CHAPTER SEVEN || REED
The forest seemed to be holding its breath. Nothing moved at all. Not the insects, not the animals, and not even the wind. The stillness was unnatural.
That could only mean one thing. The monster was nearby.
I caught a flash of movement through the trees ahead of me. Paleness. Light.
Some monsters glowed in the dark. Perhaps this was it.
I darted forward through the trees, moving whisper-silent despite my size. I was larger as a wolf than as a man. Certainly larger than almost any regular wolf.
But as I neared the light—which was moving wildly through the trees—the mate bond surged to life, belatedly informing me that it was no monster wandering in the forest, but something much worse.
My human had gone into the dark forest by himself.
Or, no. Not my human. He wasn’t mine—though it was harder to tell myself that in wolf form. He was just a human. One I happened to share an inexplicable supernatural connection with.
But probably not for much longer, since he was basically turning himself into monster bait.
Anger tore through me and I let it carry me forward.
Surprisingly, he was no slouch. I barely made a noise, but he whirled in my direction anyway. His flashlight—one of those small, ultra-bright keychain ones—blinded me for an instant. And I heard the rustle of his clothing as he shifted his weight onto his back foot and raised his gun.
But he didn’t point it at me.
“Reed.” He sounded very sure it was me.
More anger flashed through me, even though he was right. I shed my wolf form—a sensation that was vaguely pleasurable, like standing up after sitting for too long. My fur bled away to human skin. I was naked, but barely noticed the cool air. I was too focused on him.
“Harris?” I demanded, straightening up. Harris was dressed in dark clothes, holding his flashlight in one hand and his gun in the other. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“You didn’t come to the cabin,” he replied, keeping his gaze locked on mine. From the way he didn’t let his gaze waver, I could tell he was trying not to drink in my body with his eyes.
Desire warred with my anger. I was leaner than he was, but still muscular—and I suddenly wanted him to trace every line of my body with his hands.
An impulse I had never really felt before.
I wanted to feel his reassuring strength, even if it was painfully human, and the warmth of his touch.
The wolf in my chest whimpered with need and my cock began to harden.
“I told you to stay there,” I growled, aiming for intimidation, as that seemed the safer alternative. “And I expect to be obeyed. Human.”
Sure, that last part was tacked on. But it sounded appropriately aggressive and angry. In my defense, he could have died. Visions of the hiker flashed through my mind and I suppressed the urge to shudder.
“You’re not the scariest supernatural creature I’ve ever crossed paths with,” he shot back, staring me down. “And if you think I’m going to hang out at some random log cabin, twiddling my thumbs until you get back, you’re out of your mind.”
At that, I strode forward and grabbed him by both lapels. Not hard enough to hurt him, but hopefully enough to shock some sense into him. “You could have gotten yourself killed! This monster takes people apart. It makes them suffer. What part of that do you not understand?”
He snorted. “I’m a good shot.”
“Your gun doesn’t mean shit in these woods!
” Harris’s scent washed over me, immediately calming me down.
I wasn’t even that angry—annoyed, yes. I was going to have to escort him back to the commune.
And I needed to squash any ideas of his about ever doing this again.
But I was also vaguely impressed. He was brave.
And this close to him, the impulse to kiss him again was hard to ignore, despite my words.
Which is why I overcompensated with, “You’re weak.
You’re helpless. You’re prey here, Harris!
And you’re going to get us both killed!”
I’d meant that in a more long-term way, but behind me, a branch snapped.
I dropped him immediately—Harris stumbled backward—and whirled in the direction of the sound.
A creature manifested out of the darkness between two trees.
For a split second, I caught a streak of glowing white before my brain caught up with it.
I shifted again, letting my body drink in the moonlight and power the transformation. The wolf was out in the span of seconds.
I barely felt the change. My attention was too locked on the monster.
It was vaguely humanoid—two arms, two legs, wearing a long, tattered white gown that looked horribly like a wedding dress.
Its hands were long, wickedly sharp claws.
It had tangled pure-white hair. And its face was almost human—feminine—but elongated grotesquely, as though someone had taken a human head and stretched it out like taffy.
Its teeth were sharp and long, dripping with a dark, viscous fluid.
Its eyes were black and empty, like the eyes of a great white shark.
I could see the shapes of the trees through its body, suggesting it wasn’t quite physical.
It hovered three feet off the ground, its gown rippling as if caught in an invisible wind.
Its dead eyes zeroed in on Harris and it let out a noise that sounded almost like laughter.
Rage burned through me and I lunged at it, my jaws wide and my claws out.
The creature screeched, moving faster than my eyes could track. It was there one instant and gone the next, moving almost as quick as a vampire.
I landed ten feet away, hard enough to feel the impact through my paws. My only thought was protecting Harris.
I immediately rounded on the creature and let out a low snarl.
The creature darted in Harris’s direction, causing him to stumble backward. Its hideous mouth twisted into a triumphant grin. It seemed abruptly more solid.
I tackled it again, driving it to the ground.
Then I darted forward, my jaws lunging for its neck—
My teeth closed on nothing and I bit my tongue instead. Pain flashed through me and the taste of blood filled my mouth—mine, not the creature’s.
The creature flowed away like mist.
It let out a low, sinister cackle that sent a thrill of fear dancing up my spine.
Though it looked vaguely like a person, it wasn’t.
It was a hungry, empty thing. And it wanted to hurt Harris.
It had clocked him as the easier prey. I was merely the obstacle standing in its way, preventing it from taking him apart piece by piece—the pain so bad his teeth would shatter from grinding them together.
It turned to face Harris, its form coalescing again. Becoming more solid. It drifted forward.
I jumped on it again.
This time, however, the thing was ready for me. It spun, lightning-quick, and raked its claws across my chest.
I let out a startled yelp and crashed to the forest floor.
The creature straddled me, riding my body down to the ground. Where it had scratched me felt like ice, clawing away my body heat.
I snarled, attempting to buck it off.
My body was weaker than before. The creature had done something to me. It grinned down at me, letting out a shrill cackle.
I couldn’t see the trees through its form any longer. It was solid.
“Get off him!” Harris thundered.
I wanted to speak, to warn him to run, but all that escaped me was a helpless rasping snarl.
The crack of a gunshot split the eerie silence of the forest.
The creature shrieked.
Harris fired two more shots.
The creature screamed again. Then it suddenly became transparent, as though it had lost its hold on the material plane. And where the bullets had struck it—two in the chest, one in the back of the head—the wounds glowed bright, as though his bullets were made of fire.
It darted up from me and whirled, its bloodcurdling wail echoing through the forest. Its black eyes locked with his, its grotesque mouth contorting in pain.
Harris raised his gun, aiming at it without any trace of fear on his face.
The creature vanished, the air seeming to swallow it whole.
I wasn’t fooled. The thing was injured, not dead.
Harris stood there, breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest. The expression he wore was cold and determined.
There wasn’t even a hint of fear as he waited with his weapon at the ready, his gaze darting around the forest. He’d probably had the same realization: this thing was still out there somewhere.
A few moments later, he moved to my side.
I shifted back into human form. I could still feel the ice from the scratches leeching the heat from my body. Rather than banish the wounds, shifting seemed to make them worse. My body began shaking and cold sweat beaded on my brow.
“The wounds aren’t gone,” I said, forcing the words out. Speaking was harder than it should have been. “They should have healed when I shifted.”
“We need to get you to a hospital,” he replied, eyeing me with alarm.
It would be at least an hour down the mountain, if not more.
By then, the creature’s venom would have probably finished doing whatever it was going to do to me.
And even when we arrived, mundane doctors wouldn’t be able to help.
They wouldn’t understand what had happened.
Whatever it was, the toxin burning like icy fire in my veins wasn’t something they had ever studied in medical school.
“The commune,” I said weakly, the words costing me. My eyelids felt heavy and drooped shut of their own accord. “You need to get the others. Leave me here.”
He glared at me. “It’s a good thing I’m not one of your wolves, otherwise I might actually have to listen to what you have to say.”
My eyes snapped open and anger flashed through me again. This human was insufferable. “Don’t be foolish! It could come back!”
His tone went grim. “And I’ve got plenty of bullets locked and loaded for when it does.”