Mated To An Enemy

One of the soldiers that had joined Ashleigh was skilled. She held her own while still paying attention when Ashleigh or the young boy with them needed her aid. She also made sure to draw her opponents away from the tower.

The boy, however, was very new to battle. He stumbled and struggled to keep the focus of his opponents. Ashleigh realized almost immediately that she needed to keep an eye on him as much as the tower.

But, to her surprise, the three of them were doing an excellent job keeping the attention off the tower. Looking at her clock, she saw it had already been six minutes. According to Clara, they would need at least ten.

Ashleigh stayed close to the boy. Together they fought a small group of hybrids. While she focused the attention of two of them, he fought one-on-one with the third.

Once Ashleigh had dispatched her opponents, she looked over just in time to witness his first solo victory.

He pulled his sword from the body of the hybrid as it shriveled and shrunk. The boy's eyes were wide with surprise and adrenaline. He turned to Ashleigh with a lopsided grin and raised his arms in the air, cheering at his unexpected victory.

Ashleigh had just a moment to enjoy the expression before her senses picked up on the danger.

"Watch out!" she shouted as one of the feral wolves lunged for him.

The boy was surprised, his reaction too slow. The wolf flew at him with ferocious speed.

Ashleigh threw herself forward, dashing into the boy and flinging him back as the wolf clamped down on her arm.

She let out a howl of pain as the teeth sunk into her arm, tearing through the weakening spectral armor and piercing her flesh below.

'Ashleigh,' Lily whispered, 'If I don't pull back now, I won't have enough power left to hold the gate.'

Ashleigh snarled at the feral wolf still clinging to her arm.

For a brief moment, the wolf hesitated, long enough for Ashleigh to twist her arm from his jaws and stab the blade in her other hand down through the top of his snout. A pained whimper escaped its throat before she snapped its neck.

Ashleigh stood up, panting as she looked around. The boy had already gotten to his feet; he was fighting back another feral wolf. While the woman was fighting a hybrid.

She looked up at the tower. None of the monsters were heading toward it, much to Ashleigh's relief. She looked down at the countdown at her wrist. The team still needed a few more minutes.

Ashleigh took a deep breath. Two bears were charging toward her, a hybrid was running straight for the boy, and the woman had two feral wolves jumping down at her from above.

'One more," Ashleigh whispered.

She felt the nod of approval from Lily as the power inside of her surged. Once more, Ashleigh drew the great sword from its spectral sheathe. She pushed off the ground into the air, bringing the sword above her head as she came back down to the earth with the force of a small earthquake on the two bears that charged at her.

The power of her landing knocked back the two feral wolves with eyes on the woman that fought alongside her. The boy held his ground as the wolf he fought struggled to keep its balance, allowing him an opening to run it through.

The woman put down the hybrid she had been facing off against, immediately turning to help the boy fight against the hybrid that ran at him.

Ashleigh pulled the sword from the bears piled atop each other. She swung it around herself, severing the tendrils that sprung up from the bodies below her before they could attack.

"Ok," Ashleigh said with a smile, her panting heavy. "Now, you can take it back."

Lily gave a soft chuckle as she drew the power back inside herself.

Ashleigh felt the loss of power. It was a strange feeling. She knew that she had formidable strength, but the Valkyrie's protective layer and strength left her feeling invincible. It was something they shared, something only the two of them could ever experience.

She clenched her jaw.

'Is this really the only way?' Ashleigh whispered.

Lily took a deep breath.

'It is the best way,' Lily replied sadly.

Ashleigh felt a hollow pain in her chest. She swallowed.

"Luna Ashleigh!" the boy shouted.

Ashleigh's eyes widened; she had lost focus. Even for a few short moments, that was all it took to lose your life on the battlefield. She turned, and the world around her slowed to a crawl.

Behind her, she caught sight of a hybrid, one of its tendrils sharpened like a spear and flying toward her. It was close, so close she knew there would be nothing she could do to stop it from hitting her.

Even if the wound was not lethal, without the Valkyrie's spectral armor to protect her, the infection would attack her DNA immediately.

Ashleigh felt her heart pounding in her ears. She needed to do something. This couldn't be the end. There were too many people still relying on her. Waiting for her.

She felt the strength of their bond at that moment, the warmth of his presence. The ever-flowing connection of love and longing that existed between them.

'Caleb…' she whispered through their bond. 'I'm so sorry….'

Before her eyes, the tendril was fast approaching. Her hands held tightly to the daggers she had summoned, hoping with every ounce of faith in her heart that she would be able to reach the tendril before it reached her.

But she already knew it was too late.

She clenched her jaw, preparing for the impact of the tendril into her body, but then she saw something else.

A blade of shining obsidian came down with speed and precision, cutting through the tendril before it reached its intended target.

The discordant scream of pain reached her ears and brought the word crashing back to its normal speed. The hybrid was cut in half by the same obsidian blade wielded by a large man with auburn hair and an unmistakable presence.

Ashleigh gasped as her body and mind caught up to each other. Her chest heaved with the heavy breaths she took.

"Don't give up so easily," his deep voice called to her with a soft pant. "I already told you...."

Ashleigh felt the ache in her heart, the longing.

Their eyes met as he began to move toward her.

Her heart tightened; her stomach knotted up. Every part of her mind, body, and soul reacted to the silver orbs that stared back at her with delight and longing.

"We are finishing this war together," Caleb's gruff voice growled as he reached his hand to the back of her head, tangling his fingers into the back of her hair, now loosened from the braid she had worn into battle.

"Caleb…" she whispered as he pulled her closer.

"I've missed you…." Caleb replied.

He closed the distance between them, drawing her into a passionate embrace.