Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Chapter 99

RIO’S POV

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“HOLD THE LINE!” Rio’s voice strained against the roar of battle. His throat was raw, but he shouted again, forcing strength into his words. “THE NIGHT IS ABOUT TO END! HOLD

THE LINE!”

The second night of the beast tide was worse than the first. Dawn was breaking, yet the creatures had only grown wilder. Their eyes burned with frenzy, their claws and teeth cutting through steel as if the armor meant nothing. Soldiers clashed with them at the barricades, the air thick with the smell of blood, smoke, and rot.

“Joneses!” Rio barked, spotting the veteran stagger as he swung his axe. “Assist Mendez! Now!”

Mendez was helping a soldier who was on his knees, his arm slashed open, blood pouring down his side. Two men rushed to drag the wounded back, but another beast barreled toward them. Joneses leapt forward, axe slamming into the creature’s skull before it could finish them. The impact split the ground with a wet crack.

More wounded were carried into the back lines every minute, healers scrambling with bandages and poultices, their faces pale from exhaustion. Men bled into the snow, some groaning, others silent, their weapons clattering uselessly to the ground.

Then came the worst of it, the flying beasts. Their wings cut across the sky, blocking out what little light was left. They dove straight into the ranks, claws hooking soldiers off the walls and dragging them screaming into the air. One crashed into the barricade, tearing apart the palisade as men scrambled to push it back.

“Archers! Bring it down!” Rio shouted, pointing his blade upward. Arrows hissed through the air, piercing wings, but the creatures didn’t fall fast enough. Another swooped, grabbing a young soldier and flinging him across the yard like a broken doll.

Chaos ruled the field. Even the most disciplined lines bent under the assault. The beasts seemed endless, their numbers pressing from every direction.

Just as despair threatened to sink in, a sound split the air. A sharp, piercing screech, louder than the rest. The beasts faltered, their wings beating erratically.

Rio froze, his brow furrowing. The sun was rising, by instinct, the beasts should retreat. But instead of pulling back, they grew frantic, slamming harder into their defenses. Could they even survive another wave?

Another screech tore through the sky. “Look!” someone shouted, pointing beyond the barricades.

10:41 Wed, Sep 17

Chapter 99

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Rio turned. His eyes widened. From the treeline behind the horde, a surge of force erupted, like water bursting from a broken fountain, except it wasn’t water. It was a wave of blood and steel, beasts torn apart and hurled into the air as something cut straight through them.

Grace who had been standing at Rio’s side with her blade slick with gore, gasped and then shouted with all the breath she had left. “The Lord is back! Lord Cassian is back!”

“The Lord is back!” Rio shouted, his voice breaking but strong enough for the men closest to him to hear. Now it made sense. Why the beasts seemed more desperate, why their attacks had grown

wild and reckless. They weren’t pressing harder because they thought victory was close. They were running from what was behind them. From him.

Lord Cassian.

From this distance, Rio couldn’t see clearly. All he could make out was the spray of blood and the way beasts were flung aside like broken kindling. He squinted, searching, but he couldn’t spot the Lady. Only the endless blur of violence that followed Cassian wherever he went.

Then Rio noticed something else. Shapes moving near Cassian. Not soldiers from the outpost, not familiar men. Company. The Lord had brought others? Rio narrowed his eyes, confusion cutting through the chaos, but there was no time to think.

“Rio!” Grace’s cry tore his focus back. A flying beast had hooked her from the side, claws sinking into her shoulder as it dragged her up into the sky.

“GRACE!”

Rio sprinted, boots pounding the blood–soaked ground. He drove his sword into the dirt, used it as leverage, and launched himself upward. His blade ripped free as he rose, the sudden burst of strength fueled by fury. The beast screeched, twisting mid–air, but Rio slammed his sword into its wing joint. Bone cracked, flesh split, and the monster faltered.

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