Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(86)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I put the whistle back to my lips.

I’m here.

I let the whistle fall, not wanting to hurt Sam with it.

I’m up in a tree.

I can smell you. Stay put.

China put her big paws up on the tree and tried to shake it. When that didn’t work she tested her claws for climbing. My breath caught in my throat as I looked down in panic. Could she climb this tree?

A streak of black shot out from behind the tree and came around the side, barreling into her and knocking her to the ground. The two animals went rolling, and I bit my lip to keep from screaming. I watched as the two went at each other again and again. They were so tightly wound together that I could barely distinguish where one began and the other ended. It was beyond maddening. The angry howls and snarls that they were making would echo through my nightmares forever. I watched as razor sharp teeth gnashed together and white, angry foam filled their mouths and pooled around their lips. They were fighting to the death.

I bit back yet another cry when China sunk her teeth into Sam, and he let out an enraged yowl. Tears pooled in my eyes and blurred my vision. I swiped them away and looked for something, anything that I could use to help. I shouldn’t hide up here like this, I should help – or at least attempt to help myself and Sam.

My eyes landed on a branch not far above my head; it was bare, and the leaves hadn’t grown on it. The branch looked angry and stark against the greenery of the other branches. The end of it was pointed and sharp, emphasizing its lack of fitting in amongst the others. I reached for it, my arm not long enough, and the branch remained out of reach. I let out a frustrated sound that mixed with the snarling below, and I glanced down. China was charging Sam, leaping off a tree into mid-air, but Sam met her half way and sent her body spiraling back and into a large, mature tree. It shuddered with the force of her hit but it stood tall and strong. Seeing the way the tree held its ground inspired me. Don’t give up.

On trembling knees I raised myself up to balance of the shaky branch, pausing only long enough to reach out to steady myself against the tumultuous ledge I perched on. Then, pushing past my fear, I leaned up and grasped the dead branch in my hands and pulled. It wouldn’t give. Sure, it bowed to me. It bent. But it refused to break. I felt it mocking my weakness.

I heard another scream below, and I saw China take Sam by surprise and tackle him to the ground. She lifted her claws and made a motion to slash open his belly. I screamed and grabbed up my whistle and blew long and hard. I blew so hard that my lungs seized for air and I felt lightheaded. China collapsed on the ground next to Sam and neither of them moved. I took my chance and quickly stood, ignoring the way the branch bowed and sagged beneath my weight. Then I grabbed that dead branch – my only available weapon – and I yanked as hard as I could.

It gave way with a sharp, ear piercing crack.

My triumph was short lived because the branch I was standing on also gave way. I fell, down through the hard, unforgiving branches and leaves, gripping the weapon I fought so hard to get, refusing to release it.

I didn’t hit the ground. It seems my weapon, the angry branch, saved me. It got caught between two other branches and I hung there, my feet dangling a few feet above the ground. China’s red, vile eyes laughed with glee as she raced toward me. I went to grab for my whistle and realized I couldn’t – if I let go of the branch I would fall into her waiting claws.

I prepared to kick out but Sam launched off the ground and snatched her backwards by the neck and ripped out a clump of black fur. China screamed in agony and turned. She swiped at him with her claws, catching him at the shoulder. He stumbled only to get right back up and snap his ferocious teeth at her. His black lips folded back over blacker gums and his teeth dripped with excess saliva. His pointy ears laid flat against his head, and he keened a sound that made my ears ring.

China jumped at him, but Sam slammed her sleek and bloody figure into the hard earth without any trouble, pinning her down with his considerable weight. When she struggled he used his teeth on one of her legs, a loud, snapping noise announced the bone breaking. When he let go it fell at an odd, painful angle.

My shoulders were burning and shaking from holding myself up here for so long. The weight of my body seemed to drag me down, and I could feel the skin on my palms ripping from the rough bark on the branch. I looked down, wondering how much it would hurt when I fell.

I heard another yelp and I looked down – expecting to see another leg broken for China. I screamed, realizing that the yelp hadn’t been hers but Sam’s. China had managed to get on top of him and was biting into the vulnerable flesh of his neck.

The scene frightened me so much that, without thinking, I let go of the branch and fell to the ground with a thud. Stunned, I went to my hands and knees and looked up, through the hair that fell around me. China was still biting down on Sam’s neck, but she was looking at me.

I stared her down, I looked into her red unblinking eyes with a glare that I hoped challenged her. “Come on, you sick bitch,” I taunted. “Come and get me.”

I saw her eyes flash, and she released Sam to come after me. I reached for my necklace only to realize that I must have lost it when I fell through the tree. Shit! China was on me in mere seconds. I tried to kick out – to fend her off. She snapped at my shoe, ripping it off my foot and tossing it away. I tried to see past her, to see if Sam was alright, but her huge black mass filled my vision.

She smelled…like rotting meat and bleeding flesh. When I sucked in gulps of oxygen I could taste the metallic hint of blood on my tongue. She was definitely injured with what looked like two broken legs. How she supported herself at all was astounding. Hate was an incredible motivator.

I fell back when she pounced on me. Blood from her cuts dripped onto my face, and I wanted to flinch away, but I wouldn’t allow myself. I wouldn’t show her my fear any longer. She bent low, blowing her putrid breath into my face and then snapped her teeth at me. I did not flinch.

She raised her paw – an unbroken one – and I knew that she meant to maim my face once more. I lifted my chin and turned my cheek giving her full access. “Even if you tear half my face off, I’ll still be more than you could ever be,” I taunted her.

With an enraged roar, she brought her claw slashing down, but it never met my skin. Sam ripped her away, and they went crashing into a tree. I watched as he grabbed hold of her tail and ripped, the terrible sound of ripping flesh was hideous. Then another crack filled my ears as yet another of her bones broke. She tried to dash away but fell. Three broken legs and a missing tail rendered her too injured to run.