Page 56 of Touch of Evil

Her angelic face grows sweeter as she adjusts her position. For the first time in my life, I know there’ll never be a woman this beautiful. I lean in, ready to kiss her.

Emme jerks her chin away, panic overtaking her in one vicious strike. Sparkles of blue and green flicker from the bottom of the lake, growing in size, and spreading in cahoots with that sense of evil.

“Bren! Una’s still alive.”

I roll my eyes. “Yup.”

Emme screams when I throw her up and away from me. With a large intake of air I howl, summoning the pack with mycall.

A long tentacle grapples my waist. This time, I don’t let it tighten before Ichange.

My fangs tear through the limb pulling me under. Una, shrieks, her mutilated form, slinking away. I dive after her, needing her carcass floating over Tahoe more than I need my next breath.

I’m almost to the crazy witch when she spins like a top, belting me with the stumps of her remaining tentacles. She sucker-punches me in the chin, stunning me long enough to engulf me with her shredded extremities.

Una tightens her vice-like grip, squeezing out the measly amount of oxygen I have left. I curl into a ball and kick out, puncturing her injuries with my claws.

I fight, snapping my fangs and pummeling her with my limbs. But it takes me biting off most of her face for her to finally release me.

I jostle away from her, the lack of air circulating through my blood making me loopy and robbing me of my speed. With all the grace of a toddler, I reach the surface, spitting out water and hacking up Una chunks.

My head whips in the direction of the Watering Hole when theweresI summoned race toward the dock. From the entrance to the labyrinth, theweresfrom the apartment complex hustle in beast form, their paws kicking sand behind them. To the west, moreweresapproach in a boat. They’re coming. All the packmates out on patrol are answering mycall.

But I don’t need them.

I need Emme.

Relief warms the chill from the lake and I just about collapse when the fish gal lifts Emme from the water and up to a large dock. The tide must have dragged Emme farther down and away from where I aimed.

Mouse girl tries to reach for Emme with those tiny-ass paws, but it’s the vamp with the twisted head who places Emme safely on the dock.

My lungs are on fire and my body is trying to realign at least three busted bones. I’m tired and famished. But I keep paddling with my tongue lolling out, happy as wolf who caught his prey and anxious to be with my girl.

Shit.

My girl?

Here I go again.

The closer I draw to Emme, the colder she appears.

No. Not cold.

Emme ispissed.

She snaps a large branch from a nearby tree with herforceand levitates it into the air.

“What the hell?” I ask.

Thewereson the dock and fish girl frantically point, yelling all at once. I turn slowly as it occurs to me, no one is actually looking at me.

And I swear, it’s like the theme fromJawsstarts playing.

Una’s head pops to the surface like a fin and she charges. She can barely see with that one eye dangling from her skull. But she sees enough.

And so does Emme.

Like an arrow meeting a bullseye, Emme nails Una in her large head with the branch. The sharp tip splits her head open. She wobbles back and forth and sinks.

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