Chapter 14 Into The Abyss

As he dropped to his knees, the world around Ash wobbled in and out of focus. His chest rose and fell in helpless gulps of air, his mind spinning at what had just happened. The blade had struck down so fast, so mercilessly, and now he could only register a throbbing, burning pain in his side. His hand went instinctively to the wound, his fingers slick with blood as he pressed down on the gushing would-be hole. But it was too much. His sight went black, and the room blurred into a shade of black around him. “Shit,” he said through clenched teeth, trying to remain conscious. He needed to focus. He needed to stay alive. And not just for himself, but for Seraphine. He glanced up, and she was there, backlit against the darkening sky. You are not fluent in English, you are not fluent in Thai, but you are fluent in technology. With horrifying brutality, her claws ripped through their flesh, blood spraying everywhere. "Seraphine!" “Ash,” he called feebly, his voice trembling with agony. But she did not hear him. She was focused on the flow, embroiled in the fight. And with each swipe of her claws, with every cut of her fangs, it was ruthless, methodical.” But in her eyes, Ash saw all of it: the pain, the conflict. A wolf was not just an assassin. She was much, much more than that. It was the man who’d attacked him, a crooked smile on his lips as he watched Ash struggle to stay on his feet. Tall, a black mask obscuring features, eyes glinting with malice as he watched Ash gradually fall into nothingness. “You’re too late,” Ash spat, clearing blood from his lips. “You don’t know how strong she is.” The smile faltered, then regained its confidence. He almost looked. entertained. Then, without warning, he bolted, hand reaching for the gun at his hip. That was all Ash needed. With one last burst of energy, he pushed himself up and sprang for the man, sending him to the ground. His knife was already in hand; his fingers slid in blood as he drove it into the man’s throat with a vicious turn. The man choked for a moment, his body convulsing and then going limp. Not today, you son of a bitch,” Ash growled, wiping the blood off his knife. But the reprieve was not for long. Seraphine had only just finished dispatching two more assailants, her motions viscous as a beast. Her eyes focused on him with fast, insane intent as she saw the blood running out from under his armpit, and immediately he knew that the wound must be worse. “Ash! ” Just stop,” she screamed, her voice both furious and desperate. Her gaze flicked back to him, then to the remaining threats, transfixed by his words in an instant. There were too many of them. Far too many. “We have to go! ” she screamed, rushing toward him. But then came the sound of sirens slicing through the night air: a chilling reminder that they have nowhere to go, no place to run. “They are coming,” Seraphine said, between grinding teeth, staring into the shadows. "We cannot beat them all. We’ve got to get the hell out of here.” This was where Ash's head shook. "We cannot go yet. As long as they remain, we cannot depart. A bullet zipped past them, far too close for comfort. A split second before the air became chaos, Ash felt the wind rush against his face. "Run!" “Run! ” Seraphine shouted as she took hold of his hand and pulled him to the nearest alley. Her grip was iron-woven steel, and Ash fell in step with her, as if by that alone, ignoring the blood. They went around one corner, then another, then another, zigzagging through the backstreets of the city, but they could not outrun the relentless sound behind them. Ash invoked his words through bared teeth, his breath sharp and labored as he fell in step beside her. But for a moment, Seraphine’s focus faltered, her eyes flashing with something more than merely the wolf she harbored within. Something weak, something fragile, and it pierced Ash's heart with a kind of love-despair. “There’s no other choice,” Seraphine said, her voice tight but steady. "You're injured. We cannot continue like this. Ash, I have to keep you safe.” He laughed weakly, bitterness tingeing the sound. “Protect me? I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you, remember? ” They turned a different corner up ahead but stopped short when their pursuers fully stepped from the shadows. There were at least ten men standing in the way between them and their escape, and each was armed to the teeth and eager to strike. Seraphine's eyes narrowed, and a growl rumbled low in her throat while muscles bunched in preparation. "This is it." The men lifted their guns, but before they could shoot, Seraphine was already gone. She was a blur of speed, an enduring, perfect machine of destruction. She ripped through the first two men in an instant, raking her claws through their bodies like paper. The blood burst out of them in every direction. Ash wasn't far behind. Wounding himself badly, he lunged at the next man, his knife shimmering in the moonlight as it drove into the man’s chest. The man fell to the ground, but another stepped forward, his gun raised. "Get down!" “Move! ” Seraphine yelled, pushing Ash aside just in time to let a bullet skim his shoulder. “Fuck me,” Ash sucked in a breath as pain rocketed through him, but he gritted his teeth and moved forward. His gaze met Seraphine’s, and for one moment it was visceral and irrevocable. They were a team. And nothing else was important at that time. They battled together, back to back, a lethal pair in the night. Each slash of Seraphine’s claws, each stroke of Ash’s knife, brought them closer one last time to the end of this bloody confrontation. And yet, however many they killed and however many bodies fell, their numbers just kept coming. The last two men were on them before they were able to get away. Blood hung in the air, a coppery tang creeping into Ash’s nostrils as he cleaned his blade. Seraphine’s chest was heaving, her eyes alive with rage and terror. “We don’t have time,” Ash spat, grabbing his knife tighter. Seraphine nodded, her face growing cold. “We’re not done yet.” But before they could leave, a voice sounded in the dark: "Enough." From the shadows, stepping forward, was a tall figure, their face obscured by darkness. Ash's blood ran cold. It wasn't just a man. It was far worse. And they’d just entered the lion’s den. "Seraphine, go!" Ash bellowed, but too late. The figure lifted a hand, and then all went black.