Page 87 of A Wolf's Wound
The scent of him, musky and strangely familiar, rips a harsh growl from my throat.He whips his head around, and from beneath the shadow of his cloak I see a flash of white grin.
“Look who’s managed to join us, princess!Can you believe he’s managed to work us into his busy forest-prowling schedule?”
He doesn’t sound out of breath, but he wouldn’t.A shifter chasing a human is about as fair as a cat chasing an anemic rat.Fortunately, I’m just as fast as he is.
Faster.
There’s no thought, only instinct.I dart to the side, beneath the cover of the tall pine trees swaying above.The hooded man tilts his head, and Hannah takes the opportunity to bolt.He catches up to her with ease, but before he can reach her with his outstretched hand, I skid to a stop between them.The hooded figure also stops, but I don’t smell any fear on him.
Only delight.
“Ryder!”Hannah’s putting on a brave face, but her eyes are wide, and her face is pale.She’s as skeeved out by this guy as I am.
We’re close enough to town that he should be nervous.Anyone could drive by.But I can tell none of that matters to him.I can sense his heartbeat, and it beats evenly, as though we were all about to sit down for a cup of tea.
Every time he so much as twitches his hands, my adrenaline leaps.It’s like playing Russian roulette.He’s lethal.I can tell by the way he carries himself that he’s killed before and would enjoy killing again.I know he’s going to strike.I just don’t know when.
“Run,” I tell Hannah, not daring to look over my shoulder at her.“Go, now!”
Claws tear at my shoulder—not the wolf, but Hannah’s pet raccoon.Shadow rubs his cheek against my neck in a bracing display of affection before he levels his gaze at the hooded man.A deep, guttural sound rumbles in his throat, and his intention is clear.He wants to fight.
And, of course, so does Hannah.I don’t know why I even bothered to tell her to leave.I should know her well enough by now.Shouldn’t I?She’s not going anywhere.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she says, proving my point.I’d honestly glare at her if I thought it was safe to take my eyes off this guy for a second.
At this point, I’ll take all the help I can get.I’m never one to shy away from a fight, but fearless opponents are like pissing off a beehive.Unpredictable and therefore dangerous, even if I suspect I’m stronger than he is.
“Hannah, get the hell out of here now!”
Heedless of my snarl, he steps soundlessly forward.It’s almost like he’s gliding on the cracked asphalt.
“Don’t leave!Hannah, my darling, just wait.”I see a flash of that grin again, manic and nearly trembling with excitement.“You won’t want to miss this.”
How the hell does he know her name?
“Miss what?”I take a step forward, nearly snarling.My words are lisping over my extended fangs.The wolf inside me urges me to sink them into his flesh.“What’s ‘this’?Enough games.”
“Ryder.”He sighs with a theatrical flourish.“You’re always so impatient.You want to stop playing?Even though you’re the one who started all of this, set our little game in motion?Fine.”
The man hooks his thumbs into his hood and pulls.It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust enough to see his features in the dark, but when I do, my heart jumps to my throat.
“No.”
“No?”He laughs.“That’s all you have to say, Ryder?”
It’s all I can say.My tongue is frozen.I’ve heard of shock, but I’ve never really experienced it until this moment.My heartbeat thuds in my ears like an incessant drum, and the ground seems to shift beneath my feet, sending me swaying and Shadow clawing desperately to keep his balance.Because I know this face.I know it well.
He was once a friend.
Brian.
Chapter 50
Hannah
Ryder’sfacegoeswhite.He knows this man’s face.I’m sure of it.Recognition, horrified and baffled, makes his breath catch ragged in his throat.A car drives by fast, blaring music.The headlights illuminate the now hoodless man’s face, rendering him stark and terrifying.The echo of it is burned into my eyelids even as I blink it away, letting my eyes readjust to the night.
“I…” Ryder stumbles on his words.It’s unlike him.He might not say much, but he’s never been shy.
