Pursued(90)

However, Merrick had fangs of his own, and they were fully extended now. It looked like he was trying to bite the creature’s neck without letting it get too close to his own. But with the razor sharp jaws snapping just inches from his face, he didn’t have much of a chance.

Suddenly the pair of them rolled directly in front of her, barely six inches from her feet and Elise gave out a little scream. Besides the sounds of snapping branches, the two fought in silence except for a low growling sound she’d assumed was coming from the xenox. Now, however, she realized that Merrick was making the sound. His mismatched eyes were narrowed with concentration but she could see that the pupils had somehow turned red instead of black. He was obviously locked in some state of killing frenzy. Watching him, Elise understood that he really would fight to the death and if he died, it would be…

My fault. All my fault!

Finally her paralysis broke. She had to find a way to help him—but how? Then her eye caught on something poking out of the tangle of blackish fur. The knife handle! Elise realized. Her heart began to beat again. Can I? Should I? She eyed the handle intently.

The huge beast seemed to have completely forgotten that she was there—all its attention was centered on Merrick as it snapped at his face. He’d gotten his hands up and was pushing on its lower jaw, trying to force it away but the xenox had him pinned to the ground and was coming closer and closer to ripping into the vulnerable flesh of his neck. If she was going to do something, now was the time to do it.

Summoning all her courage, Elise lifted the frightened billib in one hand and put it as far behind her, back into the underbrush, as she could reach. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she jumped up, darted forward, and grabbed the black leather handle of the knife.

The leather was slick with blood and the blade had penetrated deep, but it wasn’t stuck in the bone. With a hard yank, Elise jerked it free and raised it over her head.

The xenox, still intent on killing Merrick, barely seemed to notice. But the big Kindred’s blazing eyes found hers at once and he shook his head.

“No, Elise—don’t risk it!”

Elise didn’t listen. Taking a firm grip on the knife with both hands, she raised it above her head and brought it down in a slicing arc, targeting the vulnerable side of the creature’s neck.

Later, she thought it must have been a lucky blow. The xenox had incredibly tough hide and thick fur—there was no way someone of her size and strength should have been able to hurt it or pierce its flesh. But either panic had given her strength or someone, somewhere was lending her extra power because the knife sliced through the xenox’s throat and the next thing she knew, Elise was being sprayed with its thick, dark blue blood.

She opened her lips to scream and her mouth filled with the salty, disgusting stuff, choking her, cutting off her air. She coughed and spat, trying to get rid of the gamey, bloody taste, her voice gone for the moment.

The xenox seemed to go crazy with pain. It threw back its injured head and howled, then snapped at its own neck, as though trying to bite the source of its agony. It writhed against Merrick, crushing him into the ground, its jaws grinding and claws slashing the ground.

“Elise! Elise!”

With a start, Elise became aware that Merrick was shouting her name and pointing at something. Finally she realized he was gesturing for the knife. Somehow she managed to stagger forward and get it into his big hand.

Merrick gripped the knife, his face contorted with rage. Without hesitation, he plunged the silver blade to the hilt in the xenox’s narrow yellow eye. It gave a final scream of pure anguish and then collapsed on top of him, the light going out of its other eye as well.

At last Elise found her voice. “Merrick!” she gasped, dropping to her knees beside him. The xenox on top of him was silent and still except for a few twitches she hoped were death throes. Then she realized the twitching was Merrick's doing—he was pushing up from underneath, trying to get the massive carcass off of himself.

Gasping with the effort, she put her shoulder to the greasy blue-black fur and shoved, trying to help, although the xenox was so huge she felt like an ant trying to move a boulder. At last, with both of them heaving, it rolled up far enough for Merrick to scramble out from under.

He got to his feet, breathing hard, and Elise ran to him without hesitation. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer but began running her hands over his arms and legs and torso, searching for wounds. It was hard to tell because of the urgot paste and all the xenox blood, but she thought he was in one piece…

Oh thank God…thank God! Relief rushed through her in a sweet flood. He’s all right. He’s going to be okay! She stepped back, taking him in, trying to make herself believe it was true.