Page 10 of The Tracker's Rage
I stepped in front of Rosalina. Red stirred, itching to come out, but I held her back as my mind sped, trying to figure out a way out. If I shifted, it would mean a certain fight, one I couldn’t win, not without wolfsbane bullets or magic of some kind.
“You’re trespassing,” I said, my voice sounding steadier than I felt.
“Hello, little tracker,” the mage said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
The wolf growled in turn.
“Where’s Damien?” Rosalina’s voice trembled with emotion, revealing her fear. She thought they had hurt him.
“Unfortunately,” Jenson said, “he’s not here. I wanted us to have a tête-à-tête, see how we measure up now that I’ve earned my copper wings.” He gestured toward his eyes.
Rosalina let out a shaky breath of relief.
“But enough talking,” the mage said as the wolf stepped forward, lowering his head and growling deep in his chest. “I think both Blake and I have a score to settle with you, little tracker. You’ve been slippery, but what do you know? You’ve come to find us.”
“Run!” I said, turning then pushing Rosalina toward the kitchen.
I didn’t have to tell her twice. She ran full pelt with me on her heels. The wolf’s sharp claws clicked against the polished floor as it tried to gain traction. At the kitchen’s entrance, we veered right. A stream of magicwhooshedbehind me, narrowly missing me as I turned. The attack flew wide and hit the shelves on the opposite wall, blowing Damien’s espresso machine into millions of little pieces.
“Find a way out,” I urged Rosalina as I invited Red to the fight.
The shift happened in the blink of an eye. My clothes ripped into hundreds of tatters, flying across the kitchen and landing on top of the island and floor. I turned to face our attackers as Rosalina exited through a door in the far corner.
I willed her to run faster and find the final door that would lead her out of here. In the meantime, I planned to give her all the time she needed to get to safety.
I let out an ear-piercing growl and stood my ground.
Jenson and Blake came around the corner and skidded to a stop when they saw me.
“You were right,” the mage said, “the little tracker is a werewolf. What a surprise.”
Blake shook his big head in challenge. He looked pissed, really pissed, and he wanted payback. I had bested him and put him through a lot of pain, now he wanted to do the same to me.
Words to taunt him entered my mind, and I almost pushed them forward using my alpha powers, but something told me to stop, not to reveal what I was. Maybe there would be more I could learn, if he didn’t know I could hear his thoughts. Red fought against my reasoning, wishing to express her dominance, but she quickly caught my drift and, to my surprise, went along with it. More and more, it seemed our thoughts and feelings were not opposed and we were reaching an understanding.
Nice. I can get used to this, Red.
The mage huffed as the black wolf advanced. “Okay, she’s all yours, but you owe me.”
Blake leaped toward me, teeth bared, eyes blazing with hatred.
I jumped out of the way and ran around the island. Blake landed on the smooth floor, skidded along, and crashed against the wall. Pushing with my hind legs, I took two bounding leaps toward the mage. His eyes shot wide open as I flew in his direction. He staggered backward, his hands and fingers twisting in rapid patterns as he prepared a spell. Before he could manage, my front paws hit his chest. The crackle of magic surged in his fingers. He fell backward but managed to wrap his hands around my front legs. A shock of electrifying magic zapped through every nerve in my body. I yelped, feeling as if I were on fire.
We fell in a heap. I tumbled away, whining in pain. I tried to stand but fell back down. My limbs twitched as if bolts of electricity were shooting through them.
Get up, Red. Get up!
I clenched my teeth, and growling with effort, fought through the pain, and stood. Blake barreled into me, his huge maw snapping and closing around my ear as I attempted to get out of the way. He bit into the tender skin. Gritting my teeth, I turned my head to one side. My ear tore in half, but I was free. Blood slid down the side of my face.
Rage bloomed in my chest. I went for Blake’s neck, but he was too fast, and my teeth snapped shut around empty air. He came at me again. I dodged out of the way, able to move faster since I was smaller.
I whirled and ran toward the foyer, headed for the door, but it slammed shut of its own accord. I turned sharply and dashed toward the grand staircase. I took the steps four and five at a time. Blake followed close behind, bounding, swatting at my back legs, trying to trip me. On the landing, a table with a marble top and ornate legs held a large vase. I jumped on top of it and swiped the vase with one paw, aiming for Blake. He tried to duck out of the way, but the vase crashed against his front legs, sending him sprawling.
As he fell, I hopped on top of him and bit into the scruff of his neck, tasting blood, and dialing my instincts to frenzy levels. He bucked, trying to throw me off, but I held on, my jaw clamped tightly around fur and flesh.
He bounded down the steps and ran at the railing, crushing me between his large body and a marble column. Bones snapped in my back and fresh, vicious pain flashed through me, nearly blinding me. My jaw came loose, and I fell limp onto the steps. Blake shook himself, splattering blood all around, then came at me, with murder in his eyes.
I shrank as if that could get me away from his vicious teeth. I sensed his delight at seeing me broken, helpless. He thirsted for blood, got pleasure from inflicting pain. I tried to stand, to fight, but I collapsed.
