CHAPTER EIGHTY - Where Legends Come To Rest

"I didn't—" Victor began, then caught himself. But the damage was done. Doubt had crept into his voice, and with it, his connection to the ritual flickered. Lucas felt the pressure on his throat ease fractionally. It was all the opening he needed. With explosive force, he bucked upward, dislodging Victor's weight and rolling free. Drawing on reserves of strength he didn't know he possessed, Lucas channeled everything into a single explosive movement. His body arched like a bow, his abdominal muscles contracting with supernatural force. The sudden shift in weight distribution caught Victor off-guard, disrupting his balance just enough for Lucas to twist free of the chokehold. Pain lanced through Lucas's chest as the movement aggravated his fractured sternum, but adrenaline and his wolf's healing energy dulled it to a manageable level. He rolled away from Victor, coming up in a defensive crouch several feet distant. His throat felt crushed, each breath a ragged scrape through his dama