Chapter 8 The Final Play

The sound of that voice still echoed in the cave like a ghost, unsettling and cold. Time stood still, if only for a moment, and Seraphine's heart hammered in her chest, all senses heightened, her wolf instincts howling in the back of her head. She had known this moment was coming, but the reality of it still hit her like a blow. The shape stepped into the dancing light, and they saw that it was a tall man with dark eyes and a cruel smile, too calm by half, too composed. His black tactical gear blended with the shadows around him, but he maintained a proud, confident posture, sure of his dominance. I’ve considered you a thorn in my side, Seraphine,” he said, his voice cold, too calm for the danger around them. "But this ends tonight." Seraphine’s body went stiff as she studied him, muscles taut, adrenaline shooting up her spine, nerves clamoring for action. VERTICAL He was no ordinary operative. She sensed the heaviness of his presence, the dark energy he carried with him. He was not simply hunting her; he was hunting something deeper. We never intended to harm you we only seek to protect our people! cried the leader. Ash moved in front of Seraphine instinctively, glaring defiantly with burning eyes. He had stood beside her, bled beside her, and he wouldn’t let her face this alone. He was not going to let them take her from him. “You’re going to have to get past me first,” Ash said, her voice rough but firm. The knife in his hand glinted with the pale light, and despite the red droplets infecting his clothes and skin, he still looked something like digested. The man before them grinned, a touch of sarcasm in it, the flicker from Ash to Seraphine enough to murmur that "you would find that courage is not a defense." The echo of heavy boots reverberated from deep within the cave. The reinforcements were on the way. It was running out of time. Instinctively, Seraphine flexed her claws. Her body ached from the last battle, but her will was not. She could not allow them to take Ash. Not after all they had survived. They had endured too much for it to all end this way. She fell under Ash’s gaze, and for a moment, nothing else existed. Just the two of them, swept up on a whirlwind of destiny, struggling to claim a future they never had a real chance to dream of. She saw the love in his eyes—the love that had sustained them till now. “I will protect you,” Ash whispered the vow she would take to the grave. His eyes warmed for a brief second, hardening again, preparing for war. They brought Seraphine one step ahead, their eyes trained straight toward the enemy. “You’re going to have to do a whole lot more than run your mouth to get the best of me,” she said, her tone low, with a suggestion of self-confidence. A smirk twisted the man’s smile, dark and almost predatory. “My plan is to do much more than that.” He lunged at Ash, his arm outstretched, swinging for his throat without any warning. Ash drew on instinct to dodge the blow. But the man was too quick. The operative’s fist glanced off Ash’s side, smashing him into the station wall, breathless, and crashing to the floor. Seraphine went with her gut. The speed she moved was inhuman, her razor-like claws tearing through the air towards their enemy. The operative barely dodged her lethal blow, but Seraphine was relentless. She struck again, her movements a blur of movement, her fury funneled into every stab. The operative did not flinch. Instead, he appeared to relish the challenge of that, as if it were a game to him. A quick kick from him sent Seraphine crashing against the cave’s stone walls, the sickening crack of bone ringing through the dark stillness. A sting rippled through her side as she stood firm on her feet. Ash was up, already moving laboriously, his body shaking with his fatigue. He could feel himself beginning to wear down as the battle went on, but he didn’t want to buckle under it. They weren’t going to last out like this. They were desperate for a way out, but they were hemmed in on every side. Footsteps grow closer, and Seraphine’s heart sinks. More operatives. They were converging on them from all directions. “You’re not winning,” Seraphine growled at him, her wolf eyes flashing up from beneath the dark creases lined across her forehead. 'We won't back off.' The male sneered to his left, lips curling in disgust. “Want to have to kill the two of us yourself? ” He waved back into the darker shadows behind them. “On the contrary, I have something else that’s more practical. And all of a sudden the cave shook and the ground quaked beneath their feet. They heard the clank of chains and saw it; it burst forth from the dark, a monstrous beast, hulking and massive, with eyes that glowed red like smoldering embers. Seraphine gasped as she saw the beast. This was an abomination, a creature born of dark magic, its body an unspeakable warp of man and monster. Its teeth were sharp, its claws thick as banks, and it was hungry. When the man moved aside to clear the path for the creature and allowed it to finish drawing closer, a chuckle sounded from his direction. “It’s my insurance policy,” he said. "A shame. I’d pay to watch you try to throw a fight with something like that. Seraphine and Ash caught each other's gaze, their bond so clear and present as they prepared for imminent death; the beast roared, its beady eyes focused on them, muscles poised to spring. “You’re not running anymore,” said Ash, his own voice calm despite the fear that scratched at his brain. "We end this now." Seraphine nodded, spreading her claws further apart, flashing her teeth. She was already thinking of the odds, but it was one thing that could definitely not get the monster to get on them. Not now. Not when they were so close. Seraphine growled and lunged herself forward, approaching herself and the beast. She tore faster than the eye might follow, moving her claws beneath the thick skin, raking over the fur. The beast roared, but it still continued. He could be a fast-acting and mean motherfucker, as his claw slashed at her, barely grazing her. Ash was not far behind. He darted ahead, knife gleaming in the faint light, thrust towards the creature’s eyes. He stabbed it deep between the shoulder blades, but it turned its head sharply, howling with rage, and hurled him back with a swipe of its arm. Ash thudded to the ground, blood streaming from a gash on his head, only to force himself to rise again, the fire never leaving his eyes. The thing within the depths of her mind held so much more than she, so much strength and raw power, and for every time that Seraphine screamed, she responded with two minions. It was too powerful, too unwavering. The beast’s claws raked her flesh, and she screamed, both in pain and in grief, but she fought on. And then as they saw these things, the man said again in a voice dripping with cold, “Enough. Kill them." And with that, the beast lunged, its enormous jaws snapping toward Seraphine and Ash. There was no time to dodge. Time felt as if it had slowed when Seraphine flew before Ash, her claws tearing at the creature's throat just before its jaws snapped around her. The beast’s neck flowed with blood, but it was too late. The world went dark.