Dax didn't use the injector this time. Instead, he channeled the surrounding moisture into a thin, invisible blade of water, sharpened it with his will, and flicked his wrist. The blade of pressurized water cut through the beast's neck in a silent, clean arc. The head toppled, and the body collapsed with a heavy, wet thud.
Silence fell, heavy and complete. The air was thick with the coppery tang of blood and the lingering, unpleasant odor of the beasts' pheromones.
Rowan kept his rifle trained on the bodies, his breathing controlled but heavy. "That's three."
Otto nudged the headless corpse with his boot, his face grim. He knelt, his gloved hands probing the weeping gray flesh around the creature's jaw. He pried the mouth open wider, exposing the rows of needle-like teeth and the unnervingly human-like structure of the palate and throat. He ran a thumb over the gums, then stood.
