Page 9

Not Your Average Dog

O h God, what do I do?

I glance back at the house. Should we try to get inside? But the door is locked; it will take too long. I want to run, but Zayne isn’t as fast as me. No one is as fast as me.

“Amber, what’s going on? Talk to me.” Zayne sounds confused but not concerned. I suspect that won’t last.

I stare at the spot where I saw the eyes. Zayne follows my gaze, a frown forming on his face. “Is someone there?” he shouts. No one answers, but a dark silhouette detaches itself from the shadows.

“What the fuck?” Zayne mutters.

I can now make out a vaguely humanoid form. But it’s stretched too thin, with crimson eyes and the flash of teeth. Another appears at its side, then another.

And they seem to flow toward us.

“Run, Amber!” Zayne yells. He grabs my hand, and we’re off. He pulls me around the side of the house. There’s a gate at the back of the yard, but we’re not going to make it. My chest is heaving, and all I can hear is the sound of our ragged breaths as we run.

I sense movement behind us, and a second later something slams into us, and we crash to the ground. Zayne’s hand is torn from mine, and he’s screaming. I roll to my knees. There’s something on his back, and I catch the gleam of sharp yellow teeth as the thing tears into his neck and doesn’t let go. His screams turn shrill. I want to run, but I can’t leave him.

I hurl myself at it and try to wrench Zayne free.

I’m dimly aware of screeching tires in the background. Bony fingers grab me from behind and pull me away, and I’m being dragged across the gravel. Zayne has stopped screaming, and that scares me more than anything. Then a streak of black flashes across the yard. At first, I think it’s a huge dog, but it’s a wolf, bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. The thing attacking Zayne looks up just as the wolf rips into it, jaws snapping closed. And it… vanishes. Disintegrates into mist that fades away.

I’ve stopped moving; the thing holding me is still, then it releases its grip, and I fall to my knees and scramble away. The wolf turns to face it, golden eyes gleaming with malice, then stalks the thing as it turns and runs. The wolf leaps and takes it down, jaws closing on its face, obliterating the red eyes, and it vanishes like the first.

I slowly push myself to my feet. Everything hurts. The wolf turns to face me, and I brace myself for an attack. The beast doesn’t move except to raise its muzzle and sniff the air. Zayne is behind it, sprawling lifeless on the ground. Then he lets out a low moan.

Oh, God, he’s alive.

Ignoring the wolf, who still hasn’t moved a muscle, I limp over to where Zayne lies on his back. I collapse to my knees beside him. Reaching out, I smooth the hair from his face. His eyes are closed, but he lets out another low moan. There’s a ragged bite on his neck that’s slowly oozing blood, but I don’t think it’s hit anything vital. I bite back a sob of relief. I need to call an ambulance, get him to a hospital.

My mind is whirling. A movement behind me reminds me I have company. I’d forgotten about the wolf. How the freaking hell could I forget? I turn my head. He’s still standing in the same spot, staring at me.

A strange shiver runs through the air as though it’s charged with electricity. The wolf’s form wavers, blurring at the edges. What the hell? A moment later, a man is standing there. My heart skips a beat as I recognize him.

All I can do is stare, trying to make sense of what I just saw. But nothing makes sense right now.

“We need to leave,” Khaosti says. “Now.”

He says that a lot. I continue to stare until Zayne moans again, bringing me back to myself. At least it doesn’t look like I’m going to get eaten by a wolf right now. Though from the pissed-off expression on Khaosti’s face, I’m guessing it was a close thing.

“You’re a wolf?” I say.

He gives me a perplexed look. “So?” Like it’s a completely normal thing to be. “And ‘now’ means right now.”

I nod. “We need to get Zayne to a hospital.”

His glance shifts from me to Zayne. “No time. I’ll finish him off quickly.”

His words take a moment to settle in. “You’ll what?” I squeak.

“He’s human.” Then he frowns. “Isn’t he?”

“Of course, he’s human.”

“He’s been bitten. It will likely be a mercy killing.” He takes a step toward us, and I jump to my feet.

“Not freaking happening,” I growl. He comes to a halt right in front of me. I block his path. No way is he getting anywhere near Zayne. I push him in the chest, but he doesn’t shift. “Zayne is my friend,” I say, enunciating each word. “You are not killing my friend.” I have no clue how I’ll stop him, but I will. I straighten my shoulders and glare into his golden eyes.

He must see the resolve there because he frowns. “He’ll likely die anyway. Slowly and painfully. And if he doesn’t…” His frown deepens. “Do you understand what you’re consigning him to?”

I have no freaking clue. But that’s pretty much the story of my life at the moment. So I’ll worry about it later, along with monsters with crimson eyes and men who turn into wolves. Or is it wolves that turn into men? “I don’t care. You are not killing my friend. Accept it.”

His nostrils flare, but he gives a sharp nod. He steps forward, but I hold my ground. I don’t trust him. “Give me your word that you won’t hurt him.”

His eyes narrow. “You have my word I won’t harm your friend. I think you’ll regret this decision, but we don’t have time to argue the point right now. Move.”

I swallow, not convinced I’m doing the right thing. He studies me for a moment, and for the first time, I see something softer in his eyes—understanding, maybe. Or pity.

“You have to come with me, Amber. Those things will return for you. And next time, they will succeed. You don’t want to go where they’ll take you.” When I remain silent, he steps close and holds out his hand. “Trust me, Amber. I will keep you safe from the monsters.”

“Yeah, says the freaking werewolf,” I mutter.

It occurs to me that I can definitely cross Khaosti off my very short "who-wrote-the-note" list. He would hardly tell me to leave, then come and find me again when I do. And while I have no idea why, I do trust him. He calls to something deep inside me—fanciful, I know—but I’ve come to trust my feelings. Besides, something is happening, something far stranger than my dreams of discovering I was a lost princess, and I want to know what. I also want to stay alive, and he’s saved me twice now. I slowly reach out and take his hand. A tingle of electricity runs between us, and his eyes widen. He feels this too. Whatever this is.

Maybe I’m not the only one who will live to regret tonight.