Page 64 of Wolf Bitten

Snarls sounded from the three, but I didn’t glance back. I pumped my hands fast, remembering asecretDad liked to tell Mom and me every time he brought up his sprinting career. He’d proclaim,To run faster, you must pump your arms harder. Your legs have to keep up even when your sides cramp. I hoped it was true.

The trees blurred, and I snagged the branch before the wolves could catch me. When I spun around, they were ten feet away.

So close.

Maybe I could outrun them. The barrier had to endsomewhere.

I ran in the opposite direction. There was no way I could fight off three wolves without my blood to aid me.

I pushed myself, the wolves hot on my trail. Their breathing was almost as loud as my heartbeat.

The presence in my chest jerked harder, like it was trying to free itself from within me, and I stumbled.

Considering how fast my feet were moving, I couldn’t catch my balance, and I dropped the branch as I crashed onto my hands and knees. My body jostled, and my teeth clacked together, pain exploding on impact. Tears burned my eyes, but I grabbed the branch and spun around to find the three wolves springing at me.

Letting instinct take over, I swung the branch with all my strength. The thick middle nailed the largest wolf in the head, knocking him into the darker wolf. The darker one lost its momentum, and both wolves crumpled sideways five feet from me. The lighter wolf flew at me and swiped. I tried to lurch away, but its claws slashed my side.

Cold air hit my skin, and a stinging ache shot through me.

I gritted my teeth, air whooshing from my mouth instead of my nose, and my throat ached. The dark-gray and light-gray wolves circled me. I looked at the largest one. It lay on the ground, its eyes closed.

I’d knocked it out. Since it was unconscious, maybe I could get through to these two. The lighter-gray one had paused earlier. “If you shift back into human form and tell me what this is about, I swear to you—” I started.

A deep rattle sounded from the darker wolf as if it were telling me to shut up.

No talking. Got it.

My blood fizzed, but the damn presence in my chest felt as if it was digging a hole out of me. This was worse than the sensation of implosion when my blood had almost drained the life force out of me. The presence was jarring, like a hammer beating a nail in tune with my pulse.

I wasn’t sure what to do, but standing here like a pig on a skewer wasn’t an option. I had to dosomething.

Shaking my head, I tried to focus. If these wolves killed me, I would never see Raffe again.

Raffe.

My sense of him in my chest was still strong, but the presence and my blood were all-consuming.

It must be a spell. This presence had manifested in the underground bunker. What if they had placed something in me to attack my blood whenever it grew stronger?

Had the Veiled Circle set this up in case I didn’t convert to them?

The darker wolf lowered its head like a bull and charged. The lighter-gray wolf moved sideways as if to attack me when the darker one shoved me into it. I swiveled to the right, my side hitting the wolves. I almost fell, but I used the branch to catch myself and stay upright.

The two of them had already reset. They crouched side by side, ready to strike.

This was it.

I was going to die.

My blood hummed, and the presence in my chestrippedout of me. I screamed in agony … and everything around me changed.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The hum exploded in a quick burst, and a tree fell on the wolves in front of me while something snarled loudly in my head. I clamped my hands over my ears, but the noise didn’t ease.

It was internal, the same way Raffe’s voice was from time to time.

My skin tingled in a way I’d never felt before. I went to scratch my arms, but as soon as I touched them, I froze.

---