Starting forward again, she soon reached an area where the giants had cleared of trees. Bodies and pieces of bodies littered the forest area and the battleground. Someone had started a tree on fire, and the writhing branches screamed, adding to the sounds of booming footsteps and shouts of death dealers.
She ducked down, searching the chaotic scene for her mate. Her nails were long, her mouth watering at the thought of drawing blood. A look up at the nearest of the two giants reminded her there was no way she'd be able to inflict any sort of damage on a monster that size.
The giants walked slowly, each step making the ground rumble and shake. She shifted to maintain her balance, uncertain how she'd find her mate in the mess.
Deidre bit her thumb and then held it up, letting the wind take the scent of her blood towards the battle. She crept forward and ducked, horrified to see a giant's sword cleave the five new dealers on the scene in two the minute they stepped into the melee.
One of them dropped a torch, and fire spread slowly around the giant's shoe. His bellow made her cover her ears with a wince.
"Deidre?"
It wasn't Darkyn's voice but Rhyn's.
"You here?"
"Yes." She stood carefully, balancing herself against a tree.
The large, half-demon left the cover of a thatch of bushes and ducked behind the tree beside her.
"You shouldn't be," he said.
"I came for Darkyn."
"You plan on rescuing him?"
"Maybe," she said archly.
"That right there disqualifies him."
She rolled her eyes, recalling what Andre had said. He was a shrewd motivator, given the combative, competitive nature of the demons she'd met.
"You need to get the fuck out of here," Rhyn said firmly.
"I'm not leaving. I know he's hurt, and I know he needs to -"
"Ssssshhh. Get back and don't move." The half-demon had gone rigid, his back pressed to the tree.
Deidre sucked in a breath and stood still, peering through the branches of the tree she was behind to see what was going on.
The giant with the shoe on fire was kneeling, batting out the flames. His head was a little too close for her comfort, a mere ten feet away.
"When I say, run that way." Rhyn pointed to the side of her opposite him.
"Run?" she echoed. "Won't he come after me?"
"That's the plan." He whirled his sword and gripped it with two hands. "You're bait."
"Great." She frowned, her nails digging into the tree.
"And Deidre?"
She looked over at him.
"When I say run, I mean run fast. Just in case."