Page 49 of Relics of the Wolf

“No!” I shouted.

I started toward them, but a different man raised his rifle to fire atme. Instincts more than any stunning brilliance warned me an instant before he pulled the trigger. I dove to the pavement. The bullet that shot from his rifle left a silver trail in the air before slamming into a mailbox.

“Watch out for the other wolf!” a man yelled.

Two more rifles fired at Duncan.

The fury and frustration that had been simmering inside me shifted to a boil, overflowing with magical urgency that coursed through my veins. Heat seared my skin from within, and a fearsome tingle of power burned through me. Before I could leap to my feet, the change began, clothing disappearing into the ether as my body morphed. By the time I stood again, it was on all fours as a wolf.

Fear of the men and those magical bullets should have made me hesitate to charge them, but rage over them attacking Duncan and my tenants took me over.Morethan took me over. I was barely aware of anything but the need to destroy those who dared trespass on my territory.

Rifles fired again, aiming both at me and toward Duncan on the walkway. No, my ally had reached them. Dodging bullets as he ran, the salt-and-pepper wolf sprang toward the gunmen.

I also dodged as I ran, but a bullet grazed my shoulder before it struck a lamppost. Though searingly intense, the pain didn’t stop me. I leaped at the blond man, knocking his rifle aside as I rammed into him.

He staggered, managing to shift his strong legs to brace himself and stay upright, but it didn’t matter. Guided by the magical instincts of the wolf, I snapped my jaws for his throat.

He got a hand up to block me and clipped my chest with a powerful blow, but I caught his arm and sank my fangs into it. The man screamed, strong muscles jerking as he tried to break the grip and fling me away. But I was strong too. I held on, sinking my fangs in deeper.

His allies turned toward us, but they couldn’t shoot me without risking hitting him. When I landed, I made sure to stay close, using his body for cover. He ripped his arm up and out of my grip, leaving the taste of blood in my mouth. Before he could back away, I sank my jaws into his thigh. He yelled and flailed wildly. Most of the attacks went awry, but a strong punch slammed into my spine. I hung on, gnashing my teeth and sinking them in deeper.

More shots fired nearby, but men also screamed. My wolf ally was attacking the intruders.

My foe punched me in the back again. I released my grip on his thigh and sprang at his chest. This time, I succeeded in knocking him to the pavement. He flung his arms over his neck and face, shouting for help, but I was merciless in dealing with the threat. Rational thoughts disappeared, and the savage animal in me took over.

I tore out his throat, then spun to face another enemy. Barely registering that it was another of the big enhanced men, I charged.

Tires squealed loudly as one of the vehicles sped away, and I paused, startled. A powerful kick knocked me flying. It hadn’t come from my target but from one of the other men. Shoulder twinging, I hit the pavement and rolled. Faster than lightning, I leaped up to spring again.

Someone fired, and a bullet clipped the pavement inches from where I’d been.

“He wants her alive,” someone barked.

“She’skillingus! Theybothare.”

Snarls came from a fight Duncan was engaged in. I rushed toward the man who’d kicked me, driven by savage wildness, the need to defend my territory—the need to kill.

My target tried to club me with his rifle, but I ducked low, and the blow missed. I barreled into him, jaws snapping as I bit into his belly. He cried as he fell back. Someone else fired, but the bullet flew wide, one of their allies yelling as it struck him.

Chaos covered the parking lot, and my thoughts scattered, only instincts driving me. I eviscerated my foe.

Tires squealed again. The vehicle hadn’t been leaving. The driver had come around and was heading straight toward me, the car oddly silent, no smell of gasoline in the air.

At the last instant, I recognized the danger and jumped away. The driver had meant to hit me, to knock me flying. Instead, he ran over one of his own downed allies. The obstacle made the vehicle careen into a lamppost, the crash assaulting my sensitive ears.

Near me, Duncan knocked aside a man who’d been aiming a rifle at me. I met his eyes, silently acknowledging that I appreciated the help.

One of the cars tried to zip out of the parking lot with two men, those wise enough to flee, but the vehicle angled toward me before leaving. Another driver attempting to take me out.

I tensed, but the salt-and-pepper wolf sprang in from the side. He landed on the hood of the car, startling the driver. The man swerved, drove over a curb, and smashed into a sturdy cedar. Duncan leaped off before impact, before the front of the vehicle crumpled.

The driver-side door flew open, a man with a rifle scrambling out. The wolf sprang upon him, knocking the weapon to the pavement with a clatter.

On the passenger side, the window rolled down. My instincts processed the threat before the rifle fully thrust out, and I dodged before the shot fired. A silver bullet streaked away, disappearing into the night.

The rifle shifted to follow me, but I rushed in before the human could shoot again. My jaws clamped onto the cold steel of the barrel. The man didn’t release the weapon, and his grip was strong, but my magic and fury made mine stronger. I tore the rifle from his hands, flinging it away, then leaped halfway through the window. He screamed and tried to crawl to the other side of the car to escape me, but I was too fast. I caught him by the neck and crunched down, halting the scream—and his life.

Sensing movement behind me, I dropped out of the window. None too soon. Another bullet streaked past, this one glancing off the roof of the car.

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