Everlasting Bond (36 page)

Finally, after what seemed like a torturous hour, Katrina made it to the top. Pulling the last of her body onto the safe flat ground, she collapsed to her knees. Exhaustion had won. It took every ounce of her energy to make it there.

Her body felt sore and heavy, as her speeding heart pounded in protest against her weak chest. Panting, she slowly tried to steady her breathing before she hyperventilated. Then her side started to ache from all the exhilaration. A massive ball of pain, she just laid there listening to the river rushing through a few feet ahead of her and echoes of the
battle taking place below her.

Many dark blurs were being thrown around. She could hear more screaming coming from the field, but she didn’t dare move. Alone and safe, all she had to do was wait. Wait for
what she wasn’t entirely sure.

Curling up towards herself, Katrina shut her eyes and let the muffled sounds behind her drift into the background. It was hard to block everything out and pretend she was elsewhere.

“There you are!”

Katrina screamed, as the voice she had been dreading sliced through the bitter night air like a dagger. She turned to see Donovan’s wicked face piercing through her. Dwelling behind his soulless eyes was nothing but pure evil. His body looked like it had all of the humanity sucked out of it. Frantic, she jumped to her feet and tried to get away, but she felt his vile limbs grab her by the hair. “No! Let me go!” She struggled and managed to free herself from his grasp.

“We aren’t finished yet.”

Turning to face him, she shouted, “Get away from me!”

“Forget something?” he snickered. Katrina looked to see the amulet dangling from his callous hands. “Now where were we?” he taunted, cocking his head at her.

“I hope you rot in Hell you bastard.”

“Oh, Caroline. Hell is exactly where we’re going.” As he lunged towards her, Katrina felt the harsh impact. She had the air knocked out of her, as she was thrown backwards. Pinned against the jagged rocks and Donovan’s steel body, her fear started to turn to anger.

“I hate you.”

“I do admire your spunk,” Donovan whispered in the hollow of her ear. Feeling helpless, Katrina glared back at Donovan’s cold soulless eyes with an empty glazed over look.

She fought back the urge to vomit, as his warm lips met hers. Instead, she seized the opportunity. Feeling the anger run through her, she swung her cast against Donovan’s thick skull as hard as she could. She hit him with such force she heard the snapping of the plaster as it cracked and shattered int
o pieces against the damp soil.

At the same moment she made contact, Donovan let out a deep wail from the impact. Katrina felt a brief sense of enjoyment, from the small amount of pain she had managed to inflict.

“You bitch!” Donovan clenched his hand into a tight fist and swung at her face. Katrina’s dizzying eyes tried to focus, but everything started to spin out of control. She could see Donovan’s appearance begin to change in front of her. He looked like a wild savage beast, as his eyes burned a vivid burnt amber color. “Now, be a good girl and lie still.”

With her head still reeling out of control, Katrina didn’t move. All of the turmoil she had been through had finally begun to take its toll. Every limb in her body ached from fatigue and refused to move. Her vision started to narrow into black fuzzy patches when a dark blurry figure lurched from the shadows taking Donovan down with him.

From the ground, the figures were moving too fast for her to make out any distinct features and her blurring vision couldn’t focus long enough to try. She shut her eyes and listened to the muffled snarling sounds of caged animals.

Listening to the fight taking place next to her, she realized they were becoming too close. She needed to get out of the way, but she couldn’t focus. It took her a bit to recover enough to move. She slowly braced herself against her arms a
nd lifted herself to her knees.

Katrina was able to slightly shift herself partially out of the way. The only problem was they were closer than she had expected. Their bodies were like blocks as they knocked her forward, sending
her head-first into the river.

The shock of the coldness caused her to gasp in a mouthful of water. As her limbs struggled to keep her afloat, she had a sudden bad case of déjà vu. Katrina could feel herself starting to slip and fall deeper towards the bottom. Her arms were so fatigued it was nearly impossible to move them any faster. Just when she was about to give up,
she felt a hand grab her.

Katrina wasn’t sure exactly what happened next. Somehow she had been lifted to the surface and carried to the opposite side of the river.

“Hold it right there, Nikolas,” Donovan warned, squeezing Katrina’s wet and cold body against his. The cold steel tip of the dagger was edging slowly into her neck.

Katrina’s exhausted face looked up to see Cole’s agonizing eyes staring back at her. Bittersweet tears of relief streamed down her grimy face. He was really there standing before her. His perfect angelic body looked even better than she remembered. Katrina’s heart shuddered at the thought of finally having him so close.

“Let her go, Adronis.” Cole ran up to the water’s edge.

“My dear stupid brother, now why would I want to do that?”

“You’re angry with me, not her. Why don’t you put her down and we can settle this? Just you and me.”

“You want her, come and get her.” Donovan dangled her out in front of Cole like a toy. “Oh, that’s right you can’t.” Donovan shoved Katrina against him and she felt him force her backwards.

“Wait!”

“No need. I got what I came for.”

“Adronis!” Cole’s hands were clenched in tight fists down at his sides. Katrina could see him battling with his rage.

Silence plagued the night. The only sound Katrina heard was Donovan as he laughed sadistically at Cole. “Honestly, why our father picked you, I’ll never know. You’re so honest and weak. It’s pathetic, really.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You were always father’s favorite,” Donovan angrily spat. “The golden child
who could do no wrong.”

“Is that what this is about? You’re jealous because our father preferred the better son?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Nikolas. I wasn’t completely unwanted. After all, I was our mother’s favorite.”

“B
efore or after you killed her?”

“That wasn’t my fault
; she was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Donovan’s voice grew loud and vicious at Cole’s words.

“You make me sick. I’m ashamed we even come from the same blood.”

“Nikolas, that gets me right here,” he motioned towards his chest. “Well, if I had a heart anyways. Speaking of family, where is our dearest cousin, Andreas? I wouldn’t mind saying ‘Hello’ to your little pet.”

“He’s busy cleaning up your mess, like always.”

“My mess? Everything was fine until you showed up,” he snapped. “Do you believe him, Caroline? He interrupts our special ceremony and has the audacity to insult me.” Feeling his scorching limbs press firmly against her, Katrina stayed still as best she could. Her body had begun to shiver from the mixture of the chilly night air and her wet clothing. The only thing that kept her under control was the blade. One wrong move and the dagger would slice right into her neck.

“I’m warning you, Adronis.”

“Warning me? My dear brother, who’s got the upper hand here? Certainly not you.”

“If you hurt her—”

“Hurt her, please. You’ve got it all wrong. I intend to save her,” Donovan snarled. Katrina’s body flinched in fright, as she felt Donovan’s blazingly soft hands tilt her head back exposing the pulsating vein in her neck.

“NO! DON’T!”

“Don’t what? I won this time, Nikolas. Deal with it,” Donovan spat.

Feeling his searing hand reach for hers, Katrina’s body shivered in fear. Donovan gave a sly smirk, as he raised her bleeding hand to his face. Caressing over it fervently with his tongue, Katrina watched in shock. He reminded her of a dog, licking its wound clean. Katrina let out a sigh of pure di
sgust at his un-welcomed touch.

“Mmm, tasty,” he said, giving Cole a deviant glare. “Let’s see what the rest of you has to offer, Caroline.”

Katrina stood frozen in place. Anticipating the pain of his ivory weapons, Katrina’s breathing became fast and erratic. This time she could feel the razor sharp tips pressing firmly against the nape of her exposed neck. She knew this time it really was the end for her.

At the same moment his venomous needles made contact with her body, she heard a loud grumble sound ricocheting through the fields. The thunderous vibrations it carried made her whole body tremble. The ground shook violently beneath her. She looked up to see Cole in mid-air as he leapt over the water and l
anded on the water-logged soil.

Cole’s frost-bitten hand reached for her and pulled her out of the way. Katrina’s body fell against the cold muddy ground. She slapped against it so hard, it knocked the wind out of her. Turning back, she could see Cole’s dark blue rage-filled eyes glaring at Donovan. The two were in a stand off, both ready to pounce on the other, at the slightest hint of movement.

“I don’t think so. Not this time, Adronis.”

Donovan let out an angry snarl. “You know Nikolas, you’re r
eally starting to piss me off.”

“Some things never change.” Cole cocked an eyebrow at him.

“On the contrary some things do. You’re forgetting one thing. I’m part wolf
and
part vampire.”

“Your hybrid ass doesn’t scare me. If you want her then you have to go through me first.” Cole stood, ready in a fight position.

“So, you want to play, little brother?” Donovan tilted his head from side to side like a boxer readying for a fight. He then gave Cole a callous glare, as his voice grew deep and angry. “Let’s play.”

Katrina watched in horror, as Donovan’s body began to shift. Sharp sounds of his bones crackling and repositioning themselves pierced through the night air. It was like watching Principal Weber shift all over again. Swollen muscular protrusions ruptured from every limb. His once human facial features had become distorted and unrecognizable. A large snout protruded outward from where his nose had been. Daggers slowly descended from his fingers, as his skin became a waxy black color.

Standing there against the moonlight, Donovan looked like a carefully bred killing machine. With every breath he took, Katrina could see his muscles swell. He stood tall and proud. Resembling a military vessel, he knew he was designed for a specific purpose. Letting out a boisterous howl, his golden eyes devilishly glistened against the moonlight.

Katrina became nervous as his body doubled in size. He was even more frightening to look at than before. Next to him, Cole looked like a tiny rodent and she was afraid Donovan wo
uld squash the hell out of him.

Cole on the other hand, showed no sign of fear. He stood his ground, just as tall and proud as Donovan. His body resembled a thick block of steel, as he firmly held his position. With his razor sharp blades exposed and ready, he was like a lio
n waiting to strike its prey.

Everything happened so fast, Katrina barely had enough time to see Donovan flash his brother a wicked grin before he lunged towards him. At the same time, Cole met his challenge midair. Katrina’s body flinched, as she heard their ear splitting snarls echo through the night.

When they hit the ground, they did it with such force it sounded like the earth was going to split in half. Katrina had never seen such rage before. Not even Cole’s and Andrew’s fight came close to what she was witnessing. They were like rabid animals trying to rip each other apart.

Donovan swung his oversized claw towards Cole, sending him flying backwards. He hit him so hard
that Katrina felt the vibrations in her own chest. He flew back a good few feet. His fall was broken by one of the unsuspecting trees. The sound was deafening, as his body ripped it to pieces.

Cole wasn’t down for very long though. In a matter of seconds, he was back on his feet and leaping for Donovan’s throat. Rage poured off of him, as he reached for his brother. Clasping one hand around Donovan’s neck, he used the other with careful precision. Each strike inflicted pain whenever possible. With each attack, he was leaving his mark, ripping into his brother’s flesh over and over again.

It looked like Cole was going to finish his brother right there, but then Katrina’s heart sank. Donovan found an opening and he took it. With his free hand, he swung his claws into Cole’s chest. The gash was so deep, blood started to pour out.

Cole screamed and let out a howl of agony. Distracted by his wound, Donovan seized the opportunity. Flipping Cole onto his back, Donovan pinned Cole to the ground.

Donovan’s body quickly morphed back into his human form. “Time to die, little brother!” he growled.

“NO!” Katrina screamed, in a panic. Tears were pouring down her face. She couldn’t stomach the thought of
what was going to happen next.

“This is how everything was supposed to be, Caroline.” Donovan gave her an evil sneer before turning his attention back to Cole. He let out a snarl of laughter, as his eyes burned a brilliant yellow color. Then he bared his porcelain weapons of destru
ction. He’d won and he knew it.