"Andre, you all need to be ready to move." A death dealer ducked into the doorway behind her and called. "There's no guarantee we can hold this position."
"Understood."
Deidre looked up at the dual moons of the underworld hovering far overhead. If she was able to fight so well when weak, what could she do now that she'd fed? The steady thrum of depravity was around her, waiting to be tapped into.
Cries of pain came from a short distance behind the cabin, and she whirled.
"Deidre, come with me," Andre said calmly, joining her.
Karma, too, was transfixed by whatever was attacking from the rear.
"We need to move, ladies. There's a rendezvous point in case we get separated. The Lake of Souls," Andre said.
Deidre listened. Darkyn's faint scent was in the air. He was somewhere near the attacking giants. The fact she as able to smell him so easily made her stomach churn. She'd been too hungry to assess the state of her mate, to understand exactly how injured he was.
"I have to go, Andre," she said, starting forward.
"Deidre-"
"Take Karma. I'll be fine." This time, she knew it to be true. With a newfound confidence in her ability to take care of herself and a full stomach, Deidre didn't think much of anyone was going to stand in her way of reaching Darkyn.
Andre's words were lost as she broke into a run. Deidre raced towards the sound of fighting, adrenaline filling her ears with the sound of rushing wind while her fingernails grew. She battled the stubborn forest on her own, and then stumbled upon the path being used by death dealers headed towards the fight. The forest made way for them.
The closer she got, the more blood was in the air, a sign the battle was not going well. She sought out Darkyn's scent, veering from the cleared path when the shifting winds brought his trail from a new direction.
Her pace slowed considerably as she fought the brush and trees, but she didn't have to go far. The shadows of some great, ancient creatures soon fell over her, and she froze, staring ahead of her with fear.
"Holy hell," she whispered, stricken.
The two giants were a head taller than the tallest of the trees, great, ugly creatures headed in the direction of the cottage. One swung a sword large enough to cut a path through the trees while the other wielded a club made out of stone.
Deidre considered turning back, until she caught the scent of Darkyn once more.
He'd come this far to save her. She wasn't going to abandon him to face these … things alone.