Page 74

Pike's almost done shifting, and something tells me he won't be giving me a head start once he's done. The idea of the chase has my heart racing, adrenaline coursing through me, and a smile pulling at my lips.

I'm not sure if it's the chase or what I know what will happen when he eventually catches me, but I want this so much it almost hurts.

With my heart full and my blood charged with excitement, I take off, leaving the bathhouse without so much as a towel, as I disappear into the woods with a hungry wolf hot on my trail.

The forest is quiet. The only sounds are my gasps for air and my feet hitting the ground, breaking twigs and crushing leaves.

I hate running, but I’m not terrible at it. I’m better as a rabbit, but that’s not an option right now, and honestly, I like that Pike is chasing me. This isn’t some predator-prey thing the way it was that day in the woods.

Wait… that is what it was, right?

My foot catches on a tree root, and I throw my arms out to try to stay upright, only just managing by some cosmic miracle.

Maybe running through the woods in the dead of night completely naked wasn’t my best idea.

A howl cuts through the night air, and I chance a glance back over my shoulder. I can see okay, but without shifting, I don’t have night vision. I don’t need it to feel his eyes on me.

Turning back around before I kill myself, I listen.

Owls, crickets, animals I can’t identify, and… there!

When did he get in front of me?

Shit, without stopping, I take a sharp turn to the left and bark a laugh when I hear his annoyed growl not far behind me.

I know I can’t outrun him, and honestly, I don’t really want to, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the chase.

Flashes of light here and there catch my attention, and I have to remind myself it’s only nature. Years in the other realm make this feel like a dream, something otherworldly, and I guess it kinda is.

My heart beats in my chest loud enough that I feel like it should scare away the creatures of the night, but they only watch. The trees give way to a small clearing, and while it’s not as big as the one that we train in, it has its own glowing flowers, vines, and even mushrooms, but that isn’t what makes me stop.

In the center of the clearing is a will-o’-wisp, floating at about face level, and while it doesn’t have a face or anything like that, I swear it turns toward me as I skid to a stop.

“What the–” A deep growl behind me has me spinning on the spot, and I come face-to-muzzle with Pike’s wolf. His teeth are bared, spit dripping from his mouth like I’m the most delicious meal being served up for him. I put my hands up in surrender as I take a tentative step back, testing him.

Not surprisingly, his eyes follow my movement, his growl growing louder as he snaps those massive teeth in the air, warning me not to move.

Too bad all those teeth don’t scare me.

A wicked smile curves up my lips as I take another step back, making his beast snarl as he moves toward me.

Well, it’s now or never.

I turn, sprinting toward the far side of the clearing, but I never make it that far. A heavy weight hits my back, sending me to the ground. A scream rips its way out of my throat because this is going to hurt. Wrapping my hands around my head for somekind of protection, I squeeze my eyes closed and wait for the impact that never comes.

Instead, warm, familiar arms wrap around me, spinning me so that I land on a hard chest, and while it’s not much softer than the ground, at least I don’t have to worry about getting stabbed with a stick or scraped up.

Pike hits the ground hard, but it hardly seems to faze him as he quickly flips me back onto the ground, trapping me under his body. His eyes are blown wide, high from the hunt, the smile on his face pure happiness as he looks down at me like I hung the moon, and I can’t help but smile back.

“Oh no, you caught me,” I say in mock horror, pretending like that isn’t exactly what we both wanted. “Whatever will you do now?”

His smile grows impossibly wider. I worry he might hurt himself, but before I can think too much about it, my face is wet. Confused, I flinch away before my brain catches up and I realize what the fuck that was.

“Ew, Pike!” I whine, wiping at my face. It’s useless; I’m not sure how he managed to lick mywholeface, but he did. His chuckle vibrates through me, and I glare up at him as he watches me.

“I’m going to devour you.” His adorable-happy smile takes on a dark, hungry glint that makes my whole body heat and wetness drip from between my legs.

I want that so bad it’s almost painful.