Chapter Eighteen
Vitus growled. It was slow-going through the woods. The snow had helped by providing a trail, but with the Glycons and hybrids roaming the woods around, it was hard to tell what was fresh and what wasn’t.
He breathed in deeply and searched for her. A familiar and powerful scent hit his nose: the sweet, cloying scent of his woman.
He turned his head and only hoped that his nose wasn’t leading him astray. The longer she was away from him, the more concerned he became. Maybe Thrax would move her elsewhere.
For that matter, he didn’t know what plans Agatha might have, especially now that she had the stone. They still weren’t sure what other resources she had managed to gather. Vitus could only hope that he was fast enough.
Worrying wouldn’t help him. He just needed to get there and make sure Grace escaped, no matter what happened to himself.
Trusting instinct, Vitus pushed harder now, his nose the only guide.
The scent slowly grew thicker. His heart hammered in his chest as he made his way down the farm road that met the clearing. The area looked familiar, but he wasn’t sure exactly where he was though. He only hoped the other hybrids weren’t far behind.
Rem was right. He couldn’t take Thrax by himself, let alone Thrax and other Glycons together.
Maybe he didn’t need to. Maybe he only needed to just get past the super-Glycon. Killing him could wait until after Grace was safe.
Vitus moved around a bend and froze, a low growl boiling up.
The smell of death and decay filled the air. Something was wrong there. So wrong that every animal part of himself was at odds over what to do. The man wanted to save Grace, but the scent in the air was a warning for sure, a warning that his beast side screamed at him to heed.
Screw that. He wasn’t leaving without his Vestal.
Vitus slowly made his way down the hill toward a large barn. Grace’s scent had only grown thicker. He was sure she was there.
He stepped into the place, tense and half-expecting a fight, but it was unlikely Thrax could smell him over the smell outside.
Vitus held his hand to his nose. Inside wasn’t all that much better. It’d been a long time since he smelled such an awful stench.
Something jangled next to him, and he jumped to the ready, raising his fists. Instead he found a locked stall. He crept over to it to peer into the cage.
He grunted at the sight of a man being pumped with blue fluid. He knew exactly what he was seeing.
Agatha was making new super-Glycons. More like Thrax. She’d already been putting the blue stone to use.
He wondered where they were getting the blue liquid. While the stone bestowed the power, it still needed to be charged in a way. From what they’d seen, that required either hybrids, Vestals, or the sacrifice of normal people. Whatever the truth, Vitus figured the answer would horrify him.
He crept away from the stall. It was best if he just focused on finding Grace and getting the hell out of there. If one super-Glycon was bad, he couldn’t guess what dozens of them would do.
Slowly he moved along, doing his best to keep a light step. The soft sweet scent of Grace still lingered in the air, and he was just glad that she was still there.
Vitus glanced around a corner. Nothing in sight. Quickly he made his way over to the door and twisted the knob.
Locked. Damn. He could easily bust the door down, but that would alert every free Glycon in the area, including Thrax.
“Hello?” Grace’s soft, sweet voice called out from the other side of the door.
He grunted. He didn’t care anymore about the danger. Now that he knew she was right on the other side of the door, he wasn’t about to leave her there for a minute longer.
“It’s me,” Vitus said quickly. “Stand back. I’m going to kick it open.”
“Okay.”
Vitus kicked the door hard, and the wood splintered on the frame where the lock once was. He’d done it now, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was seeing his Vestal still alive.
Grace peeked around the corner and then launched herself into his arms. Vitus pulled her tightly against him.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head. “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
A loud roar ripped through the room. Vitus wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned.
“Stand behind me,” he said firmly.
Grace nodded as she moved behind him.
“We’re already bonded,” he called out to Thrax. “She’s of no use to you.”
Thrax snarled. His face was outlined by the light of the office.
“I kill you,” he said. “Then make her mine.”
Behind Vitus, Grace gasped.
“Even if you do kill me, that doesn’t change anything,” Vitus said firmly. “Just let us go.”
Thrax thrashed his head back and forth like an animal readying to charge. “Be my mate!”
The super-Glycon was lost in his rage now. There was no reasoning with him.
Vitus pulled out his gun. He could only hope it stalled Thrax enough and that the other hybrids were close behind.
He raised the gun and pulled the trigger three times. Each bullet landed in Thrax as he charged from across the room, but none hit him in the head.
Thrax closed the distance quickly, swiping out a beefy arm and knocking Vitus hard against a nearby stall. His gun went flying. The wood of the stall cracked. Inside one of the new super-Glycons stirred.
“No!” Grace shouted.
Thrax turned to stare at her, an odd expression on his face, as if he were surprised she was upset.
Vitus grabbed a shovel and charged the hybrid. Thrax turned just as Vitus slammed the metal hard against his head. It rang loudly in the room.
He dropped the tool and grabbed Grace’s hand.
“Run,” Vitus shouted.
Although he’d stunned the massive man, he knew it wasn’t likely to keep him out for long.
He grunted loudly as Thrax slammed into him from the side and smashed him into another stall.
Vitus breathed in hard. His lungs burned as he pushed back against the beast.
“She is mine,” Thrax shouted.
Vitus twisted his body, trying to ignore the pain. His lungs ached as he did so, but it also threw the giant man off balance, sending him stumbling forward as Vitus dipped down the opposite way.
Grace and Vitus were separated now. Thrax stood between them, and there was no hope of the hybrids getting there nearly in time. A decision needed to be made. He’d told Rem that he would get her back no matter what, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.
“Run,” Vitus shouted to Grace. “Run and don’t look back. No matter what.”
Thrax snarled at him and glanced over to her, but Vitus wasn’t going to give him the chance to take her again. Grace was going to get away.
Vitus charged Thrax with everything he had, knocking the monster down as they rolled in the dirt and hay.
He landed a hard blow to Thrax’s ribs and felt some satisfaction at the crunch that followed.
Thrax roared now, his focus fully on the hybrid in front of him.
They rolled again, this time with Thrax on top.
A powerful punch landed against Vitus’s cheek. For a moment he saw stars at the impact. Something warm ran along his face that he could only assume was blood.
Thrax jumped off him and tossed him with ease into the wall. He fell with a thud, the world around him spinning. Only one thing came into focus. The woman across the room.
“Please,” he said as he coughed blood up into his mouth. “Run, Grace.”
He grunted as Thrax kicked him.
It was nearly over now. Vitus could tell there was too much bleeding for him to take much more punishment.
“Stop!” Grace shouted.
Vitus struggled to keep his eyes open but heard her.
“Please,” she cried. “Please stop.”
Despite himself, Vitus sighed when her body leaned over him.
“You should have run,” he said to her.
Grace turned to look him in the face. “Not without you,” she said softly.
Vitus tried to turn away from her, but his strength was gone.
“You’ll die,” he said bitterly.
Grace straightened from where she sat and stared up at Thrax. “Then we die together.”