Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
We all like to think we’d be a badass if shit hit the fan. That, if we found ourselves face to face with the devil, we’d have the courage to kick him in the balls and spit in his face.
At least that’s what I always imagined I’d do.
So imagine my horror when, instead of summoning the spirit of the indomitable honey badger and scratching the bastard’s eyes right out of his head, I turned possum and passed out.
It wasn’t a conscious choice. I had no say in the matter. From my perspective, one minute all of my senses were bombarded by pure terror—shouts and screams, flashing fangs and claws, sharp pains and rushing adrenaline. My mind spun. The world swirled as dizziness took over. My knees buckled, and…
…that was it.
The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes to a world that was somehow darker than the abyss of unconsciousness I’d just left behind.
No, wait.
As my vision began to clear, I could see that wasn’t entirely true.
Yeah, there were shadowy spots bathed in impenetrable blackness, but in between them were patches of muted silver. Moonlight, I realized, run through a filter of fluttering leaves and redwood needles. Every now and again, I even caught glimpses of the bright white disk as the gaps rushed past.
But why was everything moving so fast?
I turned my head, trying to figure out what in the world was happening...and instantly regretted that decision.
Because one quick glance showed it wasn’t just the sky above that was racing by; it was also the ground below. I was floating along, suspended between the two, almost flying. Except that didn’t make any sense.
Not unless I was dead. For all I knew, the raving alpha had torn my head clean off, and this was how it felt for a soul to fly to the great beyond.
But then why could I still feel the trickle of warm blood seeping from the wounds in my arm?
Souls didn’t bleed. Bodies did.
I attempted to wiggle my fingers and toes just to be sure and let out a sigh of relief when I felt them curl.
But that sense of solace didn’t last long.
Not even a second after my muscles twitched, my ears were filled with the sound of a rumbling growl. The vibrations shook straight through my core, running down my limbs, leaving goosebumps of pure terror in their wake.
Oh, shit.
Reality crashed into me with the force of a freight train. I wasn’t dead. Unfortunately, I was still very much alive and currently in the arms of the monster who had burst out of the darkness.
I could feel his arms, thick and hard, around me, crushing me against his chest. I tried to move, but it was impossible. All four of my limbs were pinned tight.
Forget about struggling to get free. I barely had enough space to breathe.
But at least I was breathing.
For now.
Of course, that would probably change if I didn’t find a way to escape. But how? And to where?
Judging by the thick tree cover, I was already in the heart of the Wilds. How the hell was I going to get back to the other side of the Wall? And what horrors would I find when I got there?
The memory of Sophia’s screams played in my head. The last thing I’d heard before it went black was her begging for my life instead of her own. The echoes of her desperate pleas filled me with equal parts fear and fury.
If this monster had done anything to her, I’d?—
“Felicity!”
My head shot up, my eyes opening wide as the sound of Sophia’s voice shot through the forest.
Oh, thank God. She was alive…and searching for me in the wilderness. I had to get to her.
I sucked in a breath, filling my lungs as full as I could under the pressure of the alpha’s hold. “So?—“
I wasn’t able to even get the full syllable out before the massive arm pinning my shoulder shifted slightly, and a giant hand clasped tight over my mouth, cutting off the sound.
Fuck this.
I bucked and kicked, flailing against the creature’s hold, but it was no use. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. Another low rumbling growl shook through me. But if the bastard thought he could scare me into submission, he was wrong.
Now that I was conscious again, I had no plans of being led like a docile lamb to the slaughter. Instead, I thrashed like a wild animal, fighting for its life. I used every ounce of strength I had.
Not that the ferus seemed to notice.
To someone of his size, I was about as threatening as a mosquito.
But then again, even mosquitoes had their own way of fighting.
Opening my mouth wide, I sank my teeth into the meat of his palm.
The alpha sucked in a sharp breath of surprise as the sickening metallic taste of his blood washed over my tongue…
but more importantly, his hand recoiled slightly.
It’s position shifting just enough for me to crane my head out and snap my teeth down on the sensitive tip of one of his fingers.
“Fuck!” he hissed, instinctually pulling back from the sting.
That was the opportunity I’d been waiting for.
The instant his grip loosened, I flopped like a fish desperate to get back to water. With every kick and wriggle, I slipped further and further from the alpha’s grasp…until I broke free completely.
Gravity instantly took hold, pulling me down the nearly seven feet to the ground. I hit hard, air escaping my lungs in one giant whoosh. But before I could even try to fill them again, the ground beneath me gave way, and I was falling again.
I hadn’t realized we’d been on a steep hillside—not that it would have mattered. I would have taken my chances jumping headlong into the Grand Canyon to get away from this monster.
And it almost felt like I had.
Rolling down the hill like a log, I hit every rock and bramble on my way down.
Pain shot through my torso as I slammed hard against the ground, again and again.
My sleeves and pant legs ripped with every turn.
It felt like my arms and legs were being fed through a shredder.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally slowed to a stop at the bottom of the incline, every inch of me battered and bruised.
Without wasting a single second, I forced myself up.
Miraculously, nothing felt broken. My arms pushed me off the ground. My legs held my weight. And even though my ribs were sore as hell, I was still able to breathe.
Thank God for that, because I could hear the alpha barreling down the hillside, chasing after me.
There was no time to run. No opportunity to cry out for Sophia. Even if I did, what could she do? Even the two of us together wouldn’t be able to beat a ferus in a fight. Calling her name would only draw her closer to danger.
No, the only option I had now was to hide and pray the alpha didn’t find me.
I dove deep into the heart of the densest shrub I could find and tucked myself into a tight ball. Then, eyes closed and stone silent, I breathlessly waited, listening for the sound of his footsteps.
It didn’t have to wait long.
A few brief seconds later, the ground started to rumble under the force of his crushing weight. Dry leaves and twigs crunched beneath his feet. Even his breath sounded terrifying—hard and heavy like a rampaging bull.
For the first time since I was a child, I prayed.
Make him go away.
Make him go away.
Make—
The dense foliage above my head parted as a hand burst through the bush. The air left my lungs in a startled squeal as impossibly strong fingers wrapped around the collar of my tattered shirt and hoisted me up through the leaves.
Suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with a monster.
Even through the faint moonlight, he was a sinister sight.
Every feature was severe, every detail almost painfully masculine, from his wild black hair to his cold onyx eyes.
A scruffy beard covered his jaw, only accentuating the harsh cut of his cheekbones.
The scowl hiding beneath his whiskers was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen.
Feet kicking at the empty air, I dangled from the end of his arm like a fish on a hook—but this time, I knew there was no chance he’d let me wriggle free.
Still, I had to try.
But the moment I started thrashing, his grip grew even more brutal. His eyes burned like hardened coal, pitch-black yet somehow still sizzling with intensity.
“Stop,” he growled, the sound so low, I felt the word more than heard it.
“Or what?” a little voice in my head asked. He’d kill me?
Yeah, I had a feeling that had been his plan all along. But if this was how I was destined to die, I figured I might as well go out fighting.
Why not? It wasn’t as if the other stress responses had worked for me. Flight hadn’t gotten me far. Freezing to the point of passing out had only made things worse. And there was no way in hell I was about to fawn over this beastly creature.
Fight was the only one left.
It was the shittiest option, sure. I knew I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, but I still had to try. I wasn’t the type to simply roll over and die.
So, dangling from the alpha’s grasp, I went limp, acting like I was following his command.
Then, the second he let down his guard, I brought the pointed toe of my boot up as hard as I could into the only soft part of the alpha’s body—right between his legs.