she whispered, “Untie me.”
“Ary,” Davi begged.
“Untie me,” she said again. When he continued to hesitate, she looked him directly in the eye. “You put me in this position. You gave me to this murderer. The least you can do is allow me to fight for my life. After all, what will you tell my mother when you return to her?”
Her words hit the exact spot she wanted them to. Ary loved her mother, had stayed in the forest and done the job they were born to do because of her. She’d tried valiantly to respect her father as well as love him, but that had never been easy. Davi was an opinionated and sometimes cruel man. He could say the harshest things one moment, then sit at a table and eat a meal with them the next. There were times when Ary thought he might be two people instead of one. Today he just looked like one stranger.
“All you have to do is help him,” Davi said, reaching behind Ary’s back to work the ropes.
She sat up, scooting around so he’d have a better grip. All her thoughts were on escape now. She wasn’t listening to what her father was saying because there was no way she’d ever help Sabar do anything. She would definitely die first. But really, she didn’t feel like dying. She felt like finding a nice soft bed and lying down until the throbbing in her temples ceased. Since she couldn’t do that, she opted to fight.
When she was completely untied, Ary stood. A second later Sabar walked into the room—or what was serving as a room but was actually four walls that hadn’t fallen down yet and a patchy ceiling that dipped with the weight of the rain. She took a step back, not to run, but to get her legs in a better stance to lash out at him if necessary. Admittedly she wasn’t feeling 100 percent, but she would have to think about that part later.
“I already told my father I will never help you,” she told him.
He tossed his head back and laughed, his white teeth shining in the midst of his dark skin. For all intents and purposes Sabar looked normal, clean, almost sociable. But it was all a mask, she knew. She’d heard the stories and in some cases tried to heal the bodies of those attacked by this shifter or others trained by him. So Ary was on guard. There was no other option, no other way to be.
“You can help me or you can die,” he replied simply.
Okay, those were simple enough options. “Then you might as well kill me now.”
He took a step close to her, lifted a hand to touch her face. Ary smacked his hand away. “I said kill me, not touch me.”
“Aryiola!” her father yelled.
She ignored Davi and glared at Sabar. “Do not make threats you don’t plan to carry out,” she taunted.
When he pulled back his hand Ary knew he would strike her. Catching his palm with her cheek stung. Her cat roared. She tried to breathe through the pain and turned back to him.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
* * *
Nick began running.
He didn’t know why exactly, and he figured the others didn’t, either. But his feet chewed up the ground as he moved faster and faster, his heart pumping wildly. The need was urgent, pushing him, making his human legs move as fast as they possibly could. The cat wasn’t far beneath the surface, pacing, watching, waiting.
He spotted something dark green, a green that didn’t quite fit the decor of the forest, and headed there. Rain had begun falling in rapid sheets, trickling through the canopy and casting a silvery haze over the dark region.
As he moved closer, pain seared through his chest and he roared, loud and long. Coming closer to the dwelling he saw the truck and kept right on going. In a flash a cat pounced in front of him, baring its sharp teeth as a warning.
Nick didn’t have to react: A darker cat landed on all fours, baring its bigger, sharper teeth. Nick recognized X and kept moving toward the dwelling, making note to thank his friend later.
The minute he kicked in the door Nick knew she was here. His cat knew. It
“Ary,” Davi begged.
“Untie me,” she said again. When he continued to hesitate, she looked him directly in the eye. “You put me in this position. You gave me to this murderer. The least you can do is allow me to fight for my life. After all, what will you tell my mother when you return to her?”
Her words hit the exact spot she wanted them to. Ary loved her mother, had stayed in the forest and done the job they were born to do because of her. She’d tried valiantly to respect her father as well as love him, but that had never been easy. Davi was an opinionated and sometimes cruel man. He could say the harshest things one moment, then sit at a table and eat a meal with them the next. There were times when Ary thought he might be two people instead of one. Today he just looked like one stranger.
“All you have to do is help him,” Davi said, reaching behind Ary’s back to work the ropes.
She sat up, scooting around so he’d have a better grip. All her thoughts were on escape now. She wasn’t listening to what her father was saying because there was no way she’d ever help Sabar do anything. She would definitely die first. But really, she didn’t feel like dying. She felt like finding a nice soft bed and lying down until the throbbing in her temples ceased. Since she couldn’t do that, she opted to fight.
When she was completely untied, Ary stood. A second later Sabar walked into the room—or what was serving as a room but was actually four walls that hadn’t fallen down yet and a patchy ceiling that dipped with the weight of the rain. She took a step back, not to run, but to get her legs in a better stance to lash out at him if necessary. Admittedly she wasn’t feeling 100 percent, but she would have to think about that part later.
“I already told my father I will never help you,” she told him.
He tossed his head back and laughed, his white teeth shining in the midst of his dark skin. For all intents and purposes Sabar looked normal, clean, almost sociable. But it was all a mask, she knew. She’d heard the stories and in some cases tried to heal the bodies of those attacked by this shifter or others trained by him. So Ary was on guard. There was no other option, no other way to be.
“You can help me or you can die,” he replied simply.
Okay, those were simple enough options. “Then you might as well kill me now.”
He took a step close to her, lifted a hand to touch her face. Ary smacked his hand away. “I said kill me, not touch me.”
“Aryiola!” her father yelled.
She ignored Davi and glared at Sabar. “Do not make threats you don’t plan to carry out,” she taunted.
When he pulled back his hand Ary knew he would strike her. Catching his palm with her cheek stung. Her cat roared. She tried to breathe through the pain and turned back to him.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
* * *
Nick began running.
He didn’t know why exactly, and he figured the others didn’t, either. But his feet chewed up the ground as he moved faster and faster, his heart pumping wildly. The need was urgent, pushing him, making his human legs move as fast as they possibly could. The cat wasn’t far beneath the surface, pacing, watching, waiting.
He spotted something dark green, a green that didn’t quite fit the decor of the forest, and headed there. Rain had begun falling in rapid sheets, trickling through the canopy and casting a silvery haze over the dark region.
As he moved closer, pain seared through his chest and he roared, loud and long. Coming closer to the dwelling he saw the truck and kept right on going. In a flash a cat pounced in front of him, baring its sharp teeth as a warning.
Nick didn’t have to react: A darker cat landed on all fours, baring its bigger, sharper teeth. Nick recognized X and kept moving toward the dwelling, making note to thank his friend later.
The minute he kicked in the door Nick knew she was here. His cat knew. It
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