At the sight of his blood, Sagrine lashed out with newfound ferocity. “I’m not the only one hurting. Your boy is not doing so well. It will be so entertaining to make him suffer and for you to watch,” he grinned.
Nev would not allow herself to doubt. She could sense Wyatt. He was in pain, but he would be alright. “You move to make me doubt, but I will not,” she bellowed, striking at him in a quick flurry.
Wyatt felt slightly better after Addi placed one of the leaves in his mouth. His vision may be blurry, but he could now manage to keep his eyes open. That was a slight improvement. As Wyatt attempted to sit up more, he wobbled slightly. He felt Addi quickly place her hand on his shoulder, helping to steady him.
Nellis arrived with the bandages and handed them to Addi. He then kept a lookout at the window.
“How can I help?” Addi asked, pressing the clean cloth to Wyatt’s wound.
“If you could keep me from falling over or bleeding out, that would be a good start,” Wyatt suggested with a half-smile.
Addi nodded. After securing the bandages, she sat next to him and placed her arm around his shoulders.
Wyatt smiled and tried to calm his aching head. He could sense Nev and knew she was okay for the moment. As he continued to reach out, however, he felt her fear and worry beginning to slowly build. Wyatt gently nudged, as he often had, and reminded her that he was with her, even if he couldn’t be standing beside her.
Nev looked at her hands for a moment and felt the familiar sensation of Wyatt’s presence. Her anxiety waned, and she focused herself against the prowler’s attacks. Unleashing her raw power as she swung her sword hard at his side. It hit its mark. The force of her swing, however, sent a shockwave of pain through her shoulder and down her arm. Instinctively, she grabbed her sore shoulder for a moment with her other hand.
Sagrine placed a hand to his side and then examined the blood on his glove. “You draw my blood, but it is you that is gripped by pain,” he hissed, grinning at her. “I see now the target I must strike. Again.”
Nev gritted her teeth and forced her left arm into a defensive position. Flashes of pain shot through her, but she pushed them back for now.
“Something has happened. Nev hit Sagrine. I’m sure of it, but I think her shoulder must be hurting her,” Nellis reported. “She looks like she is struggling some.”
“Wyatt, can you help her?” Addi whispered.
“I’m going to try. If I happen to pass out, please place another leaf in my mouth. Thanks,” Wyatt said, his voice a bit wobbly.
“Maybe you should be taking your pills instead, Wyatt. Where did you get these leaves anyway?” Addi asked, sounding concerned.
Wyatt smiled and replied, “Nev found them. They work. Trust me.” He then concentrated on soothing the nerve’s swallowed up by agony in Nev’s shoulder.
Nev felt a slight reprieve from the pain and knew she had Wyatt to thank. She needed to end this quickly. Sagrine was too difficult for her to just overpower. Hmm… worth the risk, she thought. Nev began to bait the prowler closer and closer. She had a plan, and now she just had to see if the risk was worth taking.
“How is it going?” Addi asked, glancing at Nellis.
“The lass looks knackered,” Nellis replied, feeling very concerned.
Nev allowed herself to be pushed back against a tree as she watched Sagrine take her bait. Suddenly, she felt the impact of his elbow against her jaw. The blow immediately caused her to groan in pain. Warm thick blood began to drip from her now badly injured lip as Sagrine paused and grinned at her. In the interlude, she attempted to pierce his side with her dagger but suddenly felt her hand blocked. The ruse falling frustratingly short of being successful. Her mind stumbled as she felt Sagrine press her tightly against the tree. The breath in her lungs being squeezed from her.
“You think to kill me so easily. I cannot be denied my one purpose,” Sagrine snarled before laughing. He pushed his face close to hers and breathed in deeply. “Do you want to know why I hunt you? The real reason?”
Struggling to free herself from his embrace, she felt his arm pressing hard against her throat. She was pinned between him and the tree. One of her hands endeavored to keep him from crushing her neck. The other was locked in a battle against his dagger near their abdomens. “I don’t care,” she sputtered locking her eyes with his. They were black and empty, save his lust and hatred of her.
Sagrine let his thoughts slide into Nev’s mind. His dark desire for her saturating her thoughts. “I hunt you because you are prey. My prey,” he whispered menacingly in her ear. “No matter if I live or die. You will always be mine. That is why you will always fail—eventually.”
The prowler’s words and presence in her mind were repulsive and caused a fury to burn within Nev. She lashed out and shrieked, “NO!” A torrent of energy surged through her, and she pushed her dagger past Sagrine’s grip and deep into his abdomen.
Sagrine grunted in pain from the sudden impact, releasing his grip on her as his mind reeled from her newfound strength.
“I am afraid you will soon be mistaken,” Nev replied. She steadied her mind and forcefully pushed into his. She needed to know his thoughts… to know him. Then once she could see him clearly, she would kill him.
Swiftly, Sagrine steadied himself and smashed her left arm hard against the tree. She screamed in agony. Nev’s hand dropped her sword as she rolled away from his assault. Sagrine picked up the weapon and studied it. “This was your father’s. Pity, it didn’t save
