Audrey’s POV
One second, it was in the trees. The next, it was right there.
I barely had time to react.
Luke shoved me out of the way as massive claws slashed through the air where I had been standing.
I rolled, hitting the ground hard, my blade still in my grip.
Luke was already moving, striking fast, his knife slicing toward the creature’s throat.
But it dodged.
It wasn’t just fast.
It was smart.
The creature snarled, lunging again. Luke barely avoided the strike, twisting away.
I pushed myself up, my breath sharp.
It was watching us.
Studying us.
Like it knew exactly how we fought.
My grip tightened on my blade. "We need to kill it."
Luke didn’t look away from the creature. "Yeah. Working on it."
The creature moved again.
I didn’t think—I just reacted.
I slashed towar
