Page 94 of Wicked Curses
As its head came toward him, he plunged the dagger into the sensitive area beneath its mouth. The scarog wheeled back with a screeching cry as Orin ripped his blade free and rolled out from beneath the beast.
He scrambled to his feet as Sahira made it to the wall with the hidden door. One of the scarogs raced toward her while she searched for the mechanism to unlock their only chance of survival.
The scarog was nearly on her when Orin jumped onto its back. His weight shoved its front into the earth as he lifted the dagger above his head and plunged it into the creature’s skull.
The thick plating on the scarog’s head resisted the dagger’s blow, but he threw his weight into the weapon until it cracked the shell and plunged into its brain… maybe. He was pretty sure this thing’s brain was the size of a pea, but the dagger sure pissed it off.
Orin tore the blade free as the scarog wheeled while swinging out its claws. Its spinning antennae sought to whip him off its body as they lashed at him.
“Orin!” Sahira screamed. “It’s open! Hurry!”
Orin wanted to tell her that he was a little busy right now, but it took everything he had to hold on to the scarog and not end up beneath it, where it would either trample or eat him. Swinging out, Orin managed to grasp one of the creature’s antennae; he snapped it over as he swung himself off the scarog and out over the earth.
The creature screamed again, but this time it had nothing to do with him. He spotted Sahira slicing her blade up through the scarog’s belly a second before he hit the ground.
She ripped her blade free and sprinted toward what looked to be a solid wall. Sahira reached it first and, pulling the door farther open, turned to wave him onward.
Like he needed encouragement.
Racing past her, he turned as she shut the door behind him. Absolute darkness descended a second before a beetle crashed into the wall.
CHAPTERSIXTY-EIGHT
“They can’t get in here,”Sahira whispered.
She didn’t know if she was saying it to reassure herself or if it was true as more of them crashed against the door and the side of the building.
“No, they can’t,” Orin said. “We’re safest if we remain in here. Even if they get into the pub, like they did the library, they won’t find this room.”
Sahira looked around the room, but it was pointless. The darkness was absolute.
“Why were you out there?” she inquired.
He should have been safe inside the pub; it was his day to work. Had he been out there for some other reason, or had he really gone out there forher?
“To find you.”
A lump formed in her throat, but she squeezed the word out. “Why?”
“It was obvious something went wrong at the library.”
Sahira didn’t know how to respond or what to make of that. The answer was so out of character with the man she knew.
“What happened there?” Orin asked.
She almost jumped when his voice came from a little closer than before but managed to restrain herself. Did he have to be so quiet?
“A fight. A stupid fight that caused everything to get out of control. Gromuck opened the door to throw out a berserker about to lose it, but the beetles pushed inside before she could close it again.”
“Was the fight because of you?”
Sahira recoiled as if he’d slapped her. “Whywould it be because of me?”
“Were the witches and warlocks starting a problem with you?”
“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped a little as she leaned against the wall. “No, I wasn’t the problem this time. He accused some lycans of cheating at cards, and it got out of control.”
“You’ve never been the problem. They are.”
