Page 40 of Faerie Trials

The sound did something to me. It unraveled a piece of me I’d hidden behind a steel cage, and when I moved again, I did so on sheer instinct.

I didn’t think. I dove right in, transforming as I went, my human form melting away in a flash of black fur. No matter the consequences.

16

Juno was in trouble.

My heart beat against my ribs as magic surged. My eyesight sharpened, claws lengthened, and I merged with the wolf inside of me under the light of that nearly full moon, letting her have full control for once and hoping Bronwen had my back.

Completing the shift mid-jump, I landed on the other shifter and gnashed out at its neck, teeth tearing into whatever I could reach. Four paws landed instead of two arms and legs.

The shifter roared at my attack and reached behind to slash at and remove me. With my wolf in control, my reflexes were faster than usual, and I twisted my body to avoid the blows, landing on all fours.

I bared my teeth and rounded on the shifter with a growl. Definitely a male, I confirmed with my next inhale. Male and furious. Unfamiliar. Almost as though his scent was masked from me with magic. What pack did he belong to? I didn’t know the smell but whoever he was, he had encroached on my territory and threatened one of mine.

It didn’t matterwhohe was. I attacked.

My blood thrummed and boiled, gaze fixed on the creature and his enormous shoulders. He glanced once toward Juno and ignored her frightened, keening wails.

I growled, teeth snapping.You keep your attention on me.

I didn’t take my focus from him although I felt Bronwen creeping behind me, silently moving to situate herself between the creature and Juno. He glanced toward her again and this time I yipped and took a step closer.

Neither of us stopped moving. It didn’t matter where I turned, the shifter was a step ahead of me. He breathed in the flow of the fight and after my first initial surprise attack, he never let me get close to him again.

Too bad he didn’t realize I had skin in the game. That made me dangerous.

We danced together with skill and precision, him making the first move and me attacking in return. My eyes did not stray from my opponent until Bronwen joined the fray. She threw herself at him the moment he moved to bite me. She was still in human form and in my opinion totally unprepared for the type of creature she faced.

I tried to warn her to be careful. The sound came out as a low whine.

She’d gotten out of the pack much sooner than I did. She didn’t know the art of the attack. Maybe she hadn’t been around for the bullying, the fights in the woods around our suburban oasis. Maybe she hadn’t learned how to scrap, how to play dirty.

The half-shifter slammed the back of his arm into her abdomen and sent her flying before she landed a hit. In the second my gaze left him, he kicked out. The heel of his foot hit my chest dead center.

I landed hard on my side. Each breath felt like swallowing glass. Except now there was blood in my mouth.

His attention focused solely on Bronwen struggling to her feet as I forced one inhale, then another. One hit and I felt ready to shatter. Great. Time to show him I didn’t break easily. When I got behind him again, eyes burning and the rest of me in pain, I lashed out against the shifter, pushed to let him know I was there while attacking with my right paw. My back legs kicked at him in tandem.

He didn’t pay any attention to me at first. He advanced on Bronwen with me trailing him. I snarled and whipped around to intercept him, leaping for his face. The shifter gnashed the air in front of my face. I landed a nip before he had me on the ground with his right rear leg. My head knocked into the snow hard enough for me to yelp, vision going blurry.

Too hard, my mind cried. He’d hit too hard.

I didn’t know how long I lay there trying to get my wits back. This wasn’t like past fights. This time I moved against a male in halfling warrior form. A shape I’d never shifted into before, and one I wasn’t sure I could call now. I got to my feet, shaking my head, tongue lolling and pain shooting down my spine. Was there any way to beat him as I was now?

“Stop!”

Juno’s cry had me turning to see Bronwen on the ground with the shifter’s foot on her windpipe. Crushing. Her hands were on his ankles trying to get him to yield before he killed her.

It was enough to make me detonate.

I whipped around and launched myself at him, dragging my claws against the back of his leg with deep vicious swipes to get him to release her.

Just like we’d done while practicing hunting with the pack. Except this one? He didn’t go down. No, he was furious enough to keep going no matter how wounded, no matter how much blood he lost.

He kept approaching Bronwen, his footsteps slow and crimson blood spraying from his wounds. And my friend couldn’t get up.

He’s going to kill her!

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