Page 64 of Salvation

“Watch out!” she screamed, pointing to the wolf leaping at him from behind. An incredibly high, incredibly bold leap that Todd turned too late to intercept.

The wolf went for Todd’s ear — far from a mortal blow, but still, Anna cried out.

“No!”

She could predict how the wolf wanted it to play out. He’d drag Todd’s ear down with his weight. The others would be on top of him in a flash. Even a bear of Todd’s size couldn’t withstand the weight of several two-hundred-pound wolves.

Todd roared, swiping at the wolf, but it was too late.

Now!Emmett’s bark seemed to indicate, and the others closed in.

She saw the whites of Emmett’s eyes. The red of Todd’s lips. The saliva-covered ivory of several sets of jaws, closing in on him.

She yelled and dashed forward, swinging the golf club wide. Recklessly wide, exposing the front of her body. She had to in order to build the momentum needed to break that attack. She knew nothing about golf and even less about polo, but she’d seen pictures of polo players leaning way out from their ponies to whack the ball, and that’s just what she did. She swung it wide while running forward, then arced it forward and—

Whack!

The golf club connected, and the vibration that went through it transmitted the shattering of bone. That wolf yelped and fell while Anna stumbled forward. She fell right toward the next wolf who jumped forward, its jaws opened wide.

Die,those jaws screamed at her.Now you will die.

Chapter Sixteen

Duck!came a booming voice.

She ducked, obeying even before she actively processed the word. The voice was that powerful, that sure.

Whoosh!A giant paw — and five killer claws — swiped the air an inch over her head, ripping along the wolf’s neck. The counterattack came with a roar that echoed through the canyon and in her ears.

She nearly cheered, but it was too soon. Todd’s move had put him off-balance, and another wolf jumped in from the right to take advantage. She barely had the space to backhand it with the club. She spun into her strike, moving away from the bear, creating room for both of them to move.

The bear — Todd — roared in disapproval, obviously preferring her close.

I need space to maneuver, and you do, too.She thought the words rather than speaking them because she was still short of breath.

Need to keep you safe,his grunt told her.

Need to stop these bastards,she thought, gritting her teeth.They’re after Teddy. They’re after all of you.

Todd roared to high heaven and lumbered forward for what she knew was his final attack. The wolves tripped over each other, stumbling in their haste. A few hurried to get away, while others rushed to launch their own counterattacks. A third wolf fell victim to Todd’s slashing claws, and then a fourth. Blood flew, and she squinted against the horrifying sight. But she kept up her own blows, too, because she had to.

When there were three wolves left, Todd flew at them, ripping and slashing until one lay dead and another ran for its life. He spun to face the final wolf, who kept his back to the rocks.

Emmett LeBlanc — in wolf form — raised his lips and snarled, but she could see the fear in his eyes.

Todd reared high on his back feet, dwarfing his foe, then crashed forward at exactly the same moment Emmett tried to flee.

Too late.

Anna turned her head, but she couldn’t close her eyes to the sickening slashing sounds. The wolf screamed, snarled, and abruptly fell silent.

Then it was quiet but for the heavy pants of the bear. Her breath was choppy too because, Jesus, it was over. Six of the seven wolves were dead. One had fled. She and Todd had survived.

She and Todd. Todd, the bear.

He bellowed in the direction of the wolf who’d fled, then came back down to all fours with a low chuff.

Everything went quiet again — deathly quiet, from the harsh scrublands to the birds that had flown away and even the insects that seemed to have taken cover during the fight. Between one hammering heartbeat and the next, the full scope of what had just transpired caught up with her, and she half fell, half sat on the rocky ground. The golf club clattered off a rock, and she froze when Todd turned.

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