Chapter 74 COLLISION

Chapter 74 COLLISION
GARRETT'S POV

By the time I got upstairs, Marcus was the only one by my side. A part of me didn't even have a fucking problem with it. Derek was down there with her. And if he was the one that she needed to keep her grounded, I didn't see why I should feel jealous.

The both of them had done more than just kissing, and I could feel it from miles away. The way her heartbeat was threatening to sync with his. The way he could feel when something was wrong with her. But her power was too much to sync with something like his.

It didn't matter. They were engaged already. And she wasn't marked yet.

I ran a hand through my face. Goddess, I hated that I was fucking thinking about this so much. It wasn't something to think so much about.

“Oh, goddess,” Marcus said, and I was forced to look up, right at what he was looking at.

There was so much blood soaking the courtyard. I wasn't sure that I had seen that much blood in a while.

It didn't matter what decisions Iris took. The men that were up here needed more support than ever. Only a few were still moving. Guards were down, and the hunters were pushing their ways further into the pack.

I tried to figure out which pack it was, or who sent them. It it was still hard to even fucking figure it out.

“Do you know who they are?” Marcus asked, and I gave him a disappointed shake of my head.

That was when I noticed something on the side.

Something that was pulsing unnatural energy.

There was something on the side, clad in dark energy, and an armor. It was turned towards the guards fighting like its life depended on it. But I wasn't even sure it was alive. It looked like something that controlled.

I had already seen Ragner. And whatever bad energy was down there with Iris. And I swear, I've had enough.

I looked over at Marcus for answers. Everything in me wanted to grab a fucking sword and shield. But even I knew that I might not survive this one.

“They brought a vessel,” he finally said, and everything was making sense.

“Of course they did,” I finally said, and I didn't know if I was supposed to be annoyed, or wowed by the fact that they were actually smart.

Iris and Derek were right behind me, and I quickly grabbed the sword and shield. As I ran towards it, swinging the sword like my life depended on it, hopping that I got one perfect clean cut. It never came.

The creature dodged very single swing of my sword with precision. Like it guessed every bit of it.

A part of me was actually exhausted. But then, I couldn't give up. Not now. Not like this.

“That's not for the house,” Derek said and this time, I couldn't even deny that fact. He was so fucking right.

The vessel suddenly stopped, and I couldn't help but think if it managed to find its way into the mind link.

Its head was cocked to the side and before I even knew what was happening, it started walking towards Iris.

Iris and her dark flickering creature were still there. That was when I figured that Ragner was standing beside her the whole time. He had abandoned the fight somehow and just focused itself on protecting Iris.

That was when it became clear that they never had any interest in protecting the pack. They were there to protect Iris. She was the reason for their existence somehow.

I quickly stepped in front of Iris. “Stay behind me,” I said, but none of them moved. Derek had his eyes on Iris again, like something had shifted. Something had changed.

And then, I noticed the creature beside her. And it was manifesting right behind her.

It slowly rose behind her like a dark shower, towering over her.

Iris stood there, and I could see her heart pulsing at the base of her throat. She was scared. And she was excited.

The creature's figure wasn't fully physical, and it wasnt intangible as well. The hunters that were fighting, suddenly stopped. They could see it. Every single one of them.

Good.

Because Iris wasn't even there to play.

The connection between the both of them pulsed like they were one single human being. If it wasn't the most fascinating thing that I had seen in a while, I didn't know what else would be.

Iris didn't look back. “I can feel you,” she whispered to the creature, and it hummed in response.

The creature was close enough now, and it tilted its head to the side. “You’re unstable,” It said, and Iris seemed to chuckle.

“I've been told,” she said.

Derek let out a quiet breath behind her. “Understatement,” he said. It was supposed to be funny, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh. Not at a time like this.

My focus was fixed on Iris. Trying to see if anything was going to go wrong. I wanted to be the one to protect her if anything went wrong.

The vessel took a step closer again. “You're going to collapse,” it said.

The creature behind Iris shifted. With more defiance. It had more defined shape now. Like it was trying to prove the vessel wrong.

Iris equally tipped her chin in defiance as well. Her eyes were practically blazing with rage. And she looked so fucking hot while she was at it.

“Why don't you try to make me collapse?” She asked, and the creature sharpened again, but in a defensive manner this time.

“Iris…” Derek and I were already saying, and she whipped her head to look at the both of us, like we were distracting her. If that wasn't our cue to keep quiet, I didn't know what else would do the trick.

Before I even knew what was happening, the vessel suddenly lunged for Iris.