Page 3 of Eternally Yours

Without further delay, my training kicked in and I checked for vitals, noticing the multitude of gory gashes across his massive chest.

What in heaven’s name happened to this guy?

He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.

“Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not dying on me.” Starting chest compressions, I performed CPR, shouting for help when I could, hoping Tony or Donnie would hear me.

But nobody came.

Completing another thirty chest compressions followed by two breaths, I once again checked for vitals, but nothing. “Come on, dammit. Breathe…” I said, repositioning myself to continue the process, but stopped when I stared down at him and saw the gashes across his face and neck slowly weaving themselves back together, healing rapidly.

Unable to believe what I was seeing, I leaned in closer. Sure enough, like the threads of a tapestry, his skin pulled together and closed until no cut remained. Not even a blemish was left behind. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

What the hell?

A rumbling growl snapped my attention to the far end of the alleyway. The hairs on the back of my neck rose on end like tiny needles. The shadows on the far corner shifted, and all the breath crystallized in my lungs.

Two glowing yellow eyes appeared, and another ominous growl sounded, shaking me to the core. I staggered to my feet as the creature stalked forward, snarling, fangs bared and dripping saliva. My mind told me to run, but my muscles wouldn’t respond. I also didn’t want to abandon the man lying on the ground. His injuries now made sense. He’d been attacked by this thing, and if I left him, this animal would pick its teeth clean with the man’s bones.

With as little movement as possible, I scanned the alleyway for anything I could use as a weapon. Nothing stuck out as deadly or remotely practical as a means of protection. The creature continued to stalk forward, the light from the streetlamps illuminating its dark fur. My heart banged against my chest to the beat of a war drum. The animal appeared canine in nature, but it was too large to be a dog. Maybe even too large for a wolf. Its muscular body bristled as it leaned on its haunches, tensing for an attack.

This time, my body reacted on instinct and I screamed. Turning my back on the monstrous beast, I ran.

Big. Mistake.

In less than a breath, the animal tackled me to the ground and agony seared into me as claws shredded my skin through my scrubs. I hit the ground, my face slamming so hard into the pavement I was almost knocked unconscious. The beast continued to claw at me, tearing strips of flesh from my body. The pain was indescribable, garbled grunts were the only sounds escaping my throat.

This was it. This was how I was going to die. Torn to pieces by some wild animal.

I prayed it would kill me soon, that the suffering would end. And as that last thought circulated in my brain, the animal clamped down on my neck with its jaw. The last thing I heard before my mind faded to black was the whistling sound of a steel blade slicing through the air and the piercing screech of the beast as it howled in pain.

Then its weight fell off me and my world went dark.

Chapter Two

Nicholas

Consciousness slapped me awake, pain spiking across every inch of my body, stealing my breath from my newly revived lungs. As the rest of my heightened senses tumbled into place, the shock of danger hit me and I opened my eyes to find myself on a sidewalk, outside the alley where the creature had cornered me. Spilled blood pooled all over the ground.

This can’t be good.

I sat up a little too quickly, my world spinning for a second, but once everything came into focus, I saw the creature hovering its massive frame over a body. My first thought was that some unfortunate sap from the Order had gotten mauled by their own monster, but when I spotted slender legs and a lock of long auburn hair, my stomach cramped. The creature had caught a human woman in its claws.

But how?

Then a memory stirred. A voice. A woman begging me to wake up as something pushed against my chest. I’d been hovering between life and death, but I remembered the panic in her tone as she tried to get me to breathe again.

Fuck. Another innocent human caught in the crosshairs of this senseless battle. Collateral damage was par for the course, but I’d made a vow to myself to stop the carnage. Humans didn’t need to pay the price for our mistakes. Not on my watch, dammit.

I jumped to my feet and reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh.

The holster was empty. Fuck. I must’ve dropped my weapon in the alleyway. The beast growled as I heard another strip of flesh being torn from the woman, the iron tang of her blood making my nostrils flare. Blood vessels constricted, hungering for fresh blood. My gums throbbed as my canines descended.

Shit. Her scent was so strong, my entire body tightened as I fought my own instinct to feed.

No. Another human would not die because of me.

Shaking the overwhelming urge, I scanned my surroundings for my fallen weapon. The glint of a metal object caught my eyes. Without wasting another breath, I retrieved my dagger and rushed at the beast. With its back to me, the animal never sensed the danger.

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