Page 21 of Beast of Blood and Roses
But there were too many of them. I watched in horror as another wolf leaped onto his back, its teeth sinking deep between his shoulder blades. He was fighting for his life—fighting to save me—and he was losing.
I couldn’t just lie here and watch him die. Not when he’d risked everything to protect me.
I raised my stick and brought it down hard on the snout of the wolf riding his back. The creature whipped toward me with lightning speed, jaws snapping shut on my makeshift weapon. Igasped and stumbled backward, my heart thundering as I realized how close those fangs had come to my fingers. Wood splintered as it wrenched the branch from my grip, the rough bark scraping my palms raw. Now I had nothing—no weapon, no protection—and the wolf’s yellow eyes fixed on me with predatory hunger.
The beast reached over his shoulder and grabbed the wolf by the back of its neck and tossed it across the bayou, slamming it into another tree. Relief flooded through me even as I shrank back from the casual violence, reminded once again of exactly what he was capable of.
The black wolf rose up and took a step toward the beast. My heart clenched with unexpected fear—not for myself, but for him. The wolf threw back its head and released a loud, commanding howl that echoed through the bayou. The black wolf froze, stood at attention, then disappeared into the forest with the others following.
I watched in stunned confusion as they retreated. Was it over? Just like that? My muscles remained coiled with tension, waiting for them to circle back, to attack from another angle. The silence felt too sudden, too easy, like the eye of a storm rather than its end.
Even the wolf that had been motionless struggled to its feet on shaky legs and limped after them.
The beast swayed on his legs, then fell onto his knees. Panic shot through me. He was hurt, maybe dying, and I had no idea how to help him. Blood dripped down his back, his throat, and his arms. He gave me a dazed look and collapsed onto the ground. More howls echoed through the forest, closer this time.
Panic flickered in my chest.I looked wildly over my shoulder but didn’t see anything moving through the trees. But I knew they were there, watching us, ready to attack again.
I rushed over to him. “Beast, you have to get up. They’re coming back. I can’t…I can’t carry you.”
Wolves materialized from the trees like shadows given form. A white wolf led them, massive beyond belief, easily twice the size of the others. Its ice-blue eyes locked onto us with predatory intelligence, and when it pulled back its lips, the rows of gleaming fangs made my knees banged together.
The other wolves fanned out behind their alpha like a well-trained army.
We’re going to die. The thought blew through me like an icy wind. We’re actually going to die out here.
Fear clawed up my throat, but something else rose with it, something hot and desperate that I’d never felt before.
The white wolf snarled and launched itself at us. I raised my trembling arm and thrust my palm forward.
Fire shot up my arm as if lightning had struck me. A transparent shield shimmered into existence between us and the pack—solid as glass, crackling with energy I didn’t understand. The wolves slammed into it with sickening force. I staggered, my vision blurring, but the barrier held.
What is this? How am I…?
My entire body convulsed as if I’d been electrocuted. Wave after wave of tremors rolled through me, making my bones rattle and my vision blur with the force of it. The wolves circled us, snarling and clawing at the shield, but they couldn’t break through. My hands cramped into claws, muscles seizing painfully as whatever power flowed through me demanded its price.
The white wolf’s blue eyes burned with something beyondhunger—recognition? It seemed to know something about me that remained a complete mystery to me.
The distant roar of engines cut through the bayou. Gunfire exploded through the trees. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified. Rescue or another threat? The alpha lifted its massive head, then melted back into the shadows with its pack.
Colette and Marcel burst through the undergrowth on ATVs, rifles in hand. Silver bullets, maybe? Did werewolves really die from silver, or was that just folklore?
My shield flickered and died as if it had a mind of its own. I didn’t know how I did it or how to bring it back. Exhaustion crashed over me and drained the last of my strength. I dropped to my knees like a marionette with cut strings. Every muscle in my body cramped violently, the spasms so severe I couldn’t tell where one pain ended and another began. My back arched involuntarily as wave after wave of agony rolled through me.
The beast stared up at me from where he lay crumpled in the mud, bewilderment flickering in his emerald eyes like dying embers. “You…you saved us?”
Pain slammed into me like a sledgehammer, making me double over with a strangled gasp. My lungs seized, refusing to fill. “I don’t know…” Another wave of agony tore through my core, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach. “I don’t know how…” The words came out between gritted teeth as I fought to stay on my knees and not fall over face first. “I don’t know how I did that. I’ve never done that before.”
Colette rushed over to me, her face pale with worry. “Mademoiselle, are you hurt?”
“No…yes…” My chest felt like it was being crushed in a vise, butthat was nothing compared to the fire raging inside me—like my very bones were being reforged.
She slipped her arm around my shoulders, her small frame surprisingly strong as she helped me to my feet then guided me toward the ATV. “Hurry. We’re not safe. They’ll return.”
I nodded weakly and sank onto the seat, my body trembling with exhaustion. Even if I’d wanted to run again, I couldn’t, not when it felt like a thousand fists were pummeling my insides with relentless fury.
It took both Colette and Marcel to haul the beast’s massive frame onto the other ATV. Every second felt like an eternity as I watched the forest around us, expecting those yellow eyes to reappear at any moment. They could attack again while he couldn’t defend himself. He slumped heavily against Marcel’s back, his breathing shallow and labored. Blood matted his fur in dark, sticky patches.
Marcel glanced over his shoulder, his knuckles white on the handlebars. “Monsieur, you must put your arms around my waist.”
