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Hell, evenIwanted to howl.
Dominic rolled on the ground and then shifted back into a wolf. As Fane’s bellow slowly died, the other wolf darted off into the forest with his tail between his legs, leaving me with the angry shifter.
Fane’s muscles twitched and rippled beneath his fiery skin. I was surprised steam wasn’t rising off him. He jammed his fingers in his hair, his back still toward me.
My pulse raced, and electricity prickled the air. My entire body buzzed like I’d been struck with a live wire. The silence thickened, and as more time passed, the harder it became to speak. So I talked with my mind instead.
“Well, he seems nice.”
This unfroze Fane, and a menacing snarl that rose the tiny hairs on my nape rolled out of him. He stomped away and yanked his jeans from the ground.
“Are we leaving?” I asked, finally remembering how to form audible words.
He grabbed his t-shirt. “If that didn’t make you shift, then it’s not happening tonight.”
But he was certain that Iwouldshift. It was just a matter of time.
* * *
After returning from the woods,Fane stormed off and left me downstairs alone. The Anders were still out running through the forest or whatever wolves did. I watched television for a while before heading to the guest room I’d dropped my bag in earlier. As usual, nightmares laced my sleep, mixed with a few moments of reprieve. A memory of Jayla seeped in between the bouts of darkness and peace…
“Just leave me alone.I’m not interested.”
My boots skidded to a stop as a tiny, shaky female voice echoed from the shadows of an alley.
“Come on, baby doll,” a guy said. “You’re going to freeze to death if you stay out here. We’ll get you warm if you come with us.”
“Yeah.” The other male’s scratchy voice made my flesh pucker. “We’ll even give you some food. You must be hungry. Charlie and I have a place just down the street.”
Silver flashed under the pale moonlight as she brandished a knife. “I said leave me alone. I’m not afraid to use this.”
Charlie, the first guy who spoke, laughed. “What are you going to do with that? You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Not before I hurt you,” she hissed.
My stomach tightened. Jayla, that kid who kept hanging around me, had gotten herself in trouble. I toyed with the zipper on my faux leather jacket, debating my options. She wasn’t any of my business, and shedidhave a knife. She’d never be able to survive out here if she didn’t learn to take care of herself like I had.
“Grab her knife, Miles.”
Jayla screeched. “Give that back!”
Damn it.
I sprinted down the backstreet, my steps so swift and quiet Miles didn’t see me lunge at him. I slammed my fist into his throat and then slapped him across his cheek.
He dropped the knife and stumbled into a wall, grabbing his face. “What the fuck?” His scrawny frame wouldn’t take much to knock out.
A holey graphic tee hung off his sharp shoulders, and the dirty, ripped jeans barely held onto his bony hips. Red rimmed his hazy eyes, and his teeth shone yellow in the dim streetlights. Scabs dotted his face.
Definitely a druggie. He wasn’t much of a challenge.
But, Charlie, standing over six feet with broad shoulders, would be a problem. Drugs hadn’t yet consumed his body.
“You two must be new in these parts,” I said, keeping my stance casual as my muscles remained at the ready. “Little girls are off limits, so go find some other source of entertainment, you sick freaks.”
Charlie flicked limp, greasy blond hair out of his chubby face and sneered, deepening the dent in his chin. “What are you going to do about it? You’re barely bigger than she is.” He pointed to Jayla who plastered herself against the brick wall, quivering.
“Maybe I’ll rip your balls off and make your friend choke on them.” I jerked my thumb to Miles who had recovered from his shock.
