Page 77 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

I'm jumping out.The closer I got to wherever they were taking me, the less chance I'd have to get free.

Are you insane?Griffin growled.You're going to get hurt.

If I don't, I'll wind up wherever they want me, which could be worse.He wasn't trying to be an asshole; we were newly mated. On top of that, he wasn't trained in battle strategy. But dammit, that was something he'd need to rectify, and soon, now that he was with me. Unfortunately, people had found out my kind—the silver wolves—still existed, and they had come after me. We had to find out who "they" were and neutralize them, because the thought of living my entire life on the run didn't sit well with me.

Not wasting another second, I placed my knife back in its sheath and grabbed the release. I gathered my wits because, as soon as this trunk opened, the driver and whoever else might be in the car would know. At least the driver would be in human form and not animal; I only prayed they didn’t have any guns.

The only way to know what I was up against was to go through with the plan, so I yanked the release, and the trunk cracked open. Wind blew inside, whipping my long silver hair into my face. I pulled it to one side and looked out of the trunk.

There wasn't a car right behind me, so at least there was that. If I had to jump out, I wouldn't be playing Frogger, trying not to get hurt. The area was thick with trees, and we were driving on a two-lane road. My captors were either avoiding the interstateor taking me to some backwoods area. Or both.There's a county road sign.I read off the numbers to him.

You're going south, but more important—how the hell do you know that?Griffin growled.Please, don't do anything stupid.

I decided to stop overthinking and go for it. I pushed the trunk all the way open, and the car swerved.I'm jumping out now.

No—don't,he said, sounding frantic.Just wait for one of us to catch up with you.A whirlwind of emotions slammed into me. He was scared and felt helpless.

It's too late.The tires squealed as the driver slowed down.They already know I'm escaping.

I wanted to shut down the bond between us, but I couldn't do that to him. If I'd been in his shoes, I wouldn't have been much better off, and it wouldn't be right to worry him more than he already was. But I had to ignore his emotions and focus on escape.

The car was almost at a complete stop, so I jumped out and rolled to prevent injury. I jumped up and ran to the tree line, hoping to hide and see what I was up against.

Pushing my legs as hard as they would go, I raced toward a tree with a large enough trunk and vibrant new spring leaves to keep me hidden for a moment. I welcomed the adrenaline pumping through me, partially clearing my head of whatever they’d injected me with. I flung myself behind the tree trunk then peeked my head around toward the road.

Lurching, the car came to a stop, leaving gray smoke rising from beneath the tires. The driver’s side door opened, and a tall, muscular man jumped out. He was almost as large as my dad with dark, cinnamon-colored hair.

He had to be a bear shifter, which didn't sit well with me. All of the attackers in the group we’d recently faced down had beenwolves, except for one crow, and now this guy. Unless the bear who’d attacked me in a bar in town not long ago was connected with them too.

So many races being involved in this scheme complicated matters. That meant that multiple races that usually were divided were working together, which happened only when the enemy of their enemy was their friend. Did that mean they were working together to eliminate or control the last remaining silver wolf? I didn’t like the implications.

"You aren't going to get away," the guy bellowed, his bear growl bleeding through his words. "So why don't you come out now and make it easier on the both of us?"

I rolled my eyes. Did he think that would actually work?

He sniffed, catching my scent. His eyes focused right where I was hiding.

That hadn't taken long, but I hadn't expected it to. At least I knew that he was alone, which struck me as odd.

"How did you wake up so fast?" He sneered as he strolled toward me, placing his hands in his pockets as if he didn't have a care in the world.

But he wasn't fooling me. I could feel the tension rolling off his body. He wanted to appear confident to try to make me nervous. Maybe I should play the game right back at him. "Not sure." I stepped out from behind the tree and forced a smile. "Maybe you didn't use enough."

My casual demeanor must have hit the mark because he paused. Instead of him throwing me off guard, I'd managed to do it to him.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." He gestured to the car. "Let's get going, and you won't have to be hurt again."

"Can I sit in front?" I smiled, but my body was coiled, ready to fight.

We both knew how this would end. Right now, we were playing some stupid game of who was the most dominant.

"No, but I'll let you choose the music."

"Going to have to say no." I took a few steps toward him, wanting to get this done. I was so damn tired of fighting.

"Then I'm going to have to insist." He marched forward but stopped about ten feet from me. "Now."

"Good luck with that." I spread my legs and got into a fighter’s stance.

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