Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“Here they come,” Dax whispered as he prepared himself for a real fight.
Emory squinted at the emerging kelpie. “I know of these creatures, but I’ve never fought one. Anything I need to watch out for? My briefing was brief, even for Xavier.”
“Wait until they transform. They’re easier to beat on land. Heads are most vulnerable in any form. If they think they’re losing, they’ll try to drag you under, let the water do the dirty work.”
“Is there an angle I should hit their heads from for maximum impact?”
“Yes, exactly thirty-seven point two degrees.”
Emory rolled his eyes. “I should have known you’d calculate that.”
“For fuck’s sake, of course I didn’t! Just hit them in the head. A lot.”
Emory snorted. “I’m going to keep the fight to land. As you know, I’m not a fan of being in the water.”
Emory’s wings weighed him down when wet. Dax had been a little surprised that Xavier had sent Emory with him for that reason. Everyone else must have been on jobs.
A black horse’s head slipped from the water, and the rest of the kelpie’s body began to transform as it stepped onto land. Powerful shoulders wider than Dax’s considerate width tapered into a Shire-like body with strong legs. It snorted and pawed at the ground with one hoof. Two more began to emerge, tentacles slowly waving out of the water, until all three stood in their horse forms on a sandy section of the shore. The lead kelpie was all midnight black, while the second was russet in color. The last boasted a multi-colored mane that didn’t look at all natural and especially wouldn’t to a human.
Dax wondered about those lost humans. If they’d been shocked to find horses roaming free in Seattle. What would make them actually try to ride them? He hadn’t had a lot of first-hand experience with kelpies, though he’d read up on them. So he knew they could shift into human form but seemed to prefer their horse manifestation.
As the three kelpies began making their way up the shore, the heady, thick scent of strong pheromones filled the air, and he understood.
“Smell that?” Emory said, voice pitched low.
Dax nodded. “Humans don’t stand a chance against that. No wonder they’ve taken so many.” Dax watched but no more creatures came from the water. He turned to Emory. “Ready for this?”
Emory’s eyebrows met in a regretful frown. “We’ll have to kill them, so they don’t come back. Send a warning to others that this area is under heavy protection.” Emory might be the biggest playboy on the planet, but his sense of empathy was huge.
Dax nodded and stood, cracking his knuckles. They stepped out from behind the building, streetlights illuminating them. He quickly surmised the best way to take the kelpies down. He’d be relying on his strength, but it was possible he could outsmart them—as long as he didn’t end up in the water. His analytical mind quickly took in as many details as he could. The lead kelpie had a scar over one eye, so its vision would be hampered on one side, while the russet one seemed to be favoring its back left leg.
The kelpie in the lead swung its head their way and snorted before scraping its hoof along the ground again. Dax knew taking this one out first was the way to go. Even with its vision hampered, it would be a strong adversary.
“You have one chance to leave this city,” Dax called out. “Make the right choice.”
He knew they could talk in any of their forms, but the three remained silent. Moonlight sparkled on their wet coats and in their big, dark eyes. Their horse forms were beautiful, designed to lure humans, but Dax knew they were deadly in all forms. He waited, hoping they would believe the threat and leave, but the lead kelpie’s body tensed, and Dax braced for an attack.
The kelpie leaped toward him.
Dax swung his fist as Emory shot into the air, his wings spread. The kelpie’s head felt like concrete to his fist, but he avoided the sharp teeth snapping at him and landed another punch. It swung to the side, staggering on its four legs before finding its footing and coming at him again.
“The russet one’s back leg is weak!” he yelled to Emory as he dodged the black kelpie’s attempt to ram him, kicking one of its legs out from underneath it. It let out a scream of rage that sounded nothing like a horse as it backed away from him. The one with the multi-colored mane charged him, and he brought both arms up to swing, landing a powerful blow to its face.
Emory was leaping into the air and attacking the russet kelpie in downward punches to its back legs that were pretty damned effective. It was already starting to cower.