Page 43 of Donovan

I grabbed its throat, using my weight to pin it down, my muscles burning as I fought to hold it back.

But it was strong. Too strong. I could hear Donovan panting nearby, his grip on his knife tightening. He was circling, looking for an opening.

I bared my fangs at the creature beneath me, my instincts roaring to the surface. My hunger stirred, but I shoved it down, focusing only on the fight.

The rabid let out a strangled, animalistic screech, its movements erratic and violent, its eyes nothing but empty voids. Only one way to end this.

“Donovan. Now!” I snarled.

Without hesitation, he lunged.

His blade sank deep into the rabid’s throat, twisting sharply. The creature let out a final, garbled shriek before its body spasmed then went still.

Silence crashed around us.

I exhaled hard, releasing my grip, feeling its dead weight beneath me.

It was over.

Donovan stumbled back, his chest rising and falling, his knife slick with blood. His eyes darted to me, his gaze searching.

“You okay?” he asked, voice rough.

I let out a short, breathless laugh. “Am I okay? You’re the one with the injured arm, running into fights like an idiot.”

He smirked despite himself, wiping his blade on his pants before sheathing it. “You love it.”

I snorted. “I tolerate it.”

A soft groan made both of us turn.

The woman.

I pushed myself up, walking over as she struggled to sit up. Blood stained her shirt, but the wounds didn’t seem deep. Her eyes flickered between us, wild with fear.

“It’s okay,” Donovan said gently, crouching beside her. “You’re safe now.”

Her lips parted, but no words came out. She was in shock.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This complicated things. We couldn’t exactly just leave her here. Donovan glanced up at me, his expression unreadable.

“Well,” he murmured. “Let’s get her inside the cabin and figure out what happened.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DONOVAN

I closedthe cabin door behind us, locking out the cold night and whatever horrors the woman had barely escaped from.

She was still trembling, her breaths sharp and ragged, her eyes darting wildly around the room like she expected a fresh nightmare to emerge from the shadows.

I knew that feeling.

The kind that kept your body tense long after the danger had passed, convinced you had to keep running, keep fighting, because the moment you let your guard down, something worse would come.

She flinched when Declan moved.

I saw it in the way her fingers clenched around the damp fabric of her torn sweater, the way her wide, terrified eyes flickered toward his face, then down to his mouth.