“They aren’t stupid,” Lance said as he broke from the group. “I say Cal and I beat them back. Give them a taste of metal.”
Kelly shook her head, her hand on Lance’s biceps. “Look closer.” She nodded ahead.
Hannah squinted into the dark recess of the forest and gasped. “Holy shit.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment to assess the level of aggression and was walloped immediately. “There are hundreds of them,” she said as she snapped her eyes open.
“Reinforcements would be really fucking great right about now,” Ariana said.
A rock came flying, knocking Kelly’s legs out from under her. She went down with a grunt, her bow flying in front of her as she braced herself.
“Fuck this!” Aubrey dropped her sword and unlatched her bow. “Come on, beastie, I’ve got something for you.” She let the arrow fly, her aim true. A long howl came out of the woods, screaming with pain. “They aren’t all out of range.”
Aubrey took a rock to the arm, sending her careening backward.
“They’re taking out the archers,” Lance shouted. “Hannah, duck!”
Hannah dropped down to a crouch as another rock hit the tree behind her, smashing the bark like it was paper.
“We need to go on the offensive, now,” Cal shouted as he bolted from the group, Morgan moving behind him.
“Hannah, whatever you can do to calm this situation down, would be great,” Kelly said. Lance helped her to her feet, giving her her bow. “You okay, Aubrey?”
Bree nodded, rubbing her arm before rotating it. “Motherfuckers. I think my bow arm is out of commission though.” She pulled her sword from her back. “Good thing I’m ambidextrous.”
“Get up in a tree, Hannah,” Lance said. “Best place for you to do your thing.”
Hannah shook her head. “I’m not stepping out of the fight. Not this time.” She lifted her bow. “You get the beasts into range and I’ll get the arrow where it needs to go.”
She positioned herself on the other side of Darcy while Kelly took the flank position. Summer, with her blades, was at the back.
“Lance, Ariana, go.” Kelly turned to Aubrey. “We need you out there.”
Aubrey snatched a short knife from her waist and held it in her other hand, wincing as she curled her fingers around the hilt. “I’m going to find the rock thrower and take him out.” She bolted after Lance, disappearing in the forest, lost among the foliage.
“Hannah, there.” Kelly motioned to the left. “They’re coming closer.”
Hannah took aim, looking for movement, hoping to hell she wasn’t targeting someone on her side. She let the arrow fly, knew it hit—just wasn’t sure if it hit true.
She closed her eyes for only a second trying to get a jolt of whatever was out there and felt something whiz by her head. She snapped her eyes open, ducking in time to avoid another rock to the head. Okay, so that wasn’t going to work. She glanced up, looking at the tree Lance had pointed to. There were branches she could sit on but that would leave the girls vulnerable on her side.
Movement caught her eye—a beast moving stealthily, in and out of the darkness, covered by the trees. She’d never hit him in time. She moved her bow, took aim again, and focused on seeing the emotions coming from the beast in the trees. She could feel it, rage, pounding at her from all sides but nothing to pinpoint location. She concentrated harder, willing herself to see the colors like she did when she closed her eyes.
The faintest of reds was like a beacon. She squinted, took aim, and let the arrow go. There was a yelp, followed by a low moan. Pain, the color of blood, ebbed from that direction.
“I hit it,” she whispered with awe. And she’d used her powers at the same time.
“I did it, Kelly, I did—” As she turned to look at Kelly, something knocked into her chest, taking her breath away.
She turned her head back as a clawed hand encircled her throat, lifting her from the ground.
“That hurt,” the beast growled in her face. “You poisonous filthy bitch.” He leaned in closer. “If I’m gonna die, you’re going to die too. Unlike you, whore, I can come back.” He bared his fangs, growling as he moved to rip her throat out.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Going through the portal hadn’t been pleasant. Not painful exactly—it kind of felt like something really important was being ripped from deep, deep inside. A soul? Mayhem didn’t know, but the second he passed into Tartarus, his view of the world and how things worked changed.
It took a lot of concentration to keep his mind on the plan when his beast just wanted to hunt. Like a predator seeking prey, ready for a game. He touched the thread that connected him to Hannah. She would keep him balanced—he could rely on that to some extent.
The air was oppressive, like breathing in a thick fog of humidity. Toxic as it burned into his lungs. His flesh felt like it was on fire too. Not unbearable—not yet. Kind of like the beginning of a sunburn that you knew was going to get worse the longer you went without shade. He didn’t plan on spending more time than was necessary in Tartarus.
He nodded over at Jay and then Dy, looking for any sign of lashing out or going feral. Both beasts returned his stare with a nod in return. Cognizant and aware. Nothing animalistic happening yet. The plan was still in play.
Mayhem surveyed the area. They’d entered a lush forest, like how he imagined the Amazon looked. So thick that it was impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. Bad news if they were being watched, as it gave excellent cover. Good news if no one realized they were there. He motioned the pack forward, taking them off what passed for a beaten track. So many beasts had come through since the portal was open that there was dirt where there should have been nothing but green. He felt the portal behind him, like a beacon. He’d be able to find it later if he lost his way, that was for sure. It felt like it was pulling him back, keeping him from venturing too far.
“No sun,” Dy grumbled, pointing a gnarled claw upward.
Mayhem followed Dy’s hand and saw what he meant. Nothing to see in the sky but a strange glow that radiated from the tops of the trees. Iridescent and creepy as all hell, it seemed to pulse and sway. It kind of looked like the aurora borealis, giving off lashes of heat as it spiked through the sky but with no actual source to be seen. Was it the sun? Some warped version of a star just below the horizon?
“Not natural,” Mayhem grunted. He moved farther in, slashing away the branches that got in his way, the smell coming off everything was sulphuric. Like he was in hell. Which he supposed he was.
“Feels bad in here,” Jay said as he raked his claws over his arms. “Skin hurts.”
Mayhem nodded, his own discomfort increasing. Yeah, they needed to get the fuck outta there as soon as possible. “Follow the path.” He had no doubt that Lazarus wouldn’t sit tight in the hellhole any longer than he had to. He’d be on that path headed back to the living realm for sure. Especially if he felt the same magnetic pull that Mayhem did.
But the problem wasn’t finding Lazarus. He needed to find Raven and for that, he needed to tap into the hive mind and hope Raven was listening.
A loud rumble echoed around them, shaking the ground. Mayhem lifted his hand for them to stop, hunkering down with them at his back. He peered through the foliage, trying his best to remain hidden, but with his huge bulk, it was difficult. He pushed his snout through and narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth. There was nothing on the path. Not yet. He shifted the air, smelled wet fur, and knew something beastly was on the way.
“Will try to contact Raven,” he said to the others, using the mental link they now shared.
“You lead, we’ll follow,” Jay replied.
Mayhem glanced over his shoulder and met Jay’s yellow stare. “Be alert.”
Jay nodded.
Mayhem focused on Raven, turning his thoughts inward, looking for that link, the t
hread that bound them all together. He could sense Jay’s and Dy’s, could feel the vibrancy of their connection to him. It pulsed with loyalty and fierce support. There was another one there—a gentler one. Hannah keeping him calm, pushing her love, her fear for him only a little blip. She was doing well to keep things under control. He closed his eyes and dug deeper.
“Raven,” he called. “Find me.”
Nothing.
He concentrated harder, envisioned Raven, his vibrant presence that was so badly missed. He let those feelings radiate. When he’d thought Raven was dead, when he’d thought he’d never see his pack mate again, it felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. It felt like he’d failed in the ultimate way. He’d let a member of his pack die. A catalyst that he knew would destroy the rest of them. If he’d been a better alpha, stronger, it would never have happened.
Second chances. Bring him back.
“Raven,” he called again. “It’s time to go home.”
There was a pulse in response, faint, shaky, but it felt like Raven. Mayhem opened his eyes to see movement in the distance, bodies breaking through the brush. “Beasts,” he hissed.
“Coming to the portal.” Jay pushed up, standing so he could see better. “Feels like Lazarus.”
“Fuck,” Dy muttered.
“Got Raven up here.” Jay tapped his head with a claw. “Can find him faster.”
Mayhem stood to face Jay. “You heard him?”
Jay shook his head. “Feel him.” He tapped his head and then his heart. “Can find him. Leave you to take out Lazarus.”
Mayhem followed Jay’s thread, checking for duplicity.
The ground thundered again, drawing Mayhem’s attention back to the trail.
“Lazarus isn’t alone,” Dy growled.
Mayhem looked back toward the portal, less than a hundred feet away. “New plan.” He motioned to the other side. “You there. Dy, up there.” He pointed to a nearby tree that would give Dy a launching point. “We take them out. We all go after Raven.”
Jay gave what passed for a nod, then quickly moved into position. Dy did the same, pulling himself up onto the larger of the overhanging branches, braced to drop.
Lazarus crashed through the trees, the trail no match for his huge bulk. Mayhem shivered with anticipation, his beast revving like an engine, thumbing against his control.
Attack. Fight.
He bared his teeth, fangs extending. He’d fought Lazarus once, knew the taste of his blood.
Mayhem stepped onto the trail, chest heaving, claws at the ready.
Lazarus stopped abruptly. “Mayhem,” he said.
“Our business isn’t finished,” Mayhem growled.
Lazarus gave a snarled grin. “We should take this outside of this realm. Cross the portal.”
“No chance.”
“You are a rational beast, a worthy opponent,” Lazarus drawled as he shifted to the side like he was going to go around Mayhem. “You’d be a better partner. I have no interest in fighting you.”
Mayhem cocked his brow. Lazarus was stalling. “No interest in fighting me here. You lose, you die for good.”
Lazarus smirked again. “Indeed. Not good for either of us. You have your people to protect. I have greater plans. Why don’t we call a truce? Beast to beast, equally matched. We leave through the portal, we go our separate ways. We can coexist as separate packs with our own territory.”
“You have one of mine,” Mayhem said, not doubting for a moment that Lazarus had other plans for the other side—nothing that went along with coexistence.
Lazarus gave a wolf-like frown, feigning ignorance. “One of your pack? Nah, only those loyal to me.”
Mayhem roared, flexing his muscles and bulking himself so that he grew larger, at least two heads taller than Lazarus. “You have one of mine! Raven. I want him back.”
Lazarus looked up at him, shook his head. “You’ve been keeping your beast well hidden.” He smiled. “I could really use a soldier like you. A strong lieutenant.”
“Not interested.” Mayhem checked his thread on Raven, feeling nothing but a faint flutter.
“No?” Lazarus sighed. “My bite isn’t so bad. Your beast in there knows.” He pointed to the side of the path where Jay lay in wait. “Despite your attempt to own him, I will always have his pulse. I am his maker. You can’t override that.”
Jay came out of hiding, his eyes riveted on Lazarus. “He’s in my head, May.” He clenched his jaw, dropping to his knees. “Can’t. Fight. It.”
Lazarus growled, heaving and flexing as Mayhem had done, doubling his size in a heartbeat. He was looking down on Mayhem now, grinning with madness. “We all have our tricks.”
Mayhem gave his signal, mentally ordering the attack. Dy drove from the trees, missing Lazarus to take out the two beasts behind him.
Mayhem charged, crouching low to hit Lazarus at the knees. Lazarus swiped him across the back, tearing into his skin like it was paper. The pain drove him harder; he slammed his fist into Lazarus’s thigh as they collided, taking them both down in a mass of fur. Mayhem’s fist cracked bone, smashing hard into Lazarus’s leg as he pummeled him in the ribs. He felt fangs rip into his arm, shredding flesh as he used his back paws to better leverage himself, ignoring the pain, drilling Lazarus in the soft unprotected parts of his gut.
Mayhem allowed the rage to build, opened the flow and let it all pour out, ripping, scratching, tearing, biting. The beast took over as the pain intensified. This was life or death. One of them was not leaving this fight.
Lazarus got Mayhem on his back somehow, fangs at his throat. Mayhem dug his feet in, using his claws to rip at Lazarus’s legs, his hands holding his snout back, jaw snapping, eyes insane.
The ground vibrated. More beasts? A heavy thud made Mayhem look over Lazarus’s shoulder to see another pair of yellow eyes.
Raven. He was wild. A feral beast frothing at the mouth, fangs bared. Impossible to tell if he was friend or foe in that moment.
With the extra weight of Raven on top of Lazarus, Mayhem whooshed out a breath. Raven pulled Lazarus’s head back, fangs bared as he used brute strength to shift Lazarus away, giving Mayhem some room to move.
Mayhem twisted out from Lazarus’s grip, roaring as he slammed his fist into the king’s head, blood and spit flying. Lazarus shifted his eyes over Mayhem’s shoulder, a growl rolling out.
“Jay, no!” Dy’s voice echoed down the thread.
Mayhem ducked, felt the swipe of claws through his fur, missing his throat by a fraction.
Crouching, one clawed hand on the ground, Mayhem surveyed the odds. Raven and Jay faced off, Lazarus stood slightly bent over, nursing wounds without showing weakness. He looked ready to attack, his eyes flaring with intensity. Raven and Jay both whimpered, bodies contouring as they shifted stances away from one another to turn toward Mayhem. Dy shifted too, moving closer to his alpha. Two against three. Ferals against domesticated? It didn’t bode well.
“Last chance for alliance, Mayhem,” Lazarus growled. “Your pack is decimated anyway. Your boys are mine. Test their loyalty. Go ahead, feel where their hearts lie.”
What Mayhem felt was Hannah’s pulse of love. Right then, like she knew exactly what he needed. Her magic amplified. Mayhem grasped it tightly, sending it out to the rest of his pack.
“We are one.” Mayhem said to Jay, Raven, and Dy. “Together we fight.”
“Huntress magic will do you no good here, my friend,” Lazarus bellowed. He dove at Mayhem, trying to pin him down, trying to rip his head off.
Jay growled, something more than anger flashing in his eyes. He dove toward Mayhem too, but Raven took him out before he could, blindsiding him mid-leap. They hit the ground hard, grappling for control.
Dy jumped into the fray, a brutal battle of claw and fang, blood and spit flying.
May
hem’s pack was falling apart. Battling for control. This needed to end. Now.
“My pack!” Mayhem roared, sinking claws into Lazarus’s eyes, flipping the gigantic beast to his back, using his connection to Hannah to bolster that protective strength of his, the one that governed all things he did. No one was going to tear apart his pack. “You die.” He snarled, snapping his fangs into Lazarus’s throat, ripping him apart. Flesh came away, muscles shredded, blood spurted into Mayhem’s mouth, coating his face.
He lifted his face to the burning sky and bellowed his rage, his fear, his need to triumph and conquer. The beast that was inside of him wanted more blood, more gore. Lazarus tried to claw at his side, to punch his way out of submission. Mayhem glared down at him with hatred. “My pack!” he repeated and then he clawed his way into Lazarus’s chest, punching through flesh and muscle to smash into bone, ripping bone apart until he had what he wanted.
He yanked out Lazarus’s heart, severing the veins and arteries with a swipe of his claws then holding it up as the king of the beasts finally died. His eyes glassy, shock his death mask. And his heart in Mayhem’s fist still beat, like it was desperate to return to its cage. Blood soaked Mayhem’s furry arm, dripping to the carcass of the dead king.
“I am king now,” Mayhem bellowed.
The fighting ceased. Raven, Jay, and Dy held fast, covered in their own blood, wounds all over. Mayhem held the heart out to them. Showing them what he’d done. His feeling of power surged, triumph, victory making him dizzy. He grinned, and then he took Lazarus’s heart and bit into it. Its beating intensified, a final attempt to stay alive but no match for Mayhem’s fangs. He ripped it in two, savoring the blood that gushed down his throat. The blood of a once king. He was a conqueror. He was all powerful.
He consumed half before holding it out to his pack. And in turn, Dy, Raven, and Jay all shared what was left. The power distributed, perhaps not evenly—they all knew who the alpha was—but enough for the pack to benefit from Lazarus’s death.
Beast Rising: The Order of the Wolf, Book 7 Page 22