Page 75 of Fang Fatale

Behind us Mason bellows, "You can't hide! We'll gut every tree in these woods until we find you!"

The brute lunges from the darkness, knife flashing.

Trent meets him halfway.

Bone cracks.

The man disappears back into the trees with a howl.

I don't look back.

Half a mile later we skid into a tiny clearing. The hunting cabin crouches beneath the pines like it regrets surviving this long.

I shoulder the door open.

Trent slams it shut behind us while Theo braces a chair beneath the handle.

I lower Birdie onto the cot as gently as if she's made of spun glass.

"Are you hurt?"

She blinks at me, startled by the question, then shakes her head.

Only then do I realize blood is soaking through my sleeve.

Birdie is already digging through the first-aid kit.

"Sit."

"I'm fine."

"You're bleeding."

"Technicality."

"It's really not."

Despite everything, one corner of her mouth twitches.

Worth it.

She kneels in front of me, hands trembling only slightly as she cuts away my ruined sleeve.

"This is going to sting."

"I've read internet comments."

She snorts before she can stop herself.

The sound lands somewhere behind my ribs.

She wraps the towel around my shoulder with surprising confidence, tying off the pressure bandage.

"Hold still."

"I'm perfectly still."

"You're glaring."