Page 19 of Howling
Everything inside me rebels at the thought of anything happening to the guys. Before they can do something foolish, I call my wolf to the surface and snarl at the big brute wearing fur and claws. “You are a fierce beast, but I need you to release your hold on your human. I need you to shift so I can talk to him for a second. I promise I won’t leave without saying goodbye first.”
The snarl cuts off as soon as my wolf surfaces, the black beast tilting his head curiously as I speak. He leans in closer, his big frame overshadowing me. Feeling crowded, I press a hand to his chest to keep from toppling over.
If he gets me under him, I’m dead.
The instant I touch him, his fur ripples, and the beast shifts. Bones crack, limbs snap, fur recedes. The change happens quickly, in less than a minute, and I find myself practically sitting in the lap of a massive guy with messy, shoulder-length black hair that curls wildly around his head. His blue eyes are even more intense in his human form, his wolf hovering just under the surface, watching me intently.
Despite the intense scowl darkening his face, the man is so handsome that my breath catches. Deep grooves are carved between his eyes, his dark brows winging up slightly at theend, giving the impression of disapproval. His full lips flatten, furthering that impression, drawing my attention to the dimple in his chin.
My lips tingle at his nearness…or maybe that’s just the lack of oxygen.
Before I can gather my wits, an arm loops around my waist, and I’m dragged backward. Glancing up, I blink in surprise to find myself wrapped in Grumpy’s arms. I sputter for a second, but I don’t have a chance to order him to let me go before he slaps a hand over my mouth. Thoughts of murder dance in my head, which he can clearly read, if his smirk is any indication.
Being surrounded by him is unsettling, sending my senses into a tailspin. My skin is so overstimulated that his touch is painful. My lungs tighten like there isn’t enough air in the room, and I squirm in a desperate attempt to escape and not pass the fuck out.
The hand against my mouth slides down, fingers gently caressing my cheek, before he cups my face and forces my head back to meet his gaze.
To my shock, Grumpy is staring down at me with concern. “Breathe.”
For a moment, my skin feels like it’s trying to crawl off my body…until his finger caresses my cheek again, as if urging me to inhale. My body rejects his touch, my muscles rigid with the need to scramble away, but my brain pauses at the sensation of someone touching me without pain.
His hands are rough and calloused, the sensation almost…pleasant?
No powers try to invade my flesh or burrow into my bones, no command forcing me to obey.
I’m still…me?
My emotions are so conflicted that my wolf takes charge, protecting me by ridding me of his touch the fastest way possible—by leaning over and biting him until the tangy taste of his blood fills my mouth.
CHAPTER SIX
GARTH
Bite. Mark. Claim.
I cock my head, and it takes me a moment to realize my normal mantra has changed.
My beast usually chants a different motto when he takes charge.
Bite. Maim. Kill.
Both are equally dangerous.
While I might currently be in my human form, my beast is still very much in control.
He’s obsessed with the girl, desperate to possess her, and I cradle my head in my hands, rocking back and forth to keep my sanity from shredding as my animal instincts battle my human sensibilities.
Fangs fill my mouth, throbbing with the need to bite the slender slope of her neck and mark her flesh where everyone can see it.
The desire is almost impossible to resist.
My jaw aches from clenching my teeth, afraid to even look at her and scare her off.
It’s already a miracle that she didn’t run when confronted by my wolf. The ancient beast is from a time long past, when might was right. If she ran, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him from chasing her down and claiming her.
But she didn’t run.
The stench of fear doesn’t fill my nostrils—that’s almost worse.
