Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

60: teeth either broken or sank deep

— Rob —

Rob glanced at Léon.

That hug and kiss felt different somehow. They were... maybe better and more sincere, almost as if Léon had never been this close to him, as if Léon had really forgiven him, and as if the last barrier between them had finally been torn down.

Rob was electrified. The energy coursing through his body was pure, strong, and it made him ready for bloody anything.

He took in a deep breath and set his blazing sight on Jackal. He wouldn't let her do anything to spoil this moment for him. Or... yeah, to destroy the world or something.

"Now," Satina ordered.

They ran together, but Rob was the first to reach their target; like a battering ram, he shouldered Jackal and pushed her away, trying to interrupt whatever she was doing to Toni. She lost her grip on Toni's shoulder and slid a couple of meters backward. The white shadow coming from Jackal's wrist still had its fangs in Toni's shoulder, but her connection to it thinned as a rubber band stretched too far.

Perhaps they could break it if she was distant enough.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jackal barked. "Antônio, attack them!"

Toni reacted. His blank eyes snapped to the side, looking but not seeing, and he skipped a step forward, way too quick for Rob's reflexes. He punched Rob's chest with his free hand, and the attack was so strong, Rob was tossed back towards Rafa. Rob's arms and legs scraped against the stones and pebbles on the ground, cutting his exposed skin while he rolled to a stop.

"Back so soon, Brother?" Rafa teased.

"Very funny." Rob grunted as he tried to get up. He wailed in pain. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He was pretty sure he had broken something. If he still had his powers, half-dead-Toni wouldn't be a problem for him. But he hadn't, and even Toni's punches were enough to give him pause. He looked at Rafa and furrowed his eyebrows. "You should—!" Help us fight.

The words stuck in his throat. Droplets of sweat rolled down Rafa's face and blood stained her bandaged arms, then dripping from between the crystals; to top it off, her legs trembled as if they could barely keep her up. Still, Rafa was intent on creating massive crystal plates, only Goddess knew why.

Rafa took in a deep breath and sketched a smirk. "What, Beto? Scared for your big sis?"

"S-shut it." The crease between Rob's eyebrows deepened. "You should stay back. We'll take care of this."

Rafa chuckled as Rob turned around.

At his right, Satina stood, her fingers covered by cobalt blue energy while her eyes were set on Jackal; she muttered something under her breath, maybe preparing to establish a contract, but Jackal noticed it.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh no way in hell," Jackal said in a deeper voice. "I won't let you do that again, hot stuff."

Jackal fully faced Satina—and while Rob wasn't sure what Jackal's fighting style was, he knew it couldn't be good. Jackal balled her hands and flexed her muscles, but Léon didn't seem intent on waiting for their attacks. He ran forward, summoned his scythe, and rotated it, trying to hit Toni's hand.

Rob tried to get up again, but his muscles were still rebelling against his commands. Shite, the pain! Oh, Goddess. What can I do?

Léon wasn't fast enough. Toni gripped the blade as it went down, ending his momentum; with a hard tug, Toni stole the weapon, threw it away, and tried to punch Léon as he had done to Rob. Léon blocked the attack with his crossed forearms, but the blow was too strong. He was pushed two whole meters backward; Léon grimaced and massaged the point of impact.