Page 48 of Shadow

Kill the woman.

The thought slammed into my mind with primal clarity.

Why?I demanded.

Dangerous.

Slowly, deliberately, I extended my hand and let my fingers brush against her leg. A growl rumbled deep in my chest as Beast reacted.

Dangerous how?I pressed.

Deadly.

I frowned, trying to overcome my skepticism. Her clumsy, awkward demeanor didn’t exactly screamdeadly.But Beast was rarely wrong about these things. His instincts were sharper than mine could ever be.

Without warning, Beast leaned closer and licked her leg where I had touched it. The act startled me, because it was beyond my control, unexpected, and because Itastedher too.

Her skin was wild and untamed, a flavor unlike anything I had experienced before. I had been with women, but none had tasted like this.

The thought crept into my mind.What if she wasn’t entirely human?

This world held more paranormal mysteries than we understood, with hellhounds and Shadow Warriors proving humans were not the one and only.

My nose inched upward, tracing the line of her skin, but I stopped abruptly.

Her scent shifted, unmistakably female, and it flooded my senses, obliterating everything else.

Even Beast noticed, and I felt the surge of oxytocin and dopamine hit me like a drug.

Beast wanted her then, in the most primal way possible. His lack of morality, his inability to care that she was unconscious, sent alarms blaring in my mind.

I stood abruptly, pushing him back with more force than I had ever needed before. The room felt suffocatingly small. Beast needed freedom and space to vent his violent instincts. Staying here would only make it worse.

I strode to the door. The guards snapped to attention, stepping aside as I passed.

“Guard this room closely,” I growled, my voice harsher than intended.

The hallways blurred as I made my way to the closest exit. At some point, Beck fell into step beside me. I was seconds away from shifting, the pull of the Beast too strong to ignore.

“I need to run,” I told him.

“So do I,” he replied without hesitation.

The faint echo of footsteps drew my attention behind us. Labyrinth and Nokita were closing in, their eagerness evident. I didn’t need to ask how they knew. I was sure my Beast called theirs.

Without breaking stride, I jerked my shirt over my head and dropped it on the ground. The others were already shirtless. Boots were kicked off as we moved, sending footwear flying in every direction.

I was thankful none of us had worn our leather gear that night; shifting was faster without it. The transformation began the moment we stepped through the outside doorway. Bones cracked and reshaped, skin stretched, fur sprouted, and claws extended. Within seconds, we were fully shifted, our primal side in command, our human side letting him rule.

“Hunt,” Beast growled, his voice guttural.

Cuba wasn’t known for its large game, but there was one kind of prey here we could hunt, and Beast knew it well.

I let him take over completely.

To clear our minds and sharpen our instincts, we ran.

The moonlight reflected off our monstrous forms as we barreled through the underbrush, paws pounding against the earth. The scent of salt and vegetation filled the air.

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