Dark Lycan by Christine Feehan Page B

arm to come in close to slam his fist hard into Bardolf’s chest.
    He had no more silver stakes. To kill Bardolf he would need the silver spike as well as to remove the heart from the chest and destroy it with fire. Few knew how to kill one such as Bardolf, but Fen had plenty of experience in trial and error when he’d tracked the Sange rau centuries before. He knew destroying the monster would be very difficult.
    He plunged his fist deep, twisting his body to avoid the muzzle full of teeth rushing toward his throat. The teeth grazed him, ripping through flesh. He felt the flash of pain an instant before he blocked it, his fist moving deep in the chest of the undead, fingers seeking the withered heart. He couldn’t kill the beast, but he could slow it down, giving Tatijana time to destroy a number of the rogue pack from the sky.
    Bardolf wrenched his body backward, pushing himself off of Fen with tremendous force so that Fen was flung backward as well, his fist pulling free of the vampire’s chest. Bardolf, instead of following up his advantage while Fen staggered, trying to recover his footing, leapt for the air, for the small dragon skillfully wielding flame.
    “Fen!” Zev yelled. “Catch.”
    Dimitri and Zev took the brunt of the attack on the next wave of werewolves as Bardolf clearly directed his rogues toward Fen. The two hunters, Carpathian and Lycan, quickly leapt between Fen and the oncoming assault.
    Fen had his hand in the air almost before he turned around. A silver sword spiraled toward him. Fen caught the glittering handle and leapt into the air as a Lycan would, almost in one motion, slicing cleanly through Bardolf’s body just as the undead werewolf reached for the dragon’s spiked tail. Bardolf’s scream shook the trees below him, the discordant note an assault on every ear.
    The werewolves set up a terrible cacophony of howls. The brush shivered. Leaves withered and tree branches shifted away from the body of the Sange rau as it dropped like a stone in two pieces to the ground with an ugly splat. Acid fell like rain, burning everything in its path.
    Fen raced toward the head and chest. A large werewolf intercepted him. Fen swung the sword as another werewolf leapt on his back. The sword sliced through sinew and bone, cutting off an arm. The scent of blood and burned flesh made the werewolves nearly crazed so that they renewed their attacks in a mad frenzy, rushing at Dimitri and Zev, and dragging them to the ground.
    Tatijana! Circle back.
    Fen had no choice but to go to his brother’s aid. He turned away from the severed body of the undead, leapt over a fallen werewolf and landed in the middle of the frenzied pack. He picked up a large werewolf who ripped open Dimitri’s belly with his teeth and clawed at his insides in triumph. Fen snapped the werewolf’s neck and threw him into another one so that they both went crashing down, one on top of the other. He waded through more of the werewolves, it seemed a wall of them, trying to get to his brother and Zev.
    Tatijana burst overhead, fire raining down, a long sweep of flames so that fur blackened, singed and then curled into ashes. Werewolves screamed in panic and pain. Fen took advantage of the assault from the sky, breaking through the mass of wolves to yank Dimitri up and away from the frenzied mob. Blood sprayed into and over the thrashing wolves.
    Dimitri staggered back, pain etched into his face. He righted himself and the pain was wiped from his expression. He held up his hand for the silver sword. Fen tossed it to him and went back for Zev.
    Fen spared a quick glance toward the two halves of Bardolf’s body. Already the hands and legs were dragging the pieces closer together, digging in the dirt to reach each half.
    Tatijana, flame the Sange rau cut in half. Burn that carcass before it’s too late.
    Even as he told her, the two severed halves merged and instantly disappeared into the mist. Cursing in his native tongue, Fen snapped