“It’ll be over soon, Lamb,” Héctor said.
“And soon you’ll have a bath with me.” Paxton grinned at me with animal blood all over him. He looked like a demon. I narrowed my eyes at him. Jumping off a cliff into a raging river did not count as a bath, but the idea of sharing a real bath with my mates conjured up all sorts of naughty images. I sucked in a deep breath to calm my need. Soon, I’d find a chance to fuck the sea demigod and finally claim him.
With that incentive, I punched my palm with a fist. “Let’s do this.”
Héctor left the cave first to clear a path, with Zak backing him up. Paxton and I went next. Axel and my hellhound brought up the rear.
Just as Héctor had speculated, the monsters ignored us as they’d ignored him. But Héctor had warned us that the disguise of scent might not work long. Soon the monsters would figure it out and chase us with all their hunger and might. We could only huddle under the bloody beast skins and hurry past the horde as quickly as possible. Hopefully it would buy us time to reach the cliff.
We ran on the muddy land amid the ranks of howling monsters. My adrenaline spiked, my nerves crackling. I feared for all of my mates.
Angel also had a beast’s skin on his back. He wasn’t too happy about carrying the bloody skin, but Héctor insisted on his safety too.
Héctor was the only one who didn’t need to wear a stinky skin. As soon as he cleared the path ahead, he raised a fist into the air to signal us to pass by him and leave him behind. He’d promised to join us at the cliff.
No way would I leave him behind again, even though he appeared safe among the horde now. I insisted on us running at his pace.
Lucifer and Ares rushed out of the cave each with a beast’s skin on their backs, too. They sprinted behind us, enjoying the path we cleared.
Cocksuckers!
To prevent them from stabbing us in the back while we fled the beasts, Axel fell behind to keep an eye on our enemies. Angel ran at my mortal mate’s side as I instructed him.
We ran for several minutes. We broke through the horde of monsters, leaving them behind us, and they still hadn’t noticed our deception.
Finally the cliff came into view.
“We’re nearly out of their range,” I exclaimed.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet,” Zak warned.
“Faster, old boy,” Axel urged Héctor.
Angel growled at Héctor to push him, too, then whimpered when Héctor bared his teeth.
“Don’t wait on me,” Héctor said through clenched teeth, breathing harder than any of us as he ran. “I told you I’d meet you at the cliff.”
“Not a chance,” Axel said. “You’re kind of fragile now. I don’t want Cookie to keep worrying about you and getting tearful again, so I’m watching you for her.”
“I’m not fragile, you asshole. Fuck off,” Héctor said, and Axel laughed.
Sometimes I just had to love the war demigod’s carefree attitude.
The monsters suddenly bellowed furiously, and rolled toward us like black waves with spikes, claws, and fangs. They’d finally seen through our tricks.
Paxton, Zak, and I were close to the end of the valley now, but Axel and Héctor still lagged. They wouldn’t outrun the monsters. Héctor would be fine since the horde remained uninterested in him, but Axel and my hellhound would be in danger.
Axel always thought that he was less important in my heart than Héctor, which wasn’t true. And I wouldn’t trade one mate’s life for another’s.
The first wave of the monsters’ attack rolled toward Axel.
I screamed his name as I sprang back toward him.
“Go, Cookie! Leave us!” Axel roared.
“Zak, get my Lamb and keep going! Do your fucking job, Paxton!” Héctor barked and turned to fight shoulder to shoulder with Axel.
The monsters swarmed over Axel and Angel.