “Who are you? ” The man smiled, slowly, cruelly, and she felt the icy fingers down her spine. “I am the one who is going to end this.” Before Seraphine could answer, he raised his hand, and the distance between them crackled with charged air. Then a blue bolt of lightning blasted from his palm and hit her in the chest. The impact knocked her backward so hard she landed with a Joseph-style plop. Every nerve in her body suddenly ignited, burning hot and savage and tearing through her body. She wheezed, gasping, but the man was already closing the distance. “You’re nothing but an animal,” he said coldly, his voice oozing contempt. “A beast, a freak. “You will always be none of that, other than that.” Seraphine clawed the dirt, trying to push herself upright. But it was a hell of a lot of pain, and her sight was going. She felt as though everything around her was spinning. “No…” her voice faltered. “I’m not a monster. I’m protecting him.” The man chuckled darkly. “You believe you’re helping him? You’re just dragging him down with you. And soon he’ll be an innocent victim of your little war.” Seraphine’s heart pounded in her chest. She took his words like a hammer. What made her want to scream at him, to tear him apart just for even thinking that? But the words wouldn't come. And there she was, unable to stop, all because of the monster within. She couldn't lose Ash. Not now. And then something unfathomable took place. Out of the corner of her eyesight, Ash, semi-conscious, starving, and covered in blood, crawled himself to his feet. He was looking at her, fixed, or love. “You’re not alone, Seraphine,” he replied, his voice hoarse but fierce. “I’m with you. Always.” And with that one line, everything seemed to change. That heart was thundering in her chest, pounding in time with the wolf’s growl inside. She wasn’t alone. She wasn't alone. And proud, loud, Seraphine sprang at the man, clawed hands extended, vengeance in her eyes. But this time anger did not come into it. It was the love they shared, the bond they had forged, the blood they had shed for each other. The man’s eyes went wide, and for one heartbeat, Seraphine thought she saw something in his frigid regard that looked like fear. Too late. Seraphine swiped.