Page 82 of Mortal Blood
A yip went up ahead—the prey had been sighted. We fanned out slowly, surrounding our quarry. I could smell it now, the hot metallic tang of blood, hear the frantic thunder of a heart, and I didn’t know if it was my shifter senses or my vampiric ones that drew me to it, and I didn’t care.
Ryker pounced, his heavy bulk smashing into a powerful bull moose, and the hunters leapt a split second behind him. There would be no cows or calves tonight. Only game that matched our own strength and power. There was no glory without risk.
The bull ducked its head and butted Leon, easily tossing him across the clearing to smash into a tree, then rounded on the other two wolves, the sheer speed and power of its spin tossing Selene clear. Ryker kept his grip on its flank and the stag thrashed powerfully, its antlers slashing against Ryker and dislodging him. The rest of the pack circled as Ryker bounced back to his feet, fangs bared and eyes alight with the thrill of the hunt.
He darted in, twisting at the last second to make a grab for the moose’s throat, but the animal twisted with him, ducking its head to catch him in its great antlers and tossing him again. Ryker hit the ground and rolled, narrowly avoiding being trampled as the animal kicked out and then rounded on Leon, still prone under the tree he’d been flung into, striking out with its front hooves.
Place in the pack be damned. Cole and I surged forward at the same time. I threw myself into the bull’s path, fangs bared and snarling loudly. It drew up short, slashing a hoof at me, and I held my ground, hackles raising all along my spine as I faced down the great creature, nearly twice my size and three times my weight.
Cole thudded into it, landing on its back, his teeth clamping on its exposed withers. The creature threw its head up, trying to gore him, and losing all interest in me. I watched for just one moment to be sure he was out of its reach, then turned to Leon, nuzzling him quickly. A sharp stab of relief ran through me as he opened his eyes, and I urged him to his feet. His front leg immediately collapsed under him, hanging at an unnatural angle, and a whine of pain slipped from his maw. Crap. That was a break if ever I saw one. He needed to get out of the way of the pissed off moose. I met his eye and he tried again, leaning his weight against me and letting me take the place of his shattered leg as I eased him further from the fight zone. It wasn’t until he was sheltered between the trees that I allowed myself to turn back to the fight, where Cole still grappled with the furious moose—alone.
My gaze swept across the clearing and I saw Ryker standing, watching the fight with an inscrutable expression on his lupine face. The other wolves held back, following his lead.
The moose bucked and kicked, whirling as it tried to dislodge Cole. My breath caught in my throat as it spun and Cole’s paws slipped, scabbling to keep himself up and out of the reach of the creature’s deadly antlers. I darted another glance at glance at Ryker, but whilst he made no move to drive Cole away from what should have been his kill, he clearly wasn’t about to let anyone help him, either.
It was only a matter of time until the bigger, stronger animal managed to dislodge him, and then he’d be at the mercy of those deadly hooves. Wolves didn’t hunt alone. They hunted in packs.
Fuck it.Iwas his pack.
With a snarl, I lunged forward, snapping my teeth at the bull’s face, distracting it and demanding its attention as Colemanaged to regain his footing. It made to spin and I darted again, getting in its face and snapping my teeth, blocking its path. I could see the big animal weakening, its movements less coordinated, its legs less steady.
I drove it back once more as Cole flung his weight sideways, and almost in slow motion, the animal crashed down onto its front knees. I locked eyes with Cole as he jumped down from the bull’s back, and in the split second, a silent understanding passed between us.
Movement flashed in the corner of my eye and I whirled round as Selene circled round, two wolves on her flank, ready to close in and finish the moose.
I snarled and snapped my teeth at them, warning them back, and Cole’s furious growls joined my own. We stood guard over the exhausted creature, because I wasnotgoing to let the pack claim this kill. The big bull had fought bravely: it deserved to live. To run through these woods for years to come, populating them with its strong and fearless progeny.
Ryker watched us silently, assessing, then grunted his acquiesce. The pack turned away at his command, their interest in the kill gone. We’d proven our strength together. There was no need for unnecessary slaughter.
We watched them leave, standing guard over our fallen adversary until his exhaustion passed and he rose to his feet, trotting off into the trees with a wary snort.
Our task complete, there was no more reason to stay wolf. The pack had gone to find other prey, but no part of me was in a hurry to join them. I wanted nothing more than to be here, alone, with my mate. One look at him told me he felt the same way. Our part in the hunt was done.
It took me a little longer to shift back than him, and when I rose in my human form, it was to find him watching me with a heated gaze.
“You were incredible tonight,” he said recently. “The way you faced down that moose, you were fearless.”
He reached for me, and I went willingly into his embrace. “I was pretty badass, wasn’t I?” I said with a grin.
“Oh, very,” he assured me, his hands wrapping behind me to hold me close.
“Tell mehowbadass,” I pressed, squinting up at him, and he laughed.
“Icouldspend all night telling you that,” he agreed, and then his voice dropped to a seductive rumble. “But I’d rather take you to our dorm and finish our…conversation there.”
And all at once, I was very on board with that plan. We hurried back to the clearing to reclaim our clothes, and then turned for the academy.
As the large double doors came back into sight, a shadow moved in the doorway. I hesitated, turning to Cole in time to catch the tension ripple across his shoulders.
“You saw that, right?”
He nodded. “Two people in the doorway.”
“Two?” I looked again, and then picked out the second one. “Right. Missed that one.”
“I’m surprised you spotted either of them.”
The word ‘rude’ was on the tip of my tongue when I realized he was right. Ishouldn’thave been able to see them from here.
