The air in the cramped workshop turned instantly hostile. Ngozi, the vampire's accomplice, moved with a languid grace that belied her deadly intent. She wasn't just here to capture; she was here to secure Fortune's victory.
"Alpha Chinedu won't be paying anyone for a traitor," Samuel growled, his body coiling into a defensive posture, the pine scent intensifying. "The Pack will deal with its own."
"Oh, but the Shadow deals in permanent solutions," Ngozi purred, her eyes fixing on Samuel. "Taking the wolf out now saves Fortune the mess of fighting the entire Pack when the Stone explodes. You see, the Alpha only exiled you. Fortune needs you dead."
Ngozi lunged, moving faster than Esther's eye could track. Her pale hand, tipped with sharp, hardened nails, aimed for Samuel's throat.
Samuel reacted instantly, catching her wrist with a force that should have shattered bone. But Ngozi was unnaturally strong. The impact echoed like a gunshot in the confined space.
"Tunde! Get Esther out!" Samuel yelled, shoving Esther toward the dark, narrow tunnel leading deeper into the engineering maze.
Tunde grabbed Esther's arm. "Come on, Keeper! This is a Pack fight!"
Esther resisted, pulling away. She remembered the Silver Bloom in the diary the volatile acceleration of the Stone's energy. She was the only one who truly understood the mechanics of the stabilization.
"No! The crystal! We need the 'Crystal Casket' to stabilize the Bloom! Samuel needs me to go to the caves!" Esther insisted.
As Samuel and Ngozi wrestled, the vampire's strength nearly matching the wolf's. Ngozi let out a high-pitched snarl, managing to slash Samuel's shoulder. Dark, human-looking blood immediately welled up on the white fabric of his shirt.
"Go, Esther! If I shift here, I'll tear this place apart, and you won't survive the mess!" Samuel roared, his eyes flashing with the beginnings of the amber Change.
Tunde knew Samuel was at his limit. Fighting a vampire in human form was taxing, and the partial transformation was agonizing.
"Esther, you must go! The caves! If we stabilize the Stone, Samuel is free from the exile!" Tunde made a split-second decision. He turned and slammed his large body into Ngozi, tackling her away from the injured Samuel. "I will slow her down! Go, Samuel! Go, Esther! Finish the job!"
Samuel hesitated for only a second, his eyes locked on Esther's. He saw the resolute acceptance of her role as the Keeper.
"I'll meet you there!" he promised, before turning and scrambling down the dark tunnel after Esther.