Page 11 of Lycan

“Jerk,” I mumbled, rubbing the water off my cheek.

He dropped to all fours and shook again, sending more at me. I shielded my face, waiting until he stopped. “Now you’re doing it on purpose,” I muttered, scraping my hair back.

Fenrir climbed higher onto the embankment with wide, loping strides. No longer were his movements hindered by weakness. The monster had regained his strength faster than I could have imagined.

Something moved behind him, but his body blocked my sight. The small glimpse I’d seen had still been enough to see a very recognizable pelt. I jumped to my feet.

“Fenrir!” I gasped, fear vicing around my throat.

EIGHT

MIA

Everything happenedwithin the span of a blink of an eye.

I shoved off the stone, dashing toward him on instinct. I waved my hands, trying to articulate that he was being stalked by a pack of mountain lions. All our noise must have attracted them to us.

When I was alone, I took extra care to keep silent and they had never found me. I’d always been cautious because they hunted in groups, running their prey to the ground with ease. Pam said their method of hunting didn’t used to be in groups. Another thing the Rift changed.

He caught me with one large claw, wrapping it around my throat and shoulder. The tip of his talon pinched my collarbone. His glowing eyes flared even brighter and his muzzle lifted to show teeth. I could only gawk up at him, frozen with fear.

“You dare attack me?” he bellowed, a rough, deadly snarl accompanying his words.

“No,” I croaked, shaking my head hard. “Behind?—”

One of the animals lunged at his back, sinking its teeth into his shoulder and holding on with a spine-tingling snarl.

He shoved me aside, sending me to the ground with a sharp burst of agony. My knee slammed into the hard pebbles,followed by my side. Stabs of pain shot up my hip and wrenched a gasp from my throat.

The mountain lion’s yowl was muffled as it shook his head to bury its teeth deeper into Fenrir’s shoulder.

Fenrir released a loud huff . . . as if exasperated. Calmly, too calmly, he reached back, gripped the scruff of the mountain lion’s neck and yanked it off. Skin and fur tore, but he didn’t even wince. The feline’s mouth dripped onyx blood across the ground as Fenrir swung it in front of him.

It was like a fly to a human. He held the animal’s feet off the ground, intelligent eyes studying the thrashing creature struggling for freedom.

In a smooth motion, he tore the lion in half. Blood spattered across my face. Guts and more unrecognizable innards dangled from both halves of the lion.

I screamed, dragging myself backward with my heels. Bile rose in my throat and the only reason it hadn’t exited was because I couldn’t stop screaming. He dropped onto all fours, his face splattered with bright red lion blood.

“Silence.” He snarled at me. I choked on my next inhale and clamped my lips shut.

The other lion lunged, and he caught it midair, his large oddly jointed hand around its throat. The big cat sank its claws into his arm, clinging with desperation, but a crunch later and it went limp. He let it go and it dropped to the ground with a thump. The monster prowled toward his prey, blood-splattered nose audibly sniffing.

Fenrir sank his teeth into the animal he’d torn in half, eating with large bites. Bones snapped and the nauseating sounds of eating ensued. I averted my eyes.

Better the lion than me?

I breathed in and out through my nose, trying to ignore the bile clenching my stomach. Those mountain lions were nothing to him, to the point that it was sad.

I shakily stood and limped to the lake. Crouching over the edge, I splashed water on my face. He’d swatted me away so easily that it shocked me that he hadn’t shattered any of my bones.

I gingerly settled on the hard ground with my legs crossed. I leaned forward, staring at the murky water. The last remnants of the sunset reflected off the surface. I’d never stayed out here this late, it looked almost magical. Slipping my hand into the shallow end, I swished it around in the cold water. When the sun was highest in the sky was the best time to get in because it wasn’tthiscold. My fingers quickly became numb and a shiver worked down my spine. My body woke up from the shock of watching Fenrir rip the lions apart. I closed my eyes and sat, breathing in deep breaths.

The bone crunching lasted a while. It was clear now more than ever that he’d been gentle with me so far. He’d obliterated those mountain lions as easily as breathing.

What had been strong enough to put him in the state I’d found him? I hugged myself. I didn’t want to think about it.

With the disappearance of the sun, the weather incrementally cooled. I tucked my hands into my armpits, staring across the still surface of the water and watching the moon rise in its reflection.

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