Page 47 (2/2)

Ran crouched before her, ready to spring His tongue swiped out over his canines, coating thes of saliva

Her storound in an attempt to push herself into the small space between the statue and the wall To disappear To hide

He sprang

She cowered against the wall, but the impact didn’t come

Scarlet heard a battle cry, followed by a heavy thud Snarling

She lowered her treled with each other Jaws snapping Blood dripping over taut ed to ease in a breath, glad to feel her chest expand Reaching overhead, she gripped the statue and tried to pull herself up, but theher jaw, she worked on tucking her legs under her and battled against the pain until she could stand, panting and sweating against the bronze goddess

If she could just get away before the braas over--

Ran pulled the othere round vibrated from the impact, but Scarlet barely felt it

Wolf

It was Wolf

Forty

Ran rebounded onto his feet and he and Wolf sprang apart, each straining against unburned energy Scarlet could al beneath their skin Wolf was covered in gashes and blood, but he didn’t see

Ran bared his fangs

"Return to your post, Ran," Wolf said with a snarl "This one is ust "And let you embarrass me--embarrass our farace" He spat a glob of blood onto the broken concrete "Our ht kill her, if you’re not willing to do it yourself"

Scarlet glanced behind her The staircase was low enough that she could cli of it Trying to shake off the helplessness, she struggled to crawl to the edge of the fountain

"She is rowl

"I do not want to fight you over a hu etched into his face made the endearment sound like a joke

"Then you will leave her"

"She was left under my jurisdiction You should not have abandoned your own post to come for her"

"She is mine!" Wolf’s te the bronze arm fro wax candlesticks hurtling into the fountain’s basin

They both re

Finally, Ran snarled "Then you’ve made your choice"

He pounced

Wolf batted hi him down onto the fountain wall

Ran landed with a yelp, but quickly rolled back onto his feet Wolf lunged, digging his teeth into Ran’s forearm

With a cry of pain, Ran swiped his sharp nails down Wolf’s chest, leaving cri his jaw, Wolf backhanded Ran across the face, sending hi into the fountain’s statue

Scarlet screaainst a coluain and Wolf, expectant, grasped him by the neck and used the racefully onto his feet They were both panting, blood soaking through their shredded clothes They paced, waiting, hunting for weaknesses

Again, Ran ht at Wolf, tackling hi, but Wolf held hirunted beneath Ran’s weight, struggling to avoid the dripping fangs, when Ran dug his fist into Wolf’s shoulder--the bullet wound froain purchase and shoved Ran off him with a kick to the stoered to their feet again Scarlet could see their energy dissolving as they stood, wobbling, gazes flashing murder Neither moved to cover their wounds

Ran swiped a bare ar his chin with blood

Wolf crouched and sprang, shoving Ran onto his back and landing on top of hi the brunt of the da his opponent into the , and howled

Scarlet forced her back into the coluh her skull and joints, filling every e, Wolf dropped down and snapped his jaw around Ran’s throat