Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
But now I can’t be just a man. I’m a husband. And I can’t fail her.
Running on pure instinct, I take off. I feel the claws in my hands pop through my fingertips, the pain barely registering. I shove the gun in my pants pocket. I can’t use it from a distance. I need to be close. There’s really only one place where the cold iron bullet will work fast enough to save us all.
But it’s going to be a bitch to get that close.
The ogre throws his head back and lets loose a mighty shout as his foot comes up. Kaja moves back, Cara staying behind her. The ogre’s foot comes down, and I fear the ground will open up, but it gives me the opening I need. I leap onto the ogre’s calf, digging in with my claws, using those primal gifts the way a mountain climber uses an axe.
I hear Kaja barking. When I look down, I see her darting up to bite the hell out of the ogre’s toe. She comes back with a bit of flesh in her mouth.
“Kaja, you do not eat that!” I yell as I climb. “You have no idea where he’s been!”
She’ll need a full round of antibiotics, but she’s done her job. She distracted the giant. The ogre doesn’t try to brush me away. The big guy is far too busy attempting to kill my consort.
I hold on for dear life as the ogre brings his foot down again. Kaja darts in between and around that massive foot, her quickness keeping her alive. I find a foothold on the back of the ogre’s knee and move up to his thigh.
The smell is really getting to me. I can’t breathe this close to the damn thing. I pull myself upward using sheer upper-body strength. Thank the gods I have always been vain enough to work out, though I’ll definitely spend more time on chin-ups after this.
“You stay alive, Kaja! Do you hear me?” I’m climbing up an ogre’s ass for her. Gods, I hope the damn thing doesn’t have gas, but it’s far better than having to crawl too close to the monster’s junk.
I curse the entire way up the ogre’s backside. The ogre, massive as he is, moves somewhat slowly. The ogre twists and turns, trying to find Kaja. He roars when Kaja’s teeth bite into his flesh. It’s a perfect distraction. The monster doesn’t seem to care that there’s a vampire climbing up his back.
But he’s about to. I make my way to the the ogre’s neck. I won’t be able to hide now. I have to get to the ogre’s vulnerable spot and take my shot. One shot straight through the eye and into the dumb asshole’s dim brain.
That’s all I have to do. No problem.
I’m going to spank my consort’s ass red. If I live.
I climb onto the ogre’s skull and find a nice piece of thick, scraggly hair. Luckily, the ogre hasn’t bothered with a comb-over. What hair the beast has is long and splays out in every way possible. My stomach clenches when I realize how high I’ve climbed. If I fall, it will be painful, though not for long since I’ll be flatter than one of the pancakes Meg likes to eat. The minute I hit the ground, the ogre will crush me.
I wind my hand around a piece of the ogre’s hair just in time to tumble off the creature’s head. A huge hand comes out to swat at me, barely brushing past. With my free hand, I pull the gun and swing out, trying to get to the ogre’s face.
Fetid breath, as rough as any strong wind, blows from the ogre’s mouth, making me gag, but I hold it together.
One shot. One shot to live. One shot to save my wife.
At least it’s a big damn target.
I pull the trigger as I fly by the ogre’s eyes, the black pupils huge. I swing by the second eye, but already the ogre is faltering.
Those eyes flare, a trickle of blood flowing from the injured one. The ogre makes a terrible sound that blows back my hair. Then the light flees from the ogre’s eyes, and the monster begins falling to the ground below.
And I’m falling with him.
Fuck.
The ogre hits the ground with a resounding thud. I hit it with barely a whisper compared to the ogre’s, but it feels like I broke every damn bone in my body. The air rushes from my lungs, and I struggle to take in a breath. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Cara running to Reeve. At least the gnomes are safe.
A warm tongue licks at my face.
“Oh, you are not getting off that easily, love. We are going to have a serious discussion about this whole First thing. If I’m the First, then I get to decide if you’re going to run off and try to kill really disgusting things. I think my spine is crushed,” I complain.