Mae POV
My heart is beating loudly, and I know the two men can probably hear it. But I refuse to back down. I will not be the reason the fighting continues.
"Call off the fighting," I try to command the two men.
They look at each other before bursting into laughter. "How do you suggest we do that?" The first man says.
"With the mind link thingy," I say confidently.
The two men look at each other again and continue laughing. "You really know nothing about our world," the first man chuckles.
"We are rogues," the second butts in. "We don't have a mind link."
"But I heard you," I stutter. "You said the longer it takes to find me, the more will die."
"Never said the fighting would stop," the first shrugs. "But thank you for making our job a lot easier."
Both men take a step in my direction, but I have no plans of going quietly. They will have to drag me out of this forest, kicking and screaming. I raise the stick over my head and prepare to be attacked.
"Look, Brother," the second says. "She is going to fight us."
"It is cute when humans think they are strong enough to win," the first man says.
A wide smile spreads across his lips. All of his teeth are showing. Each one looks like it has been filed into a sharp point. Just the look of him has me shaking with fear. The second man is foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog as he inches his way toward me. They are getting closer to Sofia's hiding spot, and I am worried they will trip over her feet.
"Don't come any closer," I try to sound menacing.
"What are you going to do with that little stick?" The second man laughs.
I look up at the stick in my hands. It definitely doesn't look small to me. It is heavy and is making my arms tired, but I refuse to give up my defensive stance. I swing the stick in their direction before holding it back above my head.
The second man continues to inch in my direction. He is dangerously close to Sofia's hidden feet.
"I said, don't come any closer," I yell.
But no matter what I say, the men keep inching closer. They are not scared of me.
The second man steps on the leaves covering Sofia's feet, and she whimpers loudly. I look down at the pile of leaves, and her sparkly shoe is sticking out.
"What do we have here?" The second says as he reaches down and pulls Sofia from her hiding spot.
Sofia is screaming as loud as she can and clawing at the ground, trying to stay hidden. The man lifts her upside down by her feet, and an evil smile tugs at the corner of his lips. Sofia is swinging wildly back and forth, trying to get free. She is feisty for as young as she is.
The second man tosses Sofia to his brother, and she squeals in fear. The first man grabs her from the air and holds her by her neck. Tears are streaming down her face as she pleads to me with her eyes to save her.
"Don't hurt her," I yell.
"Why not," the first man says as he digs his fingers into her neck.
Sofia screams out in pain, and I lunge for her with the stick still in my hands. The second man steps in front of me, blocking me from getting to Sofia.
"Come with us, and we will let the girl go," he growls.
I let the stick drop to my side and it falls to the ground with a thud. "Just don't hurt her."
The second man grabs onto my arm and tugs me close to him. His dirty fingernails are piercing the skin of my arm, and blood is beginning to ooze to the surface. I look at the first man, and he is not letting go of Sofia.
"Let her go," I spit out at him, but he just laughs in my face.
"I don't think I will," he responds. "She will make good leverage in case you decide to act out."
"I will do whatever you want me to," I cry. "Just let the girl go."
The second man tries to lead me away but I refuse to go anywhere until I know Sofia is safe. I dig my heels into the ground and fight against his pull. I can feel his nails peeling back my skin as my arm slides from his hand.
"Stop fighting," he grumbles as he struggles to keep ahold of me.
"No," I hiss.
Then I see my opening. I take a step forward and thrust the heel of my palm upwards onto his nose. The second man lets go of my arm as his eyes begin to water, and his hands fly to his face. Blood is pouring from his nose, but I know it won't last long.
Bending down, I grab the stick from the ground and swing it toward his head. But I am not fast enough, and he ducks.
"You stupid bitch," he growls as he grabs the stick from my hand. He breaks it across his thigh and throws the pieces to the side.
Suddenly, a loud growl pierces through the trees, and a massive golden wolf comes running through the trees. The look on the two men's faces tells me that this wolf is on my side.
The first man tosses Sofia to the side as he turns to face the golden wolf. I quickly grab Sofia off the ground and hold her close. Tears are streaming down her face as she cries loudly.
Not turning my back on the fight, I back away from them until I hit a tree behind me.
The golden wolf snarls at the two men, and the men both begin to shift into dirty brown wolves. But the golden wolf doesn't wait until their shift is over. She grabs the first man by the head and shakes her head from side to side. His head separates from his body with a sickening tear. I wrap my hand around Sofia's eyes, trying to hide the carnage from her.
The second man is now fully his wolf, and he howls in anguish over the loss of his brother. The golden wolf tosses the head to the side and paws angrily at the ground. The second man whimpers and bows down to her, but the golden wolf doesn't take pity on him. She jumps on his back and bites down on his neck. The sound of his spine cracking fills the air as she shakes him from side to side.
She drops the body of the dead wolf at her feet and looks in my direction. I am shaking with fear, but there is something about this wolf that is familiar. Even though the golden wolf is covered in blood, her tongue sticks out of the side of her mouth, and she looks silly.
Within seconds, the golden wolf is no longer in front of me, and a very naked Raven is standing in its place. Sofia wiggles from my arms and bows in front of Raven, but Raven lifts her by her shoulders and embraces her gently.
"Come on," Raven gestures to me. "Everyone is looking for you."