Page 20 of Wild Fated

“Shrikes!” Destin growled.

That was what these were. Creatures from the legends we were told as kids. They existed?

I slashed at the closest one, but it swerved, its wings brushing past my cheeks. The other one darted in from the side, its beak aiming for my neck. I lowered my head, and it missed by a hair, its talons raking across my shoulder instead. Pain seared through my flesh, but I didn't have time to think about it.

Shadows obscured the light from the lantern. All I could hear was shrieking and the beat of feathers. I needed to shift. I should?—

Sharp pain lanced across my arm, and I whirled, stabbing the blade through the air.

“I said, get down!” Destin shouted again, and I listened, but only for a second. My eyes adjusted, and I caught one of the shrikes off guard. It screeched, feathers flying, but the second one took advantage of my distraction. Its talons hooked into my side, and searing pain flashed through me as they dug deep.

I cried out, my vision blurring. I tried to shift, to force the transformation, but the blood was already pooling too fast. I couldn't focus. I couldn't breathe.

I staggered back, my legs trembling. I had to protect the dagger. I had to?—

My limbs gave out, and I collapsed onto the sagging wooden floor. The world spun, and I fought to keep my eyes open, to stay conscious. Blood poured from my wounds, pooling around me, soaking my skin.

I heard a snarl, low and guttural, and my heart stuttered in my chest. Destin. He transformed through the haze, his muscles rippling and skin tearing. His fur was dark as midnight, his eyes glowing with a feral light.

He launched himself at the shrikes, his jaws snapping shut on one of their wings. Feathers exploded into the air, dark and shimmering in the moonlight. The shrike screeched, but it was cut off as Destin's teeth tore through its flesh, ripping it apart.

Blood sprayed, and I flinched as the droplets hit my skin, hot and sticky. The second shrike tried to flee, but Destin was faster. He lunged, his massive paws slamming into the bird's back, forcing it to the ground. His claws raked through its feathers, and with a final, bone-chilling snarl, he crushed its skull between his jaws.

The room fell silent. Destin stood over the mangled bodies, his chest heaving with exertion, his fur matted with blood. He shifted back to his human form without hesitation, his clothes shredded, all of him exposed. He didn't care. He didn't take the time to find something to cover himself. He dropped to his knees next to me, his hands immediately going to my middle. I felt pressure, then a searing heat as he pressed his palm to my skin. I tried to focus on his face, on the dark intensity of his eyes.

My vision tunneled, and the last thing I saw was the dark moon rising higher in the sky behind him through the shattered window. My body was numb, my mind foggy. I felt a warmth spreading from his touch, but I was bleeding too much, too fast.

Darkness closed in, and I fought against it, but my body was too weak. What had I told him? That he wasn’t responsible for me? “Destin, I’m sorry?—”

“Shut your mouth, Lana. Just close your eyes and breathe.”

I woke,and my mouth felt like it had been swabbed with cotton balls. I blinked, taking stock of the darkness around me. It was still night. A low fire crackled next to me, sending sparks up into the air.

My midsection ached, but the pain was a dull throb compared to the searing agony I'd felt before. I adjusted my position on the floor, and that’s when I noticed my shirt was gone. In its place, clean fabric was wrapped around me just beneath my bra, snug against my skin. It smelled like the forest, like leather, like?—

“Destin?” My voice was a whisper, and I turned my head to see him sitting near the fire, his eyes reflecting the flames.

He nodded, his expression unreadable. "How are you feeling?"

I took a deep breath, wincing as my ribs protested. "Better than I should be."

Destin watched me, his eyes dark. "You were out for less than an hour. I wrapped your wound as best I could, but you were losing too much blood."

I nodded, my mind racing. The shrikes. Dark creatures. We hadn’t seen any of them in over ten years. That was what our packs were for. To protect humans from their world being invaded by the darkness, but our packs hadn’t heard a peep. Not a whisper.

I ran my fingers over the bandage and realized it was a shirt. A shirt that wasn't mine. I gripped the hem and tried to peel it up to see my wound.

"Don’t.” His voice was firm but not harsh. "It's still healing."

I frowned and was about to protest when I remembered the dagger. My heart skipped a beat, and I reached instinctively for my belt. It wasn’t there.

My breath caught in my throat, and I sat up too quickly, the world tilting around me. "Where is it?" My voice was panicked, my vision narrowing.

Destin held up a hand, and I saw the glint of the dagger. My pulse pounded as he extended it to me. I snatched it from him and pressed it against my chest. "You?—"

"It was covered in your blood." He motioned to the floor, and I saw my belt, the leather soaked through. Along with my pants and?—

“Did you undress me?”

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