Page 52 of Black Wing and Shadows
“I underestimated how fast you are.”
“Look, I am not the fucking one… trust me.” I pressed the knife harder into his throat.
Whoosh.
In an instant, Zane was there. I didn’t know how—one blink, he wasn’t, the next he stood in front of me. His eyes locked on mine, then he slipped behind the Shapeshifter. The name on his shirt read Elslurs.
“Is your boyfriend here to save you?” Elslurs drawled, his tone dripping with cocky disdain.
“She doesn’t need saving… I am here because I enjoy inflicting pain on anyone who thinks of hurting her.”
My eyes shot to him.
“Are there others?”I asked, down the bond.
“No, but he doesn’t need to know that.”
“I wasn’t planning on killing him.”
“Oh, but I was.”
“Maybe offer a second chance.”
“Well… I don’t have all day, and I wasn’t looking for a fight with two people,” Elslurs said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t look for fights at all,” I said. Our knives were still drawn at each other. Zane was behind him, like a prey ready to attack his predator, and I was pretty sure he would enjoy it.
ROAARRRRRRR
I jolted, heart slamming so hard it hurt. The sound cracked behind me, too close, too sudden. My head spun. A wolf crouched low, teeth bared, saliva stringing from its jaws. A growl rolled deep in its chest, vibrating through the ground under my boots.
My breath caught sharp in my throat. My hands twitched, unsure where to go first. I forced my eyes back to the Elslurs—don’t lose sight, don’t turn away.
The air shifted, and Zane appeared at my back, his shoulders locking against mine. Solid. Steady. My pulse thundered, but at least I wasn’t alone.
“I see you called for backup?” Zane snarled.
“I didn’t… actually,” he said. He genuinely sounded as confused as I was.
The wolf stalked around to the side and snarled at Elslurs. Interesting. The wolf turned his head toward me and gave me a wink. What the hell?In a flash, Jeremy stood next to us. That was him? Holy shit. He could transform. I had so many questions, but now wasn't the time as I clearly had a knife pressed to my stomach, Zane wanted to end him, I wanted to offer a second chance, and now my basic squad mate just shifted.
“Asmoth, are you fucking stupid? Do you have any fucking common sense?” Jeremy asked him, giving him the death glare.
“I… I... only wanted to get my revenge. Her father killed our sister,” he said.
Oh shit... they were brothers, and in the same year, they had to be twins. Oh, this was not good. Did I trust Jeremy right now? I mean, of course I did. If he wanted me dead, there were plenty of times for him. He helped make sure I made it down the pass alive.
“Yes, her father did. She did not. Auriella is a good person. I spent weeks with her. Her father doesn’t define her. Drop the fucking knife.” He scolded his brother.
Asmoth lowered his knife, and I lowered mine. Relief never had the chance to land. A sudden stab ripped into my left side, hot pain flooding down my hip as blood soaked through. I gasped, staring at the red spreading across me, brain lagging to catch up to what had happened. Zane moved like a shadow loose from its tether. In a blink his dagger sank into Asmoth’s right arm, blood spilling fast down his sleeve. He wrenched the blade free, hand rising for a second strike.
Jeremy darted forward, eyes wide, his voice breaking without words. The plea was written across his face—mercy.
Zane froze, blade hovering. His chest heaved, eyes still locked on Asmoth, but he lowered the weapon. Then he turned to me, dropped to his knees, and pressed his hand against the wound in my side, his jaw tight with fury.
“Get him the fuck out of here, before I fucking snap his neck?” Zane growled at Jeremy.
“I might snap it myself.” Jeremy grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him away.
