Free Web NovelChapter 73: Oops, I killed one
WILLA
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the monster shot forward with blinding speed my eyes could barely track.
One second my partner was standing near his bike — the next, his back slammed violently into the tree beside me with a sickening crack.
He wheezed, clutching his side as he slid slowly down the rough bark.
I rushed toward him. "Are you alright?!" I asked, extending my hand to help him up while keeping one eye on the monster. It was now approaching with an almost lazy, snail-like pace.
Weird. It had closed the distance in the blink of an eye moments ago.
"Take my hand!" I urged. "We need to leave here."
Even though I had no idea how we were supposed to escape.
When he didn’t grab my hand, I dared a quick glance at him, then snapped my eyes back to the creature still closing in. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"What the hell are you doing?!" I snapped.
He was crouched low, calmly dusting invisible dirt from his white Jordans. Like it was the most important thing in the world right now. As if he couldn’t see the hideous, fugly monster lumbering toward us.
He didn’t respond. He simply rose to his feet. For someone who had just been thrown into a tree, he was taking the hit suspiciously well.
Finally standing, he held three small pebbles in his hand. He stepped in front of me, positioning himself between me and the approaching nightmare.
"You motherfucker!" he grunted, hurling the first pebble with surprising force.
I scoffed. "Seriously?"
Was this really the time for jokes?!
"You bloody cocksucker!" he yelled, launching the second stone.
I shook my head in disbelief. "How the hell are you even part of Apex 7?" I blurted.
I’ve tasted Elliott’s strength. Eric and Kol weren’t weak. Neither was Lance. This boy... he must be the clown of the group. The weakest.
"Take that!" He flung the third pebble, barely acknowledging me.
The stone smacked the monster’s hide before bouncing harmlessly to the ground. It didn’t flinch. It didn’t even slow down.
I believed the only reason we were still alive was because the creature was moving with that unnaturally slow, lumbering gait. Otherwise, both of us would have been done already.
"I need more pebbles," he said calmly.
"No!" I snapped, clutching his wrist as he moved to step back. "What we need to do is get the hell out of here!"
I pulled him forward. He didn’t resist. I glanced over my shoulder — the monster was still far behind — then turned and bolted deeper into the darkening forest.
Our feet pounded the uneven ground.
Leaves and low branches whipped at our faces and hair. A few strands flew into my mouth; I quickly gathered the rest into a messy high ponytail while still running. He did the same with his longer hair.
We continued without stopping.
Our hands stayed locked tightly together. Our breathing came short and ragged, perfectly synchronized like we had rehearsed this escape a hundred times before.
We didn’t stop running until we reached the edge of a cliff.
I stumbled a step backward, eyes wide with terror, hands clenching into fists at my sides. My body shook uncontrollably as I clutched at my chest, forcing two big, desperate gulps of air into my burning lungs.
"What’s the idea?" he asked, voice far too calm for our situation.
I should have been the one asking him that. He was the one with all the knowledge between us!
"Are we going cliff jumping?" His lips curled into a small, almost playful smile.
"Not funny," I grunted, taking another shaky step back.
The mere thought of leaping from the top of this cliff sent another violent jolt of fear through me.
I swallowed hard, tearing my gaze away from the dizzying drop and letting it wander anywhere else — the sky, the trees, the darkening horizon. Just anything but the crashing waves below.
But the sound of the sea slamming relentlessly against the rocks mocked me, echoing up the cliffside like a death sentence.
A low, guttural growl erupted from the trees behind us. I jumped closer to him, eyes trained on the rustling leaves, heart hammering as I waited for the monster to burst into the clearing.
My mind raced desperately for any solution, anything to save us, since this so-called Alpha seemed completely unbothered.
"I say we jump," he suggested casually.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I said.
I’d rather have my head severed from my neck than do that.
"Are you scared of heights? Or is it the water?" he asked.
I peeled my eyes away from the terrifying drop to look at him. He was staring back at me intently.
"What does it matter to you?" I shot back.
He gave me a warm, unexpectedly gentle smile. My stomach fluttered traitorously. It had absolutely no right to do so.
"You are my mate," he said, reaching out and taking my hand in his. He gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
My heart skittered wildly. Again. I pulled away from his touch, cheeks burning.
"I’ll protect you, Elyse. Even with my last breath."
I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t need saving. I wasn’t some helpless damsel in distress.
Besides, he hadn’t given me nearly enough reason to believe he could even protect himself from the danger we were in.
The monster burst into the clearing with a deafening roar that shook the trees. freewebnøvel.com
Panic clawed through me like ice in my veins.
I was still reeling when my partner suddenly shot forward — no hesitation, no plan. He raced straight toward the creature, whose massive arms were spread wide as if welcoming the suicidal charge.
My pulse leaped into my throat as the monster raised one enormous clawed hand. My partner was only inches away when it brought the limb crashing down.
"Stop!" I screamed.
But instead of being crushed, my partner’s fist connected with the monster’s face in a brutal, lightning-fast strike.
The impact sent the massive beast flying backward, slamming into a thick tree with a sickening crunch before collapsing in a heap.
"Whoa!" He puffed out a breath, staring down at his own hand in surprise. "That was some mighty blow."
It sure was. For a creature that size, I could hardly believe one punch had done that much damage.
My partner turned back to me, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. He winked. "I told you I’d protect you. Do you believe me n—"
"Watch out!" I shouted, pointing frantically behind him.
He turned at the last possible second, but he reacted too late to the monster’s mighty fist. It connected with brutal force, slamming him into the ground.
The earth cracked with a deafening boom, louder than the howling wind tearing through the trees. A horrified gasp tore from my lips.
My partner lay unmoving. Blood pooled around his head, leaking from his mouth and nose. Fucking Goddess...
Is... he dead?
"No!" The word slipped out, sounding foreign and broken even to my own ears.
The monster continued pummeling him into the dirt. With every devastating blow came a sickening, wet squelch.
It raised its grotesque head, staring straight at me with what looked like a wicked, satisfied smile. Then it went back to hammering him.
"Stop!" I screamed.
The monster was sent flying backward again. I didn’t care how it happened this time. My only concern was him. I rushed over and dropped to my knees beside his broken body, gently cradling his head in my lap.
"Please..." I whispered, tears burning fiercely in my eyes.
I had only known this boy for a few hours, yet it felt like I had known him for an eternity. Like a vital piece of me had been ripped away, and I was forced to watch it bleed out.
"Don’t die," I begged, voice cracking. "Please..."
He gave no response. He didn’t seem to be breathing at all.
A tear slipped down my cheek and landed on his bloodied face. I sniffled, trying to hold the rest back, but it was useless. More tears cascaded freely, blurring my vision.
"How can you protect someone when you can’t even protect yourself?" I choked out.
The pain in my chest intensified with every silent second that passed. "How could you...?"
"You should have listened," a cold voice murmured in my head.
I went completely still. My eyes darted around wildly, wondering if the monster was speaking. But it lay motionless on the ground, unmoving.
That left only one possibility.
"What do you want with me?" I hissed through gritted teeth.
"Your vows, Willa," the voice said in a bored, almost lazy tone. "You promised. And you failed."
"Then attack me," I yelled, voice cracking with desperation. "He had nothing to do with it. It’s me you want!"
I was the one who had made a deal with the devil. I should be the one to pay the price.
"Aww, how sweet of you to defend your mate," it mocked. "It’s a pity you can’t defend the others."
Lance. Kol. Eric. They were all still in this forest.
"Don’t you dare lay a hand on them!"
"Oops," the voice taunted. "I might have already killed one before this brat."
My breath caught in my throat.
I blinked back the sudden sting of tears, refusing to believe I had heard him right.
"W-what did you do?" My voice came out barely above a broken whisper.
"Like I said," it repeated in the same nonchalant tone, "I killed one, Willa. And I had fun doing it."
