Nice, Ilume . I’d just lost my target and now he knew where I was. The fury boiled up inside me. Are you a wolf or aren’t you? I jumped, claws out, aimed right for his face.
Jared ducked. His arms came up, catching me around the waist. He flipped me over like a karate stick, my head nearly grinding the pavement. I twisted in his arms, releasing a feral snarl. He had a strong grip for a mortal. His hands worked quickly, and before I could take a bite out of his side he slammed me to the ground, his legs and hands pinning mine flat.
“What are you?” he demanded, arms jittering as they held me down. “Fox maiden? Skinwalker?”
“You’re getting warmer,” I grunted. I pushed against him with all my strength, but he barely budged. God, this kid was an iron weight!
“Then what is it?” His grip grew firmer, cutting the circulation off in my hands and feet. I almost cried out in pain as his fingernails pierced my flesh. Strength wasn’t working for me. I needed another idea, like the element of distraction.
The element of surprise.
I thrust my head up and slammed my lips into his. It worked. His grip slacked. As he pulled away I freed one foot. My knee kicked up between his legs, and he crumpled sideways, spewing profanities.
I rolled over, away from him. I should’ve transitioned but couldn’t risk it, not in the city, Human Central. As I jumped up to flee the alley, fingers latched onto my ankle.
“You’re not getting away from me this time!” Jared launched himself at me. “Sorry, lady, you won’t be walking these streets again until you’re tagged.”
“Newsflash, punk,” I growled, trying to shake him off. So that’s what he wanted. He wanted to tag me like a freaking farm cow. “You can’t tag a werewolf.” Before he could wrench me to the ground, I folded my fingers and punched him in the back of the head. Hard.
Jared made a loud, pained noise. His hold on me loosened. I pulled my ankle free as his head slumped to the ground. He lay there on his stomach, still at last.
It’s over . I’d won fair and square. I wondered if he was really dead. He might not be. With the tip of my flat shoe, I nudged his shoulder. Oh, yeah. He was out. Dropping to my knees, I rolled him over so I could watch his chest.
He was still breathing.
Damn . My nails dug into my palms. While I’d thrown a hard hit, it hadn’t been hard enough. Some strange, small part of me was relieved. I’d never killed a human before. Bad things happen to wolves who murder humans. What do I do now ? He could still be a problem when he wakes up. I was going back to Canada today, but I’d be running, not taking a train. Could he track me? I’d seen him three times now, which meant he probably could. And he had knowledge of skinwalkers, fox maidens.
Great. No way could I leave him here. He’ll have to go with me.
“Fantastic,” I muttered. Grabbing him by the arms, I hoisted him against me. It was not an easy job, peeling him off the ground, even though I was one of the strongest females in the pack. With a grunt, I heaved him over my shoulder. I’d have a serious back condition by the time this was over.
Taking it slow and easy, I slipped out the back way to avoid town. Once I made it out of civilization, I could shift, making it a lot easier to carry Mr. Iron Man here.
They’re going to freak . I imagined Rex’s face when he discovers that his mate-to-be has come home with a mortal. He’ll throw a fit. The pack would riot and insist we roast this kid on a spit or something.
Something felt off about this human. As I crept out into the sunset, I knew the real reason why I hadn’t sliced him. He wasn’t your normal teenager, and I wanted to find out why.
Chapter Ten—Jared
M y head was exploding.
Not once—never ever in my seventeen years—had I endured a headache of this size. It was the king of all migraines, and for a moment I wondered if I was dying. Was my skull torn open? Were my brains coming out
Jared ducked. His arms came up, catching me around the waist. He flipped me over like a karate stick, my head nearly grinding the pavement. I twisted in his arms, releasing a feral snarl. He had a strong grip for a mortal. His hands worked quickly, and before I could take a bite out of his side he slammed me to the ground, his legs and hands pinning mine flat.
“What are you?” he demanded, arms jittering as they held me down. “Fox maiden? Skinwalker?”
“You’re getting warmer,” I grunted. I pushed against him with all my strength, but he barely budged. God, this kid was an iron weight!
“Then what is it?” His grip grew firmer, cutting the circulation off in my hands and feet. I almost cried out in pain as his fingernails pierced my flesh. Strength wasn’t working for me. I needed another idea, like the element of distraction.
The element of surprise.
I thrust my head up and slammed my lips into his. It worked. His grip slacked. As he pulled away I freed one foot. My knee kicked up between his legs, and he crumpled sideways, spewing profanities.
I rolled over, away from him. I should’ve transitioned but couldn’t risk it, not in the city, Human Central. As I jumped up to flee the alley, fingers latched onto my ankle.
“You’re not getting away from me this time!” Jared launched himself at me. “Sorry, lady, you won’t be walking these streets again until you’re tagged.”
“Newsflash, punk,” I growled, trying to shake him off. So that’s what he wanted. He wanted to tag me like a freaking farm cow. “You can’t tag a werewolf.” Before he could wrench me to the ground, I folded my fingers and punched him in the back of the head. Hard.
Jared made a loud, pained noise. His hold on me loosened. I pulled my ankle free as his head slumped to the ground. He lay there on his stomach, still at last.
It’s over . I’d won fair and square. I wondered if he was really dead. He might not be. With the tip of my flat shoe, I nudged his shoulder. Oh, yeah. He was out. Dropping to my knees, I rolled him over so I could watch his chest.
He was still breathing.
Damn . My nails dug into my palms. While I’d thrown a hard hit, it hadn’t been hard enough. Some strange, small part of me was relieved. I’d never killed a human before. Bad things happen to wolves who murder humans. What do I do now ? He could still be a problem when he wakes up. I was going back to Canada today, but I’d be running, not taking a train. Could he track me? I’d seen him three times now, which meant he probably could. And he had knowledge of skinwalkers, fox maidens.
Great. No way could I leave him here. He’ll have to go with me.
“Fantastic,” I muttered. Grabbing him by the arms, I hoisted him against me. It was not an easy job, peeling him off the ground, even though I was one of the strongest females in the pack. With a grunt, I heaved him over my shoulder. I’d have a serious back condition by the time this was over.
Taking it slow and easy, I slipped out the back way to avoid town. Once I made it out of civilization, I could shift, making it a lot easier to carry Mr. Iron Man here.
They’re going to freak . I imagined Rex’s face when he discovers that his mate-to-be has come home with a mortal. He’ll throw a fit. The pack would riot and insist we roast this kid on a spit or something.
Something felt off about this human. As I crept out into the sunset, I knew the real reason why I hadn’t sliced him. He wasn’t your normal teenager, and I wanted to find out why.
Chapter Ten—Jared
M y head was exploding.
Not once—never ever in my seventeen years—had I endured a headache of this size. It was the king of all migraines, and for a moment I wondered if I was dying. Was my skull torn open? Were my brains coming out
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