Page 70 of Fate Awakened

“Now, this is a surprise. You’re not at all what you seem. Are you,lupo nascosto? Tell me, have they told you what you are?” Deacon whispers the question into my ear, making me wonder what the hell he's talking about.

Lupo nascosto? What does that mean? What am I?

Cain’s eyes flare, his jaw set, anger pouring out of him. I can see the instant he decides to break ranks. He’s trying to save me despite what it will mean for those around him, and for the smallest of moments, my heart soars, knowing that even though I’m going to die, he wants to save me.

“Why don’t we show you this world,” Deacon says, grabbing my hoodie and pulling it back, exposing the flesh of my shoulder.

Cain’s eyes lock onto mine, and their expression softens as if he’s trying to send me some message, an apology, a vow. Then, before my eyes, he, too, transforms. Leaping from the ground as a human and landing on four paws, clothes shredded behind him, sprinting at me.

His wolf is giant, bigger than those around us, and its coat is black, but it's his eyes that grab my attention.

Metallic-silver, gunmetal glowing eyes. Holy fuck!

The memory takes hold, and I flashback to the night in the call center parking lot. The wolf-dog that chased down my car. That was him.

Everything happens in slow motion, my mind trying to sort out the action that’s all happening simultaneously. Both sides begin moving, squaring up with opponents, and Cain is blocked from reaching Deacon by the disgusting guard who has once again transformed into a wolf.

Deacon drops his mouth to my neck, and I feel his teeth scrape above my collarbone. My self-defense training kicks in, and I decide if I’m going to die, then I’ll go down fighting.

Dropping my body weight, I pull away from his mouth and rotate my hips to the left. My sudden movement causes Deacon to lean forward off balance, trying to maintain his hold. I swing my right arm back with as much force as I can muster, hitting him square in the balls. He releases my waist and shoulder, stepping back just as Cain’s wolf throws his opponent off and charges Deacon, who I hear more than see turn into a wolf himself.

I don't wait to see what happens in the fight; instead, I take off toward the edge of the clearing. Hoping everyone is too caught up in each other to notice me.

Before I make it three steps, I hear a booming voice.

“Uh uh uh, not so fast. Thought you could get away so easy,” Big Tony’s deep voice carries over to me, and I spin around, readying myself for another fight. He stands ten feet behind me, his arm lifting in my direction. My eyes move down his arm to see a handgun raised, pointing at my chest. My hands fly up in surrender, and I shake my head as tears continue to flow down my face.

“No, please, just let me go,” I whimper, knowing deep down nothing I say will get through to him.

“Sorry, baby girl, rules are rules,” he replies with a shrug.

The adrenaline flowing within my body through this nightmare leaves me feeling spent. I’m numb. My eyes flash over to Cain, still wrestling with Deacon, and several other battles are happening on every side of me. I send him these final words, hoping he knows even though I never told him.

I’m sorry. I love you, and I’m sorry.

Tony’s finger moves, squeezing the trigger, and my eyes close in anticipation. The loud bang of the gun firing hits my ears just before the bullet's power sends me sprawling to the ground. The force of it causes my head to collide with the frozen, unforgiving forest floor. Time slows to a standstill as warm blood soaks the front of my hoodie, contrasting the overwhelming cold that I feel. The pressure on my chest keeps me from being able to breathe. The sound of my gasping for air fills the resounding silence.

I wait for the pain that never comes—feeling nothing but the unending cold.

My vision blurs and black dots dance before my eyes. The stars above cast their twinkling lights in a sad farewell as I feel my lids close and tears slide down my cheeks.

The last thing I think before everything fades to black echoes as nothingness engulfs me.

I’m sorry I never saw the fireflies, Sammy.

Chapter 24

Dante

Multiplegunshotsringoutin quick succession from all around us, causing the individual fights to freeze momentarily before everyone scatters toward the trees. The two wolves I’m tangled up with use the distraction to remove themselves from the scuffle, nearly tripping over each other in their attempts to find cover at the edges of the clearing.

I shift back, scanning the area as I move behind the rock structure we placed behind us. My eyes search for my pack mates as I rip the mangled earpiece from my ear, as I send mind-links to the blue team for a status update, so I can figure out who the fuck is shooting.

We’ve got to find a fucking way to fix that.

Dante: Report blue team

Jess: Two shots fired at Big Tony. He’s down.

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