Page 29 of Hunted By Wolves and Shadow
Her lashes fluttered, then Emi’s gaze met mine across the insignificant space between us. A spark of connection locked us together and stole both our breaths. My chest went tight, full of something beautiful and terrifying that I couldn’t name, but I could see it reflected there in emerald green staring back at me.
It was impossible. A crazy dream. A wild interlude to something tense and brittle.
She wasn’t for me. I knew that.
But it didn’t matter; I was already gone for her.
I held my breath and licked my lips while Emi’s chest rose and fell against me. My own pulse was a thundering stampede in my ears as I noticed the racing beat at Emi’s neck. Her gaze dropped to my mouth.
Fear and thrill and want spilled through me in equal measure, but I wouldn’t move first. After what I’d done, this had to come from her.
The question was, would she let herself crash into me before her thoughts dragged her away, or would I be feeling the sharp stab of a blade when she came to her senses. Because she would. Even if our chemistry meant she wanted me for this heartbeat, the next would bring her swinging back to revenge. Even if she didn’t kill me, she would leave me. A witch and a wolf were never meant to be.
My ears rang with the rush of my blood. Every muscle tensed, waiting for her to break our precarious deadlock. I could practically see the battle waging behind her eyes like they were windows to the deep and hidden parts of her soul. I lost myself in them until the forest faded away, leaving only Emi’s warm vanilla scent, Emi’s breaths and beating heart, Emi’s heat on my skin, and the most beautiful thing of all, the sound of Emi’s soft sigh before she closed the last hair’s breadth between our lips.
When she moved, it wasn’t some meek leaning in. No, Emi leaped as if the decision, conscious or not, was the last strand of a frayed rope. She snapped and slammed her mouth into mine with all the ferociousness of the tiger I’d told her she was. Her lips were softer than I’d imagined when I lay in bed at night, but the intent behind them was firm and strong as they moved unyieldingly over mine. This was a new fight between us.
When her hand closed around my neck to pull me harder into her, my control fled and my arms circled her waist, finally finding the place on her hips that they’d longed for.
My fingers tightened to drag her against me, and I loved how she was nearly my height so our hips almost aligned. The kiss deepened, letting me taste the sweetness I knew I’d find in her. With the swiftness of a striking snake, her other arm wrapped around me too. We were as close as we could be, all tangled limbs and desperate breaths, and I still wanted her closer. I slipped one leg between hers and she let out the gentlest of moans. I captured it with a flick of my tongue and delved into her heat.
I could have stayed like that, kissing and holding Emi, all day and all night. But the doubts and guilt began to wriggle their way in. She might want me in this moment, but it was nothing more than a release of the overwrought chemistry that always crackled between us. I backed off so she could pull away. The moment was coming when she would realize who she was kissing and then horror would take over. I wouldn’t regret a thing, but she would. Our lips parted in a dimming light that reflected the fall of my hopes, snuffing out the dream that was kissing Emi like she wanted me.
“Witchling…”
“What wasthat?”
I wanted to say it felt like fate, but my gaze caught on the sight over her shoulder.
Emi pulled away. “What is wrong with me? I should have run that first day, Mist or not.”
“Emi, stop. There’s more imp—”
“You.” She stabbed a finger at me accusingly. “Are you happy now? You can run back to your friends and tell them how pathetic I am.”
“No, Em…”
“That was a mistake. I should never—”
“Emi, behind you!” I pointed to the looming Mist that had blocked the meagre light from above. A huge crest of it stood poised over us, ready to break. “Run,” I told her, shoving her hips toward the cottage. “Run and don’t look back.”
Her eyes went comically wide at the tower of white that swept down. One step at a time, she backed away from me, moving too slowly. The Mist dove over me. Emi’s eyes dropped to where I stood, powerless against it. She had to get away. “Go!” I yelled.
Her back-pedaling quickened, then faltered as her heels hit the log pile. Her fingers clenched in the fabric of her hood she’d left there earlier, and that was the last I saw before the world whited out. My body went rigid, Mist cutting off my view of Emi while pain roared in my ears.
The change seared through me. Mist wrapped me up, setting my bones and muscles on fire as the transformation ripped my body apart to reshape me into the monster I was. I thought I whimpered for Emi to run again, but I couldn’t be sure of much as the curse took me.
My vision brightened, and from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of dark red hair flying over a green hood as Emi ran deeper into the Mist.
The curse might not affect her, but I knew what else was out here. Fenrir could tear her apart. So could many of the others depending on how much the beast was in control when she encountered them. If Bear hadn’t eaten… If Lynx felt threatened… If Hawk spotted her scurrying across the forest floor… And me…
My trousers fell away as I dropped to four legs and stalked forward. A howl ripped from my throat, and Emi’s frightened squeak rang out. She froze in the middle of the path, Mist on all sides, staring at me in terror.
“W—Wolf…?”
I didn’t care if I scared her as long as I stopped her from going further into danger. All I could do was growl and bare my teeth.
It was enough to send her fleeing again. I would have to head her off, herd her back to the cottage. But the wolf was strong, instincts sharp, and it was a fight to stop the chase from turning into a hunt. Emi’s strides faltered as she cast a horrified glance over her shoulder, her mouth open on a silent scream. I could only imagine what she was seeing, her terror at the monster I’d become.
