Chapter Eight
Vitus watched as Grace escaped toward the store, relieved that she would be safe from Thrax and the other Glycons as the battle grew. Getting her as far away from them as he could was his top priority.
A firm hand gripped his shoulder painfully as the Glycon finally caught up to him.
“Bring her back,” Thrax shouted at him. “Or die.”
Vitus slipped out of the man’s grip and readied himself for the attack. “Not going to happen,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I need to keep her safe, and if that involves taking you down, that’s just a bonus.”
Thrax snarled. His lips curled up over his teeth, and Vitus could tell the man struggled between the inner beast and himself, not quite capable of fully keeping control. That was one big advantage Vitus had over the sad being in front of him.
“I will kill you,” Thrax threatened. “And then I will have her.”
This time Vitus was ready for the attack. With Grace firmly on her way the store, he was able to keep his focus on the battle, something he hadn’t been able to do before. Splitting his attention had made him weak. And it had likely gotten him more than a few bruised ribs.
He didn’t give a crap about how tough Thrax was. He was going to end this threat once and for all.
The hulking man lurched forward toward him. His large frame slowed him down enough that Vitus could slip past him with ease. Thrax stumbled forward and turned to glare at him.
Again the man lunged out at Vitus, his fingers nearly catching him as he did so.
Stalling was all well and good, but although he could outwit the large man, he would never win at this rate. And already far off in the distance, he could hear the wail of sirens getting closer. If the unearthly screams of the Glycons didn’t wake the neighbors around them, it was certain the gunshots would.
His reinforcements could at least keep the other Glycons off him while he tried to finish off Thrax, but he was running out of time.
The last thing they needed was to try and explain all of this to the authorities. Just because they had the mayor on their side didn’t mean the entire town would be willing to accept hybrids in their midst. They might even blame them for the Glycons.
Vitus gritted his teeth. There had to be some way to win against the giant.
He looked around the snowy landscape. There wasn’t much to begin with: an old oak tree standing solidly in the clearing by the house and a pile of wood by the porch. Getting inside was likely his only chance of finding something that might work.
He made a dash for the woodpile, Thrax close behind him. Just within reach, the Glycon swiped out with his claws and raked them along the hybrid’s back. The cold, icy wind rushed through the holes of the blood-soaked shirt Vitus was wearing. The frigid touch was almost soothing as it helped numb his wounds.
Vitus stumbled forward onto the woodpile and breathed in deeply. He grabbed a hold of a log and swung it hard behind him. The wood slammed into the Glycon’s head and splintered.
Thrax stumbled, clearly stunned by the hard blow.
Vitus was losing blood now more rapidly than expected. One wound lay deep in his shoulder, and he could feel the arm growing weak from the pain. He couldn’t count on the other hybrids, who likely had their hands full with the other Glycons.
A death grip landed on the back of his neck, and he reached out for anything that might be of use. His hand touched smooth wood. For a moment, he wasn’t quite sure just what he’d stumbled on.
He grunted. A hatchet, likely used to trim the smaller logs to bring inside.
Before he could grab the handle, Thrax lifted him up in the air. The Glycon stared at him with his red eyes before smashing him against the woodpile once again, the pain shooting all through the hybrid’s body. This time the Glycon leaned over Vitus, his firm hand wrapped around his throat.
“Now you die,” Thrax hissed.
Vitus struggled for breath. He could feel the strain of the windpipe as the Glycon squeezed harder.
“She is mine,” Thrax said, his eyes glowing blood red now. Vitus knew that if he didn’t do something, not only would the Glycon kill him, but he would likely eventually kill Grace as well. He wasn’t a man who had been fused with a beast. He was a man who had lost to the beast.
No matter what, Vitus couldn’t allow Thrax to have Grace.
He reached over his head. He could feel the blood vessels in his eyes starting to burst as Thrax squeezed harder, his claws digging into the sides of his neck.
He might have let out a sigh of relief if he had any air left when his hand finally found purchase on the handle of the hatchet.
With one swift swing, the hatchet found its mark on the hand that was resting on the woodpile.
Thrax released Vitus and screamed in pain, clutching the bloodied stump still attached to the other piece of his hand. It hung now limply as blood freely flowed from the appendage.
Sirens closed on them. So close that Thrax couldn’t help but notice the sound.
“The humans will be here soon,” Vitus said, his voice still damaged by the strong grip. “They will shoot you where you stand. You’re nothing but a fucking monster they’ll put down.”
It’d do neither of them any good if they were discovered now. The moment it made the news, the Horatius Group would be there trying to get them once again. It was better they stayed hidden. Given that the Glycons around there were rogue, even Thrax had to understand that.
The hulking Glycon glared at Vitus before turning to sprint off back to the forest.
Vitus leaned his head back against the woodpile and took in several deep breaths. His throat burned and his side ached, but he would live.
Joran reached him first. The hybrid was covered in blood, but it was harder to see against his black skin in the night.
“Put these in,” he said quickly, pulling out some contacts from a case in his pocket. “You deal with the police, and we’ll pursue the Glycons.”
“Take the damn piece of him,” Vitus said, nodding toward what he’d separated from Thrax.
Joran grimaced.
“Too many questions if the cops find it.”
The other hybrid nodded.
Vitus took the contacts. It went against his nature not to follow Thrax and the Glycons into the woods, but he knew he needed to check on Grace, and someone had to deal with law enforcement.
Joran reached out and handed him the gun he had on him.
“We weren’t able to take any down,” he said. “This group isn’t like the others. They are tougher. I know I put bullets into more than one, but it didn’t seem to do much but slow them down. It’s like they’ve suddenly gotten a lot more powerful.”
Vitus nodded. He wasn’t all that surprised considering that Agatha now had the blue stone and was likely using it to her advantage. They had all seen what Anassa had been able to do with it. With time, there was no telling what Agatha would be able to do. She was a danger to them all.
“We’ll report to Rem if we find anything,” Joran said. “Go check on your woman. I think the time of hiding in the shadows from her is over now.”
Vitus sighed. He’d waited as long as he could, but Joran was right. She needed to be somewhere he could protect her at all times. Thrax was a threat, and he would do whatever it took to get to Grace. That was obvious now.
“I know,” Vitus said quietly.
The younger man stared at him for a moment, his blue eyes fixed on his, before he nodded.
Although Joran might be inexperienced, he certainly wasn’t naive about the world. It was clear just looking at him that he had an understanding of things that most didn’t.
Vitus watched as Joran grabbed his bloody trophy and disappeared into the woods before putting in the contacts.
He still had no idea what he was going to say to the police. He supposed he’d have to wing it. His first priority was checking on Grace. Anything after that, he would just deal with it as it came.