Page 14 of Moon Guardian
Katlyn
Pain shot up my arm as the bloodied shifter continued to squeeze.
My chest heaved as I sucked in quick, short breaths, my instincts screaming at me to run, to kill, to bite.
I did just that, sinking my teeth into his bicep. He growled at me, equally unaffected by pain as he’d earlier demonstrated when I’d shoved an arrow into his chest.
I’d been aiming for his heart, but he’d shifted slightly at the last moment. His speed suggested that he could have avoided the strike altogether, but he’d allowed it to hit less vital tissue. The depth suggested I’d hit bone, so I hadn’t even managed to puncture his lung.
This shifter had killed Charlie. I was sure of it. He had been the only one to come fromoutsideof the strange stone meadow and the metallic scent of blood reeked from his skin.
Another shifter had blood on his hands, a male with shaggy black hair that drifted over his empty eyes, so I didn’t dismiss the possibility that they had been working together. His irises held no color to them other than a slight shadow, as if he was born of midnight and nightmares.
Yet, everything about him, about all of them, drew me in. The sharp line of his jaw, the sleek ripples of his abdomen when he moved, his body on display aside from a simple pair of pants. Like the rest of them, he towered over me, his form massive and deadly, promising that he could snap me like a twig if he wanted to.
Which made me wonder why the shifter holding me captive hadn’t killed me yet. He could have ripped my throat out with his teeth, or snapped my neck with a quick movement. Even in human form, shifters had an impressive bite.
Perhaps I had insulted him and he had plans for me, something slow and painful.
Good. His arrogance would give me time to kill more of them.
Whatever the storms had done to me, it burned through my veins like fire. The blood of dead shifters tingled across my skin, making me slide my tongue over my lower lip to taste my victory.
A glimmer of a smile appeared on my captor’s face at the motion, and I immediately stopped.
“You should kill her now,” one of the males said. They all bore a fresh scar on their face, from their cheekbone up to their forehead, slicing through their eye. I could only assume these were all alphas based on their massive stature, and their overwhelming presence that made something inside of me want to kneel.
I locked my knees, determined to make surethatdidn’t happen.
“Kill her after,” the male with his eyes closed suggested. His callous words didn’t match his beauty, amplified by the way the moonlight hit his face as he tilted his head back. A streak of silver wound through his hair, glimmering against his cheek as he opened his palms to the sky. “She’s almost here.”
Who is?I wondered.
“Don’t try anything,” my captor hissed when the heavens swirled, the storm intensifying as the wolves yipped and shouted, their excitement palpable.
Then the alphas all tilted their heads back as an overwhelming wave of energy descended on us, and they released their howls.
A sound of my own stuck in my throat, but I choked it down. Whatever the storms had done to me had gone too far, linked me to these creatures I wanted dead.
I would kill them all, somehow, but I would never pretend I was one of them.
The animalistic noise vibrated through my chest, making me draw in a deep breath despite my vow. All of the wolves in the vicinity joined the chorus, resulting in a deep tone, rich and powerful, a collective sound that made my heart soar on a wave of primal magic.
I reminded myself these were the creatures who had killed Charlie. Who had taken friends, family, and they weren’t going to stop.
My hatred burned out the moment, making me release a rumbling growl that vibrated in my chest.
One that didn’t sound human.
The drumbeat resumed as the moonbeam intensified, the wolves along the perimeter taking up sticks to amplify the heartbeat that thrummed through the air with the sound, striking wide bands of animal skins, trophies from their kills.
Not animal skins, I realized, noting some were too delicate and pale.
Human skin.
My stomach rolled as a blast shot through the dial at our feet, illuminating an intricate pattern of spirals and symbols.
A vibration ran through the air and everyone went silent, save for an ethereal hum that came from above.
