Page 91 of Shadow Bound

Most of the pack has chosen to shift, the only people who are still in their human form are my siblings, Pruitt, Jax, and me. Jax has never shifted in front of any of us, his wolf side is a complete mystery to us.

We stand in front of the pack, showing a strong united front. Pruitt and Ryker stand in the middle like the strong alpha pair they are. Pruitt’s wolf is as vicious as Ryker’s, together they make a deadly pair. Ranger is trying to remain calm, but I know he’s struggling with being so far away from Winslow, my mom is remaining close to the house in her wolf form to protect her daughter-in-law if anyone gets too close.

Remi turns her head, looking back at Gage, who stands with the rest of the enforcers. I don’t miss the passing look that crosses her face when her eyes shift to Jax. Jax is just as calm as Isabeau, standing there with a relaxed, almost bored posture.Is he really checking out his nail beds right now?

Feeling my eyes on him, he lifts his head and grins at me. The unstable wild side of him is shining bright in his purple eyes right now.

My own wild side is almost giddy, excited that we get to let loose. My wolf is pacing in my head, just waiting for his chance to come out and play. He might not be as restless being home as he once was, but he still enjoys the thought of getting to draw the blood of his enemy.

A soft, cool hand reaches up and pulls my focus away from looking at the demon. Isabeau smirks at me when I return my attention to her. “I need you to stay focused on what you’re doing, what’s in front of you in that exact moment. Do not get distracted by what I’m doing, I know it’ll be impossible, but you can’t worry about who I’m fighting. They’ll sense your distraction and use it to their advantage. And if you get hurt, I’m going to be pissed.” There’s a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Remember, I’m the only one who gets to spill your blood now.”

“Why Isabeau, are you flirting with me right now?” Unable to stop myself, but also needing to feel her mouth against mine once more before we charge into a battle with an uncertain outcome, I kiss her hard and deep. Like I’m trying to infuse her with all the love I feel for her once more I give her everything. Pulling back, I look at my bloodmate and love of my life. “I’ll do my best to not be distracted, but I’m not making any promises.”

She snarls in disapproval, but something I can’t hear yet catches her attention, making her head whip around. Cocking her head at Jax, who is also now standing taller, they nod at one another. Somehow, I know that a silent agreement just passed between the two.

With one last look at me, her eyes shining with the love she has yet to admit to me aloud, she and Jax fly across the field at the same time. Their boot-covered feet dig into the snow-covered ground as they run. Jax is slower, but still astonishingly fast. They reach the end of the clearing just as the first vampire breaks through the trees.

They all move fast, it’s hard to keep up with what’s happening. Jax and Beau don’t slow down as they reach the vampire. The woman with fiery red hair snarls at them and charges at them with no hesitation. She has no idea what she’s in for.

At the last minute, Isabeau flips over the vampire, landing safely on the other side. The vampire realizes what’s happened and turns to attack Isabeau, but with a brutal kick to the chest, Isabeau sends the redhead flying backward to where Jax is now waiting.

The demon catches the vampire, his hands held on either side of her head. As he infuses hellfire into her skull and the vampire screams in agony, Beau thrusts a blade into her chest, effectively and quickly silencing the cries.

The redhead’s body barely hits the ground before the rest of our enemies step from the trees surrounding the clearing. They’ve got us surrounded on all sides, caged in.

Turning my head to look at my little sister, I order, “Shift, Remington.Now.”

She doesn’t argue, she crouches low and her silver and creamy white wolf breaks through the surface. Remington is strong, but we are all stronger in our wolf forms. I wanted my sister to be able to shift while she had someone watching her back. The beast shakes off the remnants of the clothes Remi wore, its electric silvery-blue eyes zeroing in on the enemies that have got us surrounded.

Across the field and too far away for my liking, Isabeau holds blades in both hands and she’s snarling at a mangy rogue wolf that’s picked her as his intended target. My wolf rears his head, howling to be let out.She’s got this, I repeat over and over for his benefit but also mine.

The rogue wolves and a dozen or so vampires move as one, stepping farther into the clearing, trapping us inside. One wolf who looks farther gone than the rest with his foaming mouth and matted mangy fur loses his patience and springs at my pack. Specifically, at Pruitt.

The alpha female growls at him, fully prepared to take him on, but he makes it five yards before the sound of a rifle going off cuts through the air and a bullet rips through his shoulder.

Winslow.

The wolf howls in pain and that’s when everyone snaps, charging at each other in a fury of battle cries and snarls.

Pruitt and Ryker, working as a team, lunge at the now wounded wolf, shifting into their own wolf forms as they do. The black wolf and the white wolf collide with the rogue, but I don’t watch long enough to see how they kill him. All I know is the rogue doesn’t stand a chance in hell against them.

Remington lunges at a vampire when it tries to go after Ranger. The silver wolf takes it to the ground, pinning the hissing creature down. When the vampire’s fangs bite into Remington’s leg, the wolf cries out in pain, but doesn’t pull away. Instead, Remi’s powerful jaw snaps down on the vampire’s throat and in one quick jerk of its head, tears the throat from the vampire’s neck. Stepping away from the now dying vampire, Remington watches triumphantly as it chokes on its own blood. The snow beneath his body turning bright red.

It’s not very often my sister is put in a position of having to be vicious and I sometimes underestimate her ability to be deadly. Just because she doesn’t often have to, doesn’t mean she can’t take care of herself and eliminate an enemy.

Looking at the number of rogue wolves here today, I figure out why it took Noah so much longer to get here than we originally thought. He had a dozen more wolves stashed away somewhere that we didn’t know about. Apparently, he’d grown smarter and was able to evade cameras, meaning Whisper wasn’t able to track him.

You’re clever, Noah, I’ll give you that.

A male vampire suddenly slams into me, sending me rolling through the dirt. He attempts to get the upper hand as I’m flat on my back, but I’m able to spring to my feet before he can pin me to the ground. He attempts to grab for my neck, but I take hold of his outreached arm and snap the limb in two. The bone even pokes through his pale skin. As he screams in pain, I feel my claws appear at my fingertips. Grinning widely at the vampire, I slam my hand through his chest, ripping through skin and muscle before my fingers wrap around his heart. With a quick twist, I pull the organ from his chest.

His eyes are wide and empty as he falls to the snowy ground in a heap.

Looking at my blood-covered hand, I shake it off at my side, trying to dispel some of the sticky liquid from my skin, but not much of it budges.

The sound of a wolf crying in pain draws my attention behind me. Ranger, now in his wolf form, is being attacked by two vampires. One has their arms around his neck, suffocating him, the other is crushing his ribs.

A growl rips through my chest and I race across the clearing to help my twin. Halfway there, I leap forward, shifting into my wolf form in the air. Landing on four paws, I barrel into the fray. My body crashes into all three, sending each one flying back. One of the vampires is dislodged from my brother, the other one’s arms loosen just enough that Ranger is able to get free.

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